劉昌文筆下的故城時光

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在劉昌文畫室，一幅皚皚白雪覆蓋吊腳樓的作品被精心裝裱，掛在進門處。

這幅名為《山城雪花飄》的油畫，是劉昌文上個世紀90年代的作品。

“1991年底，重慶下大雪。從沒見過渝中區下那么一場大雪，雪剛停，我就背上 120海鷗照相機，滿大街拍照尋找創作素材。”劉昌文在朝天門、解放碑、臨江門一帶，拍了無數張照片。最后的成果之一，就是這幅《山城雪花飄》——積雪覆蓋下的臨江門一帶，一坡坡的梯坎以及房屋層層疊疊、錯落有致，畫面安靜、沉穩。

事實上，只要空閑，劉昌文就會背著相機走街串巷采風，以城市為背景的作品也貫穿了劉昌文的整個創作，“我就是用手中的畫筆記錄重慶這座城市的時光。”

A painting of a stilted building covered by pure-white snow is mounted and hung at the door of Liu's studio.

It is an oil painting called Snow Flies in the Mountain City, which was drawn by Liu in the 1990s.

"There was a heavy snow in Chongqing in the end of 1991. I have never seen a snow that heavy in Yuzhong District in my life. Once the snow stopped, I immediately took my 120 Seagull Camera to take photos for my creation as many as possible." Liu has taken numerous photos in areas around Chaotianmen, Jiefangbei, and Linjiangmen. One of his achievements is this Snow Flies in the Mountain City. Stairs and houses that are wellproportioned in Linjiangmen area covered with snow form a picture of tranquility.

In fact, Liu, once has free time, would bring his camera to take photos across the streets and alleys. Therefore, works in the background of city are very common among Liu's entire creation. "I just use my brush to record the time in Chongqing."

最愛臨江門吊腳樓 Loves the Stilted Building in Linjiangmen Most

在外人眼里，《山城雪花飄》這樣的作品，無疑是劉昌文的冷門之作，因為他為外界熟知的，更多是如《紅流》《夜行列車》《豆角熟了》等這一類作品。

但實際上，劉昌文一直把自己當作城市記憶的記錄者，自1977年四川美院畢業到東方紅電影院（即后來的國泰電影院）當美工開始，他就習慣背著畫箱、揣著速寫本，有時脖子上還掛個120相機，在重慶的大街小巷、車站碼頭、田野江邊，畫了許多色彩寫生和速寫，如今，它們成了珍貴的記錄。

“我從小長在解放碑，我還有無數以重慶為題材的作品，比如這幅《山城雪花飄》。這里是我生長的地方，除了這里，你再也找不到這樣錯落有致、層層疊疊、變幻莫測的城市景觀。”

這些作品中，出現最多的，是臨江門、一號橋一帶的吊腳樓，錯落有致、鱗次櫛比，“上世紀七八十年代的臨江門，與現在迥異，非常有特色。我最喜歡這里層層疊疊一直延伸到江邊的吊腳樓，盡管吊腳樓看上去破敗了，但住戶很多，而且這一帶隱藏著幾十條街巷，市井味濃厚。”

透過劉昌文的這些作品，我們尋見了老重慶的舊時光：龍門浩渡口對岸房子布滿山坡，江北城的老城墻樹影稀疏；那時，凱旋路上的東華觀藏經樓還很完整，兩路口的急救中心鶴立雞群格外高大；我們看到了還是一片農田的松樹橋，看到了大溪溝被洪水淹沒的廠房和民舍；畫里還有磁器口的石橋，有十八梯的小巷……

幾十年過去，這些當年練手的速寫和寫生，還被劉昌文完完整整地收藏著，有時還會拿出來一頁頁地翻看，就像是翻看珍藏的老照片，回憶于是也一點點展開：“我走過許多地方，但要說最能觸動我的，還是重慶。我從小就在解放碑練筆，幾乎背著畫夾走遍了這里的大街小巷，這里是我藝術生涯啟蒙的地方。”

For laymen, works like Snow Flies in the Mountain City is undoubtedly one of Liu's works which are not popular. He is more famous for works includingHongliu,Train at Night, Ripe Beansetc.

However, Liu is always thinking himself as a recorder of the city's memory.Since he worked as an art worker in Dong Fang Hong Cinema (the Cathay Cinema) after graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute,he has got used to carrying a painting box, a sketch book, and sometimes an 120 camera around his neck, to make many paintings in streets, alleys, stations, docks, fields,riverside in Chongqing. Now, they've become the most precious records.

02/03/04 劉昌文筆下的臨江門街巷和吊腳樓，現在都已消失了

"I grew up in Jiefangbei, so I have plenty of other works themed with Chongqing, such asthe Snow Flies in the Mountain City. This is where I grew up. You can never find another place like this where cityscape is so well-proportioned, so tiered, and so unpredictable."

The stilted buildings in areas around Linjiangmen and No.1 Bridge appear the most in Liu's works. They are wellproportioned and tiered. "It is very amazing that the Linjiangman nowadays is so different from the Linjiangmen in 1970s and 1980s. My favorite thing here is the tiered stilted buildings that extend to the riverside.Although they seem shabby, there are still a lot of people living there. Besides, there are dozens of streets and alleys hiding in the area, which are full of civil life."

Through the paintings of Liu Changwen,we have seen the old times in Chongqing:houses behind Longmenhao ferry cover the hillside, and tree shadows are sparse on ancient walls of Jiangbei town; at that time,the Donghuaguan Depository of Buddhist Sutras on Kaixuan Rd. was still complete, and the emergency center on Lianglukou stood tall among other buildings; we saw farmland which now is Songshuqiao, plants and villages submerged by flood in Daxigou; there are also stone bridges in Ciqikou and alleys in Shibati...

05 若瑟堂

06 龍門浩碼頭

Decades later, the sketches and paintings Liu made before were collected safe and sound by him. He sometimes would take them out and flip them page by page just like appreciating old photos. In this way did his memory unveils, "I have been to many places, but only Chongqing can tug at my heart." I have been practicing in Jiefangbei since I was a kid, so I have basically been to every street and alley with my painting box. This is where my art career starts."

跟上城市發展的節奏 Keep Up with the Pace of the City Development

劉昌文記憶中的城市歲月，除了沉靜安詳的老城老街，還有火熱的城市建設場面。

“那個年代，各地經常組織美術工作者到重鋼廠采風。”劉昌文興奮地回憶，“上世紀七十年代，我們都很羨慕在這里工作的工人，那時候的重鋼廠是一個熱火朝天的地方。”

在劉昌文的這幅《鋼鐵年代》中，描繪了這樣一個場面：一艘大船行駛在江上，背景中重鋼的兩根巨大煙囪正冒著濃濃的白煙。

與直接描摹工廠不同，劉昌文從不同的角度，記錄下了當年重鋼廠的熱鬧景象。在劉昌文看來，這樣的意象能夠反映重鋼廠當年為整個重慶所做的貢獻。

07 1981年的洪水，淹沒了大溪溝一帶的廠房、民舍

除了鋼廠，在劉昌文的寫生中，還有修建中的石板坡長江大橋。

大橋建設階段，劉昌文幾乎每周都會到珊瑚壩參加修橋的義務勞動。“到了周末，我會選一個角落，畫這座長江大橋。”劉昌文至今都還記得，長江大橋通車儀式上，上萬名群眾趕來看熱鬧。

08 嘉陵江大橋

當然，作為城市的記錄者，劉昌文并沒有把眼光局限于對老重慶的記憶，高樓林立、日新月異的城市如今也出現在他筆下，“1997年，我第一次去紐約，夜晚的紐約燈火通明，深深震撼了我。沒想到，不過短短二十年，重慶的夜景同樣美輪美奐。”

The city life in Liu's memory is,apart from the ancient town and streets in tranquility, the busy scenes of city construction.

“Back in that time, art workers in many places were frequently organized to go to Chongqing Steel Plant for inspiration," says Liu in excitement, "We were all envious of the workers working here in 1970s, because Chongqing Steel Plant at that time was a popular place."

In his workSteel Age, a scene was portrayed: a giant vessel was traveling on the river with two big chimneys on it emitting thick white smoke.

Unlike direct portray of factories, Liu Changwen recorded the busy scenes of Chongqing Steel Plant. In his eyes, such images can show how Chongqing Steel Plant has contributed to entire Chongqing.

Apart from the steel plant, in his works, there is also Yangtze River Bridge of Shibanpo.

During the construction period, Liu basically participated in voluntary labor of bridge construction in Shanhuba every week. "I would choose a corner in weekend to draw the Yangtze River Bridge." Liu remembers until now that thousands of people celebrated the opening ceremony of Yangtze River Bridge.

However, as the recorder of the city,Liu definitely looks beyond the memory of old Chongqing. The rapidly-changing and skyscraper-standing cityscape also shows up in his works, "I've been to New York for the first time in 1997. The bright evening in New York shocked me a lot. It never occurs to me that in just two decades, the night view of Chongqing is as beautiful as that of New York."