郭聞
推開杭州國畫院院長室的門,一位老者從案前抬起頭招呼:你來了。熟稔得像是我們已經認識了很久。其實這是我第一次拜訪書法家金鑒才。
光說書法家其實不太確切,在書畫界,金鑒才先生被稱為“詩書畫印”四絕奇才。當然,他自己并不承認這個封號,覺得并沒有達到這樣的高度。但推廣或者說恢復詩書畫印一體的中國文化傳統理念,是他一生努力的方向。
這個努力,與他受老師潘天壽的影響分不開。當年,潘先生在浙江美院(中國美術學院前身)恢復中國畫系的時候,率先進行中國畫分科教學,倡導傳統文化素養和詩書畫印“四全”,認為“畫畫的人,不能局限于畫畫一面,對詩文、書法、畫論、畫史等等方面的學識必須很好研究。學識要博,見聞要廣”,強調“中國畫專業應把詩詞、書法、篆刻等列為正式課程”。
金先生從學畫開始至今60年,一直在堅持這個觀點。在無數的講座中,他總是在闡述這一觀點,力圖讓更多的人接受。
進入書畫界,對于金鑒才來說也許是個意外。16歲初中畢業的時候,因家庭困頓,他應父親的要求報考了所需費用不高的浙江美院附中,沒想到學習書畫用的紙張、顏料等材料費卻讓他差點承受不起。幸運的是,在這一路求學過程中,他受到周滄米、吳茀之、潘天壽、張宗祥等大家名師潛移默化的影響,憑著“咬牙再堅持一下下”的念頭,最終得以結緣中國書畫六十載。
這六十載,不僅是金鑒才研習中國書畫的六十載,更是他系統鉆研中國傳統文化的六十載。在他的身上,傳統文人的氣質由此表現得十分明顯,也因此,讓我這樣初次見面的后生晚輩,在與他的交談中感覺如沐春風。
但是,禮儀的周到和待人的寬厚,并不意味著對做事要求的放松,相反,我深深地覺得,老先生對待工作非常認真,要求很高。
我去的時候,他正在為一場“扇里清風,夏日送涼”公益活動忙碌著,這是杭州國畫院美術館成立五周年的紀念活動。按照金先生的構想,單純的紀念活動沒意思,像是關起門來自娛自樂,不如邀請杭城書畫家創作140幅扇面書畫,現場贈送給市民。這樣既可以讓人走進美術館,還可以讓更多人感受到中國書畫之美。
所以他對這次活動特別重視,認真到要了解整個活動的每一步細節。從起始時間到活動流程,從贈送程序到現場秩序,他都一一過問。4位具體操辦活動的年輕畫師被他的一個個問題問得滿頭大汗,趕緊進一步完善活動預案。
這些年輕人,或者是他的學生,或者是他親手招進畫院的畫師。要想在杭州國畫院做畫師,不是件容易的事,因為這所畫院很不一般。
2013年金鑒才向杭州市委、市政府的建言:作為中國畫十分發達的浙江,需要一所專業的中國畫院。
在古稀之年建言并主動挑起這副顯然份量不輕的擔子,是因為,金先生胸中始終有一團火——完成潘天壽老師倡導的詩書畫印一體的遺愿;更是因為,儒家所提倡的身體力行的士之精神,已深入金鑒才的骨髓。
畫院正堂那副“篤敬忠誠堅定文化自信,詩書畫印推行國藝重光”院訓對聯,書寫的正是金先生的心中之愿。
承載了文化傳承之擔、教化社會之責的杭州國畫院,它的體制、理念和運行模式也與其他畫院不太相同。
與其他畫院擁有大量專職畫師不同,杭州國畫院不設專職畫師,僅有在編的5名創作人員,他們和工作人員一樣,都需要正常上班,且要分擔具體的行政事務工作。相較其他畫院專職畫師的自由,這5名創作人員入職之初還得全脫產學習一年,內容涵蓋經史子集等傳統文化的各個方面,書畫等技藝反而是其次。這正印證了潘天壽曾經提出的“四分讀書,三分寫字,三分畫畫”的主張。當年,潘天壽也正是對年輕的金鑒才這么要求的,要求他“在年輕的時候多讀點書”。
說起這段往事,金老爺子說:我現在也是這樣要求年輕畫家的,以后這些年輕人會感謝我的。
在杭州國畫院,專職畫師并不意味著僅是吟詩作畫為文刻印,他們還需要承擔大量的社會活動和事務性工作,哪怕他們其實已經是書畫界小有名氣的中青年書畫家。比如說具體操辦著那場公益活動、不斷核算著活動到底舉辦多長時間為好的王菂,操持著辦公室日常管理的吳常青,擔任著院黨支部書記的趙天葉,是花鳥專業博士;又比如說負責所有教學事務和創作培訓中心日常工作的虞仲韋,是山水專業博士……
不以名為傲,不以瑣碎而煩,踏踏實實地做人做事,這便是杭州國畫院的特點,也是受人尊敬之處。
而由此而來的是金老爺子對大家的高標準、高要求。“換位思考、站到對方立場上去想”,是他對每一場活動的要求。
自成立以來的五年里,畫院舉辦了大大小小幾十場主題展出;定期舉行的上百場國學夜校公益講座,請來的都是知名學者專家。
在求學的時候,金先生曾經評價他的老師周滄米先生,“真算得上是爭奪下一代的高手”,因了周先生的不厭其煩、循循善誘,他最終愛上了中國畫。
去年,杭州國畫院特意建立了少兒畫會,通過培養少兒對中國畫藝術的熱愛,從小做起,提高民族的文化自信,也自存了“爭奪下一代”的用意。今年暑假,畫院專門推出了少兒書畫夏令營。
金先生說,我們辦夏令營,并不是為了讓孩子在這短短的時間里能夠學到什么畫畫的技法,是為了讓他們了解什么叫中國畫,什么是中國傳統文化。在這個夏令營里,孩子們首先學的是坐姿,是禮儀,是學習的態度。比如寫一次字,筆怎么放,怎么坐,寫完怎么收拾,凳子怎么放等等。
更難能可貴的是,這樣的一個有著名師指點的夏令營,是純公益性質的,免費。
當社會上的各種高價培訓班紛紛涌現并以“貴族”面目示人的時候,在西湖邊幽雅之地,有這么一個高雅而又真誠的夏令營,怎能不讓人敬服?
“藝術沾了錢,往往會變味!”老爺子言詞鏗鏘。
杭州國畫院的建立與運行,傾注了金鑒才先生的大量心血。訪談中,他不經意地喟嘆:5年了,我都有5年沒能靜下心來搞創作了。對于一位從事中國書畫創作、研究、教學60年的老人來說,這有點無奈。然而我想,金老先生也必以杭州國畫院在知行合一上的實踐而自足吧。
Jin Jiancai is now director of Hangzhou Academy of Chinese Painting. In the circles of calligraphers and painters of Hangzhou, Jin is widely recognized as an all-round master good at poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal-engraving. The modest calligrapher disagrees, thinking he has a long way to go and explore the beauty of traditional Chinese art. He has held fast to the notion that the traditional Chinese art requires the full integration of poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal-engraving. He has dedicated his life to the pursuit of the all-round art.
Jin attributes his life-long dedication to Pan Tianshou (1897-1971), one of the greatest painters and art educators of China in the 20th century. Pan emphasized an all-round education for art students who majored in Chinese painting after the Department of Chinese Painting was reinstalled at Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, which was the predecessor of the present-day China Academy of Art. “An art student should never confine himself to painting. He should master poetry, prose, and calligraphy. He should study art theories and art history. An artist must be equipped with adequate knowledge. Under Pans guidance, poetry, calligraphy, and seal art became a key part of the curriculum for art students at the department.
Jin Jiancai has held fast to this education strategy for art students and artists. In numerous lectures he has given, he has highlighted this notion.
Unlike many artists whose talent was noticed when they were young, Jin Jiancai chose art as his career by accident. Upon his graduation from junior high school, Jin Jiancai opted the affiliated middle school of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts primarily because the school charged a very low tuition fee. Unexpectedly, he found the study at the middle school was costly because he needed to buy a lot of paper and pigments. He squeezed through and studied under many masters such as Zhou Changmi, Wu Fuzhi, Pan Tianshou, and Zhang Zongxiang.
Jin Jiancai has spent the past sixty years studying Chinese art and culture. He looks like a scholar of ancient classics: modest, knowledgeable, considerate, and dedicated.
In 2013, Jin submitted a proposal to the government of Hangzhou for establishing an academy of traditional Chinese painting. He thought Zhejiang, a province with a brilliant history of traditional art and achievement, deserved such an academy. In his 70s, he took it upon himself to serve as the first president of the academy.
Jins mission at the academy is different from similar academies across the country. An academy of traditional Chinese painting usually has a large number of full-time artists. The academy under Jins watch has only five full-time artists. When they were first inducted, they took a one-year full-time course to study Chinese classics. Jin Jiancai applied what Pan Tianshou had asked him to do to the young artists: 70% of your time must be dedicated to reading classics and practicing calligraphy and 30% for painting. “I urge them to read as intensively and extensively as possible when they are still young,” said the president. “These young artists will appreciate what I said when they are older.”
The full-time artists at the academy do not confine themselves to art. They do daily administrative work and participate in social events to promote art and support community responsibilities.
August 18 this year marked the 5th anniversary of the founding of the art gallery of the academy. Jin Jiancai did not want to hold a celebration with the artists. At his invitation, artists in Hangzhou created 140 paintings on paper fans at the art gallery. The art gallery held an exhibition and paper-fans given away as free gifts to visitors attracted the public to take a look at the beauty of Chinese art on display at the gallery. Jin supervised the preparatory work done by four young artists in order to make the event successful.
Art education is a top priority on the work agenda of the academy. Jin considers his teacher Zhou Changmi as “a model in winning young students to art” in his college years. Jin himself became an ardent art student largely because of Zhou. Now Jin Jiancai practices what his teachers did so many years ago. Over the past five years, the academy has held dozens of exhibitions and held more than 100 lectures.
In 2017, the academy set up a club for teenage artists. In 2018, the academy hosted a summer camp for children. The free-of-charge summer camp did not aim to teach pure techniques. It strived to enable children to get a general view of Chinese art and culture. At the summer camp, children learned how to behave themselves appropriately, for example, how to sit, how to handle the brush-pen, how to put away the pen and the ink, and how to clean up the schoolroom after the class was over. The academy has set a good example of running a summer camp free of charge while there are so many paid summer camps where children are taught to be “aristocratic”.
Jin Jiancai is totally dedicated to the operation of the academy. The only regret he has about himself is that he has not painted seriously over the past five years.