Luo Jianwu Solo Exhibition | Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea by Plum Blossoms (Int'l) Ltd.

羅建武 Luo Jianwu

Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea

羅建武 Luo Jianwu Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea

羅建武 Luo Jianwu

Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea

Plum Blossoms International Limited hong kong

Contents 目錄 Foreword

Encounter with Yi by Stephen McGuinness

Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea by Olivia Wang

Artist’s Statement

Plates

Artist’s Biography

Credits

前言

逸遇麥史鏑

《畫•癡•茶》汪鈴

藝術家自白

圖片

藝術家簡歷

鳴謝

Foreword

前言

t is Plum Blossoms Gallery’s great honor and privilege to present Luo Jianwu’s ﬁrst solo exhibition Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea. Getting to know Luo Jianwu over the past year has been a pleasure. His lifework and positive attitude has awakened in me a deeper understanding of the power of great ink painting to create a receptive mood opening our minds to subtle suggestions. Luo Jianwu as a man of yi has the understanding and integrity to use that interface to inﬂuence us in positive ways. Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea is a collaborative effort with Olivia Wang, the Curator of the exhibition who also contributed her very insightful essay to this catalogue. Working with Olivia has been a great experience. It was Olivia’s perseverance that kept our project on track. I thank her for the great collaboration and all her contributions to the project. This catalogue is beautifully designed by KM Design, New York. Thank you for the beautiful book, Keira. My team at Plum Blossoms Gallery have all contributed to mount a wonderful exhibition. Monica Fu acted as the Exhibition Coordinator and Editor of the catalogue. Astrid Lau was responsible for the translations. I thank them both for their efforts. I’m very excited to work with Luo Jianwu. I believed that “once in a generation” a great master artist manifests. Twenty-four years ago, I was privileged to befriend and to work with the great master, Wu Guanzhong. Perhaps in my case, it is “twice in a generation”. I invite all the friends of Luo Jianwu and all the friends of Plum Blossoms Gallery as well as all friends of Ink Art to enjoy Luo Jianwu’s Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea.

萬玉堂畫廊非常榮幸能為大家呈獻水墨大師羅建武的首個個人展覽 -《畫• 癡• 茶》。能夠在過去一年深入認識羅建武先生對於本人絕對是一大樂事。他畢生的工作和積極的態度，確實喚醒我對偉大水墨繪畫的更深入了解 - 其蘊含了一種能夠觸動敏銳情感的力量，以打開我們的心神去體會一切微妙的感知。作為一個「逸士」，羅建武具備充分的知性和完整性，利用水墨為媒介積極地影響我們。是次《畫• 癡• 茶》展覽的成功有賴與策展人汪鈴小姐通力合作。幸得汪鈴堅持不懈令是次項目得上軌道，亦感謝她為本圖錄付上見地精闢的文章。與汪鈴合作無疑是一次愉快的經驗，我非常感激她的協作以及她為這次展覽的所有貢獻。本精美圖錄由紐約KM Design負責，感謝Keira為我們設計了這本美麗的書冊。在此亦特別感謝萬玉堂畫廊的團隊促成是次精彩的展出；傅詠彤小姐擔任展覽統籌以及圖錄的編輯和劉灝庭小姐負責翻譯；我感謝他倆所付出的努力。我很高興能與羅建武工作。我相信「一期一會」- 一生人一次機遇去體會偉大的藝術大師的魅力。二十四年前，我有幸能與一代大師吳冠中先生交好，並與之工作。也許在我的情況下，可說成「一期兩會」。我誠意邀請羅建武先生和萬玉堂畫廊的所有朋友，以及喜歡水墨藝術的各位前來欣賞羅建武的《畫• 癡• 茶》。

–Stephen McGuinness, Kathmandu, Nepal, December 2013

二零一三年於尼泊爾

麥史鏑加德滿都

Encounter with Yi

irst impressions can be deceiving and confusing. such was my experience when I first met Luo Jianwu in Beijing. His small apartment was filled with packed boxes and paintings some in progress, stuck to metal screens with magnets and others rolled up in various corners of the room. There was hardly room to sit. Had he just arrived or was he moving? How could he paint in such an environment? Confusion further set-in my mind when he cleared some space and we sat down to tea. Luo served his finest tea in Song style cups and ladled the brewed tea to cup from a fine brewing bowl. He passed the ladle to sniff and appreciate the smell. It was the best tea I had ever drank. How to balance those first impressions of chaotic living with the fine cultivation of Luo’s tea ceremony? Since that first meeting I have come to know more about Luo Jianwu and experience his lifestyle both in Beijing and in Tai’an, Shandong province where he did move abandoning Beijing. What I first perceived as confusion was in fact an indication of Luo’s xin yuan (“detached mind”) and as our relationship grew it became clear to me that what I was experiencing was an encounter with Yi. The reclusive spirit (Yi) is an idea with a very long history in ancient China. It appeared much earlier than yi painters or painting. Earliest were men of yi, from at least the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The proliferation of Daoism further encouraged educated men who were striving for virtue to create a buffer between themselves and the encroachment of societal distractions. Seek the more simple life wandering the mountains and forests while cultivating the “detached mind”. Luo Jianwu’s pilgrimage has been lifelong. China, Taiwan, USA, Taiwan

and then back to China was not exactly the path followed by the man of yi of ancient times but in our modern times the reclusive spirit can manifest in many paths followed in search of De (virtue) or cultivation of the Dao. The Dao is commonly expressed as the relationship between wu (void or emptiness) and yinyang (the natural dynamic balance between opposites), leading to its central principle of wu wei (non-action, or action without force). Luo Jianwu is an adept who has cultivated effortless action (wu wei). The idea of yi, or the reclusive spirit, in fact, highly emphasizes individual expression. At the age of 70, Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea is Luo’s first solo show. The twenty-two paintings in the exhibition are all personal to Luo Jianwu. Some have taken eight years to complete. Through these collected works we experience a mirror to Luo’s character as well as admire his great artistic skill. Luo is a playful painter and creates opportunities for his audience to discover hidden images. Through discovery comes understanding. The viewer becomes one with the painting and for a brief moment experiences the Dao which cannot be defined or expressed in words but can be experienced. With Luo’s guidance and skill we feel the qi of the painting, the essential energy of action and existence. Luo’s painting Finding Enlightenment in the Yandong Mountains is a wonderful example of Luo’s playfulness with the brush. He achieves an ethereal atmosphere through the mix of delicate tonal applications of ink wash with bold strokes defining a massif shrouded in clouds and crowned with snow peaks. The initial discovery as the viewer’s eyes adjust to Luo’s tonal subtlety are the busts of Da Mo (Bodhidarma)

Encounter with Yi

(continued)

and Shou Lao cut into the highest peaks. Those discoveries cultivate a spiritual awareness causing you look for more figures until your eyes settle on the large figure of a bearded meditator seated within the mountain. He is Finding Enlightenment in the Yandong Mountains. The artist encourages us to look deeper to cultivate our own wu wei. The reclusive spirit is an ideal morality. Luo’s Heavenly Immortals is also playful in the same way forcing our eyes to adjust to the mist and travel within the landscape until discoveries are made and the transmission of the artist’s vision is apparent. Luo Jianwu is comfortable painting the monumental and the delicate. His monumental hanging scroll Clear, Wondrous, Ancient, Strange is a lifetime’s achievement celebrating longevity and hope. The scale and the vision of the sinuous composition energized by the confident brushstrokes and sensitivity to the ink again engages the viewer and warms them with the comfort of the ancient cypress trees twisted and hollowed out by life’s obstacles but still very much alive. Dreaming to Return to Ebony Mountain is another monumental ink painting. A vast but welcoming forested mountain region is shrouded in fine mist. An overall calm feeling is achieved as there are many trails to follow with our eyes. We are again reminded that the Dao cannot be defined or expressed in words but can be experienced. Luo Jianwu is not one to disturb our reverie but it is with this painting that he shares some personal history although he obscures his testimony to a colophon hidden within the rock walls of the painting. He writes:

The Republic was one hundred years old in 2011, Painted in Hefei by Luo Jianwu, Already sixty-eight years old. During the Japanese occupation, Born in Wushengguan in Sichuan, At 5 years old immigrated from Beiping to Taiwan. Didn’t return to my ancestral home for over ﬁfty years. Over the past twenty years, I climbed Huangshan, Ji-uhuashan, Wuyue [The Five Great Mountains], Tianzishan, etc. It then took six years to ﬁnish this painting. Lu Jianwu’s monumental painting achievements are matched by the delicacy and sensitivity to his smaller format paintings. His love of observing nature especially trees, bark, roots and brambles is expressed wondrously in his fan paintings, The ‘Clear, Wondrous, Ancient, Strange’ Cypresses of the Han dynasty, New York at Dusk and the Three Friends. Luo’s brushwork and his select use of color is a triumph of skill and sensitivity. We as viewers feel Luo’s qi, the motive energy behind life and the world. Luo Jianwu’s artistic works are personal and capture the essence of a man of Yi, the reclusive spirit. The nature of the paintings and the artist himself must be classified as Yi. In these modern times in China where consumerism is the prevalent philosophy and the masses are being distracted by societal change and chaotic growth, it is refreshing to know that there still exist men of Yi who strive for De, that quest for active living and cultivation of the Dao. My personal experience with Luo Jianwu has been my encounter with Yi. –Stephen McGuinness

逸遇間才能完成。從這系列的作品可反映出羅氏的性格及欣賞其精湛的藝術造詣。羅氏是一位有趣的畫家，喜歡製造機會讓觀眾自行發現隱藏在畫中的影像，透過發現而得到領悟。這時觀者與畫作融為一體，在瞬間體會「道」，只能意會不能言傳。透過羅氏的技藝領引下，我們還感受到畫中的「氣」，一種萬物存在不可缺少的力量。

第一印象可以是不真實及令人困惑的。這是我在北京初見羅建武的經驗。他狹小的房子堆滿了盒子和還未完成的畫作，一些被磁石釘在金屬板上，一些則卷放在房間的每個角落。那裏實在沒有可坐的空間。他是剛搬到這裏來，還是準備搬離這個地方？他在這樣的環境是如何創作呢？當他騰出一些空間讓我們坐下品茗的時候更讓我困惑。茶是上乘的，並用上宋代款式的杯子盛著。羅氏用杓子把泡好的茶從精緻的茶碗送到杯子裏。他把杓子端到鼻子嗅，細意享受那份芳香。那是我喝過最好的一杯茶。究竟該如何在最初的混亂生活跟高尚的茶道取得平衡？

羅氏的《雁蕩雲煙見古佛》是他靈巧用筆的好例子。他運用不同濃度的水墨勾畫出雪頂群山被雲海簇擁著的畫面，營造超脫現實的氛圍。根據羅氏用墨的深淺度，觀者首先會發現達摩和壽老被描繪在山尖上。那些發現會令你想在畫中尋找更多的人像，直至你看見一個大型的人像 - 一個滿臉鬍子的沉思者坐在山丘之中。他正是在「雁蕩雲煙見古佛」。藝術家鼓勵我們細意觀看以達至「無為」。「逸」為最理想的修為。羅氏的《仙源》同樣有趣地讓我們的視線遊走於霧色山脈之間，當我們有所發現時，藝術家所表達的訊息亦已傳送給觀眾。羅建武不論對創作巨型或小幅作品也能揮灑自如。他的巨型掛軸《清奇古怪》是他一生對生命的讚頌及希望。充滿氣勢的流線構圖配以有力的筆觸及墨染，再次引領觀眾進入生命力頑強的古柏樹世界，遠離煩囂。《夢迴黟山》為另一幅巨型山水作品。畫中描繪出一片被霧氣包圍著的群山叢林。觀眾用雙眼沿著不同路徑欣賞作品時，會產生一份安逸的感覺。我們再次領悟「道」為只能意會不能言傳的道理。羅建武並不是要打亂我們的幻想，但希望通過這件作品與觀眾分享其個人經歷。他低調地把他的歷程寫在作品隱藏在石壁之間的提款上。他寫道︰

在那次會面後，我開始對羅建武有更多的認識並了解他在北京及其後在山東泰安的生活。我了解到初時令我困惑的感覺是羅氏表現「心遠」的一面。當我們日漸熟稔後，我發現這是讓我遇上何謂「逸」的經歷。早於至少春秋戰國時代便已出現「逸士」。道德經的盛傳令追求德行的有識之士在世俗之中找到出路。追求簡單的生活、遊走於山林間，以達至「心遠」的境界。羅建武畢生的修行由中國、台灣、美國，再返回台灣及中國，這並不像古時逸士行走的路線。但在現今世代，可以有很多不同的途徑去追求「道」與「德」以至體現「逸」。「道」表現於「無」與「陰陽」之間的關係，最後達致「無為」的中心思想。羅建武是「無為」思想的表表者，將「逸」以個人手法表現出來。七十歲的羅氏舉行其首次個人作品展《畫．癡．茶》。展出的二十二件作品全屬羅建武的個人創作。有部分甚至用上八年的時

逸遇 (續) 「辛卯(2011) 民國百年合肥羅建武畫六十八矣吾於日本侵華戰爭中生在四川省武勝關五歲自北平移民居台灣五十餘年未回祖籍地廿年間數登黃山九華山五岳天子山等歷時六年成此圖」之後他用上六年時間完成作品。羅建武的巨幅山水畫作與小型細膩的作品相映成趣。他的扇面作品《漢柏之清奇古怪》, 《紐約暮色》還有《三友》反映出他熱愛觀察大自然的一景一物，特別是樹木、樹皮、樹根和荊棘。羅氏的筆觸以及用色顯示他技藝非凡、心思細密的一面。我們作為觀眾亦能感受羅氏的「氣」，一股在世界、生命中流動的力量。羅建武的藝術創作很個人化地表達了一位逸士的情懷。他本人以及他的作品也是「逸」的典範。在現今的中國，當資本主意大行其道，大眾被社會急劇增長及變化所影響的時候，我們慶幸還有一眾逸士以追求「道」與「德」為目標。我與羅建武的認識，我認為是我與「逸」的一次相遇。麥史鏑

Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea

he natural world has long played a special role in the Chinese artistic tradition. Since ancient times, mountains were believed to have sacred powers, while mountain caves and grottoes were viewed as gateways to other worldly realms and spiritual paradises. Daoists and Buddhists gravitated towards the mountains, building their first temples and meditation huts on the mountain slopes. Literati painters, poets and philosophers followed in their wake, wandering into the mountains to find renewal and refuge through meditation. For the Chinese painter, depicting landscapes was more than capturing the scenery. Landscapes revealed man’s desire to commune with nature. Luo Jianwu breathes new life into this tradition, with a powerful and vibrant spirit while maintaining a deep reverence for its rich artistic heritage. Rooted in the Chinese literati tradition, Luo’s ink paintings create dramatic depictions of old trees, gnarled roots, monumental landscapes and other subject matters inspired by nature. Like the landscape painters of the past, Luo also travels to the mountains, studying and meditating in nature. As he puts its, his responsibility as an artist is simply this: “to paint works that can match up to nature.” Whereas landscape paintings evoke the grandeur of nature, depictions of old tree paintings offer a more intimate visual experience. Literati painters identified with old trees, seeing in their gnarled and twisting forms strength and resilience in the face of life’s vicissitudes. Pine trees were particularly rich in symbolism; even in winter, they held strong. As the influential painter and theorist Jing Hao (ca. 870-930) wrote in his

Eulogy to an Old Pine Tree:

Not withered, but not embellished, Is only that chaste pine. His force is high and steep, Yet he is humble and polite. How did he get his life With his force nearing the peak of the clouds?1

In addition to their symbolic value, old trees, with their knotty forms and gnarled roots, manifest an inner beauty – wild and untamed – that was appreciated by Chinese aesthetes. Luo resurrects this tradition of painting old trees. But he also offers the contemporary viewer a fresh vision and interpretation. Born in 1944 in Wusheng, Sichuan, Luo Jianwu moved to Taiwan with his family at the age of five. His fascination in nature and trees began as a child, growing up in the countryside in the outskirts of Taichung. He had his first glimpse of art at the age of eleven, when his mother worked at the ticket office of the National Palace Museum (then in Taichung). Luo recalls wandering the museum’s storage rooms and being enthralled by the monumentality of the Song dynasty landscapes. Luo attended Taipei’s National Art Institute, where he studied primarily Western painting and drawing. While his mastery of ink painting is largely self-taught, he drew on the hours he spent in the National Palace Museum, studying the works of the ancient master painters, absorbing their essence to nourish his art.

Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea

(continued)

Luo Jianwu immigrated to the United States in 1987 where he lived in New York for over a decade. Inspired by the pine trees of Central Park, Luo sketched profusely in the city’s parks and botanical gardens. His fan painting, New York at Dusk (2006) is a result of his preliminary sketches of a pine tree on the roadside near where he lived on the Lower East Side. Over the past ten years, as he gradually spent more time in China, Luo travelled throughout the country’s mountains. In the mountains, he sketches and observes the nuances of the landscape, changing with the weather, time and season. Luo eventually settled in Beijing. However, he felt that the urban environment was too removed from nature. In early 2013, he relocated to the foothills of Taishan in Shandong, where he could more easily retreat to the mountains, national parks and temples. Luo Jianwu’s ink paintings display the influence of the master painters of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, as well as his sensitivity to the natural forms of nature. Although his works are inspired by the natural landscape, they reflect his vivid imagination and the tree or mountain “in his heart,” rather than a specific object in nature. The details in his paintings, which tend towards verisimilitude, are indebted to his studies in Western art. Luo adeptly fuses these aspects together and casts them into a unique mode of expression. While Luo’s brushwork is derived from tradition, he is bold in going against traditional compositions within his work. For example, he painted Ancient Cypress at the Confucian Temple (2006) in a poetry notebook — he liked the cartouche format so he has recreated it on numerous occasions in a larger size, such as in Connected Cypresses at

Taimiao, Forbidden City (2012). Although the cartouches “frame” the image, Luo freely weaves the branches and leaves within and beyond the borders of the cartouche. Another example is his Pines in the Mist at Huangshan (2013) — he initially painted the image on a small album leaf, but as he was painting it, he decided he wanted to expand the image beyond the confines of the paper. He thus mounted the image on a larger sheet of paper, thereby extending the painting. What results is an unexpectedly successful composition that is also evocative of Luo’s character and distinct artistic style. As noted in his inscriptions, Luo takes days, sometimes years, to produce a single painting. This slow pace emphasizes his fastidiousness, care and patience behind the creation of his work. Luo views each of his paintings as a personal challenge to create something novel and of significance. Clear, Wondrous, Ancient, Strange (2013), his largest (approximately 6 metres long) and most daring composition yet, took him eight years to complete. Through his perspective, Luo gives the ageold subject — four majestic 2,000-year-old cypress trees growing at the Situ Temple, Suzhou — a newfound vitality. The spirit and personality of the trees are brought to life in this monumental ink painting. As well as being an ink artist, Luo Jianwu is passionate about tea and is also a tea master and connoisseur. Just as he approaches his painting with the utmost sensitivity to detail and technique, Luo is particular about the tea he drinks, scouring the country for the highest-quality aged tea leaves. He is also particular about the stoneware cups that he drinks his tea in, using only the finest wares fired by contemporary

《畫•癡•茶》 ceramic masters. While some ink painters collect art as a means of selfcultivation, Luo sees drinking tea as a way to cultivate his taste, and enhance his creativity. For Luo, his passion for painting and for tea is very much a way of life. In the art world — where an emphasis is placed on an artist’s exhibition achievements — it may come as a surprise that Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea marks Luo Jianwu’s very first solo exhibition. This is perhaps in part due to his self-effacing manner and his desire to shun the limelight. Luo prefers to let his paintings speak for him, serving as a testament that the link to the past can be a dynamic and creative force in the modern world. Having exhibited his paintings in various group shows internationally, Luo’s work today sits in prominent private and institutional collections, including the Sackler Museum, Harvard University, the Princeton University Art Museum and the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts. Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea features 22 recent ink paintings. The exhibition brings us contemporary views of the Chinese ink painting tradition through Luo’s journey of self-discovery. –Olivia Wang

大自然界在中國藝術傳統中一直扮演著獨特的角色。自古以來，山被認為具有神聖的力量，而山上的洞穴和岩窟則被視為通往其他世俗境界和精神樂園的通道。道教徒和佛教徒被吸引到山中，在山上開設他們的寺廟和冥想空間。文人畫家、詩人和哲學家都跟隨至山上，以求重新和透過冥想尋覓庇護。對於中國畫家，描繪山水不單是捕捉風景。山水揭示了人類對與大自然融合的渴望。羅建武為這傳統注入一股強大和充滿活力的新氣息，同時不失對豐富藝術遺產的敬畏。根植於中國文人傳統，羅氏創作了一系列啟發自大自然的戲劇性水墨作品- 有古樹、粗糙的樹根、宏偉的景觀以及其他各式題材。像古代的山水畫家，羅氏親自前往山中，在大自然裡學習和修行。正如他所說的「作為一個藝術家，他的責任很簡單，就是：把畫畫到能相配自然。」正當山水畫展現出大自然的壯麗，描繪老樹的畫作帶來了更親暱的視覺體驗。文人畫家透過勾畫古樹的粗糙外表的和扭曲的形態來比喻人生歲月所積累的毅力和能耐。松樹尤其富含象徵意義；縱使在冬天，它們仍昂然而立。就如很有影響力的畫家兼理論家荊浩（約公元 870-930 ）在他的《古松贊》寫道：

1 Jing Hao’s “The Significance of Old Pines” in Susan Bush and Hsio-yen Shih, Early Chinese Texts on Painting, Harvard University Press, 1985, p. 147-48.

《畫•癡•茶》(續) 不凋不榮，惟彼貞松。勢高而險，屈節以恭。如何得生，勢近雲峰。除了具備豐富的象徵意義，古樹的多節形態和粗糙扭曲的樹根亦表現著它們一直深受中國美學家推崇的內在美– 狂和野。羅氏復甦了繪畫古樹的傳統，同時給當代觀眾提供一個嶄新的觀賞角度和演繹方式。羅建武1944年出生於四川武勝，五歲隨家人遷往台灣。他對大自然和樹木的迷戀自童年在台中郊外農村生活開始。十一歲時初次接觸藝術，時藉其母親任職故宮博物院售票員（在台中）。羅建武憶述他兒時流連博物院的儲藏室，深深地被宏偉的宋代山水畫所迷住。羅氏於台北國立藝術學院修讀西洋畫及繪畫。他對水墨畫的掌握很大部分來自自學，他指是在故宮博物院觀摩古代繪畫大師的作品令他獲益良多。 1987年，羅建武移居美國，在紐約生活了十多年。受中央公園的松樹啟發，羅氏經常攜筆到城市裡的公園和植物園寫生。而扇畫紐約暮色（2006）是根據他在紐約下東區住處附近，一棵在路邊的松樹的草圖所完成的。在過去的十年中，羅氏逐漸在中國花更多時間，他更穿梭全國各地的山去旅行。他在山上描畫並觀察景色在不同天氣、時間和季

節環境下的微細變化。羅氏最終定居在北京。但他認為都市環境跟大自然的距離太遙遠了。在2013年初，他遷至山東泰山的山腳，好讓他更容易地到山上、國家公園和寺廟休憩。

獨特的視覺觀點，羅氏給予四棵已在蘇州司徒廟生長兩千年的老樹- 一股新的生命力。藉著這幅豐碑式的水墨畫作，把樹的神髓和個性活現於觀眾眼前。

羅建武的水墨畫顯示出宋、元、明代繪畫大師的畫風，和他對大自然各種形態的敏銳觸覺。他的作品雖啟發自自然景觀，卻反映著羅氏豐富的想像力和在他「心目中」的樹或山，而不是純綷對特定自然景象的臨摹。在他畫中傾向逼真的細節則有賴他對西方藝術的研究。羅氏熟練地把多方面的元素綜合起來，構成一種獨特的表現方式。

羅建武除了是一位水墨畫家，亦是一位熱衷品茶的茶藝師和鑑賞家。一如他繪畫時對細節與技巧的極度敏銳一樣，他於品茶考究至極，不惜搜羅全國質量最高的陳年茶葉。對石製茶具亦十分講究，只用當代陶瓷名家燒製的器皿。收藏藝術對於一些水墨畫家是一種自我修養，而羅氏則視品茶為他追求品味和提昇自己創造力的方法。對羅氏而言，他對繪畫和品茶的熱情，事實上就是一種生活態度。

羅氏的畫風出自傳統，但他在畫面構圖上經常逆傳統而行。例如，他把《孔廟古柏》(2006)畫在詩冊裡 - 他很喜歡這種螺旋形裝飾的格式，因此他在不同場合裡重新創作一系列尺寸較大的作品，如在《故宮太廟雙柏》（2012）。雖然這種裝飾「框」著了畫面，他仍能自由地把樹枝和樹葉編在裝飾框內外。另一個例子是《黃山松煙》(2013) – 最初他把畫畫在一張小冊葉上，後來決定把圖像畫出畫紙的範圍，於是他把圖像放置在一張較大的紙張上來擴大畫作的創作範圍。組合出來的效果出乎意料，同時彰顯了羅氏的性格和明晰的藝術風格。

在這個傾向著重藝術家的展覽成就的藝術世界裡，《畫•癡•茶》作為羅建武的首次個展，可能會令人使覺得十分意外。部分原因也許源自他謙虛和執意避世的態度。羅氏讓畫作為他代言，活活証明跟過去的鏈接，可為現代世界帶來一股充滿活力和創造力的能量。羅氏的作品曾於多個國際性聯展展出，現收藏於各大私人和學術機構所，當中包括哈佛大學賽克勒博物館、普林斯頓大學藝術博物館和明尼阿波利斯藝術學院。《畫•癡•茶》共展出22 幅水墨近作。是次展覽通過羅氏的自我發現歷程，我們將可以當代角度重新觀看中國水墨畫傳統。

在畫中題詞題道，羅氏會用幾天，以至幾年時間來完成一幅作品。這種緩慢的製作時間強調了他對藝術創作的極致講究、細心和耐性。羅氏視每一幅畫為一個自我挑戰來去創造一些富有重大意義的東西。《清奇古怪》（2013）是他生平最大（大概有6 米長）和結構最大膽的作品，前後共用了八年時間完成。透過他

- 汪鈴

荊浩《古松赞》，蘇珊•布什和時學顏,《中國早期畫論》,哈佛大學出版社, 1985年,第147-48页。

Artist’s Statement

ime flies. At the age of 70, my steps going up the mountain have slowed and I can no longer carry a heavy bag on my back. I loved climbing trees and have been deeply fascinated by trees since I was young. In the vestiges of 1,000-year old ancient trees — some even older, I see great beauty. I strive to express this particular beauty onto paper. But just like penjing (an assemblage of miniature rocks and plants arranged in a basin) who always feel inadequate: “Nature’s creation is difficult to replicate!”, I feel the same way when I paint. I also love the mountains and rocks. When I lie at the edge of a deep ravine, or when I look at wondrous rocks and see in them heroic magnificence, I am amazed to see the essence of the heavens and earth embodied in an obstinate rock. When I climb up snow-capped mountain peaks and high mountain lakes, swarms of mosquitos and blood-sucking insects follow me. In the freezing and harsh weather conditions, my body becomes exhausted — this is the price of pursuing beauty. Other times, I am surrounded by strong gusts of wind and tumultuous waves crashing along the coast. Absolute beauty comes with peril. The sensational experience of watching the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing against the jetty and lighthouses is unforgettable.

The Chinese have a unique way of expressing their love for the landscape and nature. The ancients used lines to express the beauty of the characters, embodying the Chinese aesthetics of dots, line and space, as well as the fusing of strength with gentleness. If one can appreciate the beauty of calligraphy, one can also understand China’s 5000 years of aesthetics. When I am Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea, I use the tip of my tongue to taste tea, bringing my palate and spirit into dialogue with each other. I experience a satisfying sense of taste that emerges like waves, one layer at a time. It is difficult to express this feeling in words, one has to personally experience it. Of course, only extremely high quality tea can be a means of communicating cultural heritage. It is only my best paintings that can emulate high quality tea. Ultimately, the dialogue between painting, nature and the ancients is what I try my best to express; just like the seals I use in my paintings: “Following what I love” and “Embracing Purity”. – Luo Jianwu Winter, 2013 Translated by Olivia Wang

藝術家自白歲月如梭 讀文章時的句子，當自己七十歲時，上山的腳步慢了，背不了太重的包，才覺得果真如此。從小愛爬樹，對樹的感情甚深，有一千二千年或更老的樹，歲月的刻痕極美，盡心的把感受表現在宣紙上，盆景總有點缺憾，“天成不易”啊！愛山，愛石，趴在懸崖邊緣看深谷，或從奇石中看見雄偉，想到撐天距地濃縮在一方頑石上。雪山高遠（無窮無盡的山峰），在高山湖泊，密密麻麻的蚊子，或是吸血的飛蟲，追趕著你。天寒地凍，疲累的身軀，都是追美的代價。颱風天的巨浪拍打著沿岸，轟然衝來，危險總和絕色做伴。當你看到太平洋的浪花突然衝上防波堤和燈塔齊高時，一世都無法忘懷。中國情，以獨特的方式各自表述著對山水和自然的愛。古人用凝練的線條表達了文字的美，包含著中國對點、線、空間的深層探究，剛柔並濟，能讀懂書法的美，就能感知五千年的美感架構。畫痴喫茶時，方得盡心用舌尖，整個口腔和自己的心靈對話，寧靜，快意的味覺的觸碰如同波浪一層一層的湧現，難以用語言表達，只能各自領會，當然絕頂好茶方能成為文化遺產的載體，我畫得好畫，才能換得好茶。書畫和大自然交談，和古人作品對話，盡己所能的去表達，如同閒章所刻“從吾所好”“澄懷”而已。羅建武 2013年冬

Plates

HF0005

18 Lohans Facing Nanhai 十八羅漢朝南海 Ink on paper • 69.5 x 137 cm • 2013

Inscribed “Memories of climbing Huangshan from dawn to dusk over the past twenty years, by the seventy-yearold elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 4 seals of the artist: bottom left ‘Cha chi’, top left ‘Cheng huai and lower right ‘Luoding’ & ‘Jianwu’.

HF0006

The Ancient Cypress at the Taoist Temple of Weishan 巍山道觀古柏 Ink and colour on paper • 31.5 x 40.3 cm• 2013

Inscribed “Painted from ten years ago, it has become what it is today, by the seventy-year-old elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 3 seals of the artist: top left ‘Cheng huai’, bottom centre ‘Luo’ & ‘Jianwu’.

HF0008

Dreaming to Return to Ebony Mountain 夢迴黟山 Ink on paper • 122.2 x 245.1 cm • 2011

Inscribed “The Republic was one hundred years old in 2011, painted in Hefei by Luo Jianwu, already sixty eight-years old. During the Japanese occupation, Born in Wushengguan in Sichuan, at five years old immigrated from Beijing to Taiwan. Didn’t return to my ancestral home for over fifty years. Over the past twenty years, I climbed Huangshan, Jiuhuashan, Wuyue [The Five Great Mountains], Tianzishan, etc. It took six years to finish this painting”, with 6 seals of the artist: bottom right ‘Sui han hou diao’, bottom left ‘Cha chi’, top left ‘Cong wu suo hao’ and top right ‘He luo’. Following spread: details

HF0016

Primordial Chaos 太古洪荒 Ink on paper • 31.7 x 44.5 cm • 2013

Inscribed “Playfully took the brush in ‘08; Completed when the Republic was one hundred and two years old, By Luo Jianwu”, with 2 seals of the artist: bottom left ‘Luo’ & ‘Jianwu’ and top right ‘Cheng huai’.

HF0013

The ‘Clear, Wondrous, Ancient, Strange’ Cypresses of the Han Dynasty 漢柏之清奇古怪 Ink on paper • 29.6 x 42 cm • 2013

Inscribed “By Luo Jianwu” & lower right: “Strange”, with 2 seals of the artist: middle left ‘Jianwu’ and bottom left ‘Cheng huai’.

HF0007

Pines in the Wind 松風 Ink and colour on paper • 31.5 x 40.3 cm •2013

Inscribed “By the seventy-year-old elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 3 seals of the artist: bottom left ‘Jianwu’, bottom right ‘Cha chi’ and top left ‘Cheng huai’.

Inscribed “Painted eight years ago, now finally completed; By the seventy-yearold elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 6 seals of the artist: bottom right ‘Luo Jianwu’, bottom left ‘Sui han hou diao’, top right ‘Cheng huai’, top left ‘He luo’, lower right ‘Chi chi’ and upper left ‘Cong wu suohao’.

Ink and colour on paper • 621.5 x 74.3 cm • 2013

‘Clear, Wondrous, Ancient, Strange’ 清奇古怪

HF0021

Overleaf:

Inscribed “A fortuitous encounter with the traces of Immortals at Huangshan, by the seventy-year-old elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 5 seals of the artist: bottom right ‘Cong wu suo hao’, top right ‘He luo’, upper right ‘Luo Jianwu’, top left ‘Cheng huai’ and bottom left ‘Cha chi’.

Ink on paper • 198.8 x 103.4 cm • 2013

Heavenly Immortals 仙源

HF0003

Inscribed “Kinship with this stone, after 6 years of painting; by the seventy-year-old elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 5 seals of the artist: top right ‘He luo’, top left ‘Cheng huai’, bottom centre ‘Luoding’ & ‘Jianwu’ and lower left ‘Cha chi’.

Ink on paper 133.8 x 65.8 cm • 2013

Spirit Stone 靈石

HF0001

Inscribed “By the seventy-yearold elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 5 seals of the artist: bottom left ‘Sui han hou diao’, Middle right ‘Cha chi’, bottom right ‘Luo Jianwu’, top right ‘Cheng huai’ and top left ‘He luo’.

Ink on paper • 138.6 x 69.3 cm • 2013

Junipers at Jade Mountain 玉山圓柏

HF0020

Dated 2010 and signed Luo Jianwu with 4 seals of the artist: bottom right ‘Cha chi’, top right ‘He luo’, top left ‘Cheng huai’ and lower left ‘Luo Jianwu’.

Ink on paper • 136.8 x 69.5 cm • 2010

Pines and Mist at Huangshan 黄山松雲

HF0004

HF0002

Finding Enlightenment in the Yandang Mountains 雁蕩雲煙古現佛 Ink on paper • 179 x 96.2 cm • 2012

Inscribed “Three years to embellish the clouds and the mist, by the sixty-eightyear-old elderly man Luo Jianwu” with 4 seals of the artist: lower left ‘Cha chi’, top left ‘Cheng huai’, centre right ‘Jianwu’ and bottom right ‘He luo’.

HF0009

Lotus Reverie 夢荷

Ink on paper • 124.5 x 248.5 cm• 2006 - 2010

Inscribed (bottom right “Took the brush in 2006”, (central left) “Painted in 2006”, (top left) “2010 and ( top right “2010, Luo Jianwu” with 9 seals of the artist: bottom left ‘Cha chi’, bottom right ‘Jianwu’ & ‘He luo’, central left ‘Luo’ & ‘Jianwu’, top left ‘Luo Jianwu’ and top right ‘Luoding’, ‘Jianwu’ & ‘Cong wu suo hao’. opposite page: detail

HF0010

Serpent Dragon 虺龍 Ink and colour on paper • Diameter 32.7 cm • 2013

Inscribed “One pine tree a result of four years, by the seventy-year-old elderly man Luo Jianwu” with 3 seals of the artist: top left ‘Cheng huai’ and lower right ‘Luo’ & ‘Jianwu’.

HF0012

Ancient Cypress at the Confucian Temple 孔廟古柏 Ink and colour on printed paper 23 x 66.3 cm • 2006

Inscribed “Painted in ‘06 by the seventyyear-old elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 3 seals of the artist: top left ‘Cheng huai’, bottom left ‘Luo’ & ‘Jianwu’ and bottom right ‘Jianwu’.

HF0019

Three Friends 三友 Fan painting • Ink on paper • 30.2 x 61 cm • 2013

Inscribed “By the seventy-year-old elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 2 seals of the artist: bottom left ‘Jianwu’ and bottom right ‘Cheng huai’.

HF0014

New York at Dusk 紐約暮色 Fan painting • Ink and colour on paper 24.5 x 52 cm • 2006

Inscribed “A chance encounter on the Lower East Side ‘06, By Luo Jianwu”, with 2 seals of the artist: top right ‘Cheng huai’ and bottom left ‘Jianwu’.

HF0017

A Wine-jug of Long-life 壺中的日月長 Ink on paper • 29.4 x 42.4 cm • 2006

Inscribed “Painted in 2006 By Luo Jianwu”, with 2 seals of the artist: top right ‘Cheng huai’ and bottom right ‘Jianwu’.

HF0018

Wild Spirit 野逸 Ink on paper •45 x 45 cm • 2008

Inscribed “’08, By Luo Jianwu”, with 2 seals of the artist: top left ‘Cheng huai’ and bottom left ‘Jianwu’.

HF0011

Wondrous and Ancient 奇古 Ink and colour on Japanese art board 26.7 x 23.7 cm • 2013

Inscribed “By the seventy-year-old elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 3 seals of the artist: top left ‘Cheng huai’ and lower right ‘Luo’ & ‘Jianwu’.

HF0015

Connected Cypresses at Taimiao, Forbidden City 故宮太廟雙柏 Ink and colour on paper • 70 x 98.6 cm • 2012

Inscribed “Painted in ‘08, Completed in ‘12, By Luo Jianwu”, with 5 seals of the artist: bottom right ‘Luoding’ & ‘Jianwu’, bottom centre ‘Cong wu suo hao’, top centre ‘Cha chi’ and top left ‘Cheng huai’.

HF0022

Pines in the Mist at Huangshan 黃山松煙 Ink and colour on paper • 74.7 x 84.5 cm • 2013

Inscribed “By the seventy-year-old elderly man Luo Jianwu”, with 3 seals of the artist: top right ‘Cheng huai’, bottom right ‘Cha chi’ and bottom left ‘Jianwu’.

Biography

藝術家簡歷

1944 Born in Wusheng, Sichuan, China

1944 出生於中國四川武勝

1949

Immigrated from China to Taiwan

1949

從中國移居台灣

1966

Graduated from Guoli Yichuan, the National Art Institute of Taipei

1966

畢業於台北國立藝術學院

1987 移居美國

1987 Moved to the USA Selected Exhibitions

主要展覽

2001

Ten, Kaikodo Asian Art, New York, USA

Ten, 懷古堂，美國紐約

2009 Honored Guests, Kaikodo Asian Art, New York, USA

2009 懷古堂，美國紐約

2010

Songzhuang Art Festival, Beijing, China

2010

宋莊藝術節，中國北京

Brush and Ink Reconsidered: Contemporary Chinese Land scapes, Sackler Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

筆墨再思考：當代中國山水畫， Sackler 博物館，哈佛大學，美國麻省

Asian Journeys, Kaikodo Asian Art, New York, USA

Asian Journeys ，懷古堂，美國紐約

2011

Magnificent Obsessions, Kaikodo Asian Art, New York, USA

2011

Magnificent Obsessions，懷古堂，美國紐約

2012

Welcoming the Spring, Kaikodo Asian Art, New York, USA

2012

Welcoming the Spring，懷古堂，美國紐約

2013

Fans of Chinese Painting, Kaikodo Asian Art, Asian Art in London, UK

2013

Fans of Chinese Painting ，懷古堂，亞洲藝術週，英國倫敦

Selected Commissions And Collections

特選收藏及委託作品

Sackler Museum, Harvard University

哈佛大學賽克勒博物館

Princeton University Art Museum

普林斯頓大學藝術博物館

The Minneapolis Institute of the Arts

明尼阿波利斯藝術學院

Credits 鳴謝 This catalogue was published to accompany an exhibition at Plum Blossoms Gallery, from 11 to 29 January 2014. Plum Blossoms (International) Limited 14th Floor, Cheung Tak Industrial Building, 30 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2521 2189 Fax: (852) 2868 4398 E-mail: info@plumblossoms.com Website: www.plumblossoms.com Curator: Olivia Wang Exhibition Coordination: Monica Fu Publishing Coordination: Monica Fu Translation & Editing: Astrid Lau & Monica Fu Design: Keira McGuinness Printing: Asia One Printing Limited All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage

and retrieval system, nor may any part of the book be reprinted in newspapers or periodicals, used

in public addresses films or dramatizations or broadcast on radio or television without the written permission of the artist. This applies as well to all text passages.

ISBN: 978-988-19829-9-5

羅建武 Luo Jianwu

Crazy for Painting, Crazy for Tea