2011年8月27日于香港四季酒店 

　　每一艺术门类，在不同的时代都会孕育出最能体现时代特征的代表性艺术家。书法艺术亦然。看一位书法家是否立于时代潮流之巅，能否进入书法史，并不单纯取决其技法如何，更取决于他在这个时代所达到的高度，所产生的影响，所具有的意义。

　　当今时代的基本特征是信息化、技术化、娱乐化、商品化，是世界政治经济、文化艺术融为一体、互相渗透影响最为深广的时代。这些都对书法艺术产生了革命性的影响。毋庸讳言，书法实用性的弱化乃至消解，电脑键盘强势取代汉字书写，这些都对书法带来了一定的影响，传统书法生态面临着“水土流失”的危机，但同时也迎来了新的发展机遇，这就是：中西艺术空前活跃的交汇融合、当代生活多样性丰富性带给艺术家宏大广阔的表现舞台、流行色和时尚元素带给艺术家新的激情和活力。

　　面对全新的艺术语境，有人感伤于书法日趋式微并担心终将渐渐消亡，有人只顾埋头于书斋走传统书法的老路，也有人以新的理念、新的姿态去顺应时代潮流、时代风尚，去创造适合时代需要的书法艺术。王冬龄就是一位立于时代书法潮流之巅的“弄潮儿”。

　　王冬龄深知，要成为当今时代的代表性书家，就必须既立足于传统，又面向现代;既立足于中国，又面向世界，一句话，做一个复合型的艺术家。于是，他“一方面在传统的书法形式和语言上不断深入实践;另一方面勇于运用现代艺术观念进行书法艺术的探索与革新”(王冬龄语)。在传统书法、现代书法、抽象水墨三个领域左冲右突，寻求突破。

　　作为中国传统文化的重要组成部分，书法的“传承”既是自身“繁衍”的需要，也是传统文脉延续发展的需要。这方面，作为林散之、沙孟海两位书法大师的门生，王冬龄有着天然优势。王冬龄年轻时师从林散之，初步确立了书法进取门径。八十年代初期考上中国美术学院书法研究生，师从陆维钊、沙孟海，系统地打下了传统学养和书法理论及创作的功底。能够师从他们，承袭衣钵、延续香火，是历史的垂顾，也是个人的荣幸，更是他承上启下、承前启后的安身立命之本，还是他跨出国门进行国际交流、探索现代书法新路的底气所在。

　　能够成为书法事业的传承者是不容易的，而要具备创新意识、创新能力，并付诸创新实践，则更是难上加难。与安于书斋、墨守成规的一些书法家相比，王冬龄在书法的创新方面相当活跃，突出表现在两个方面：一是拓展表现形式，致力于大字巨幅作品创作。传统书法以小尺幅为主，适宜于居室内赏玩。自从现代展览兴起之后，为了适应展厅布置的需要，尺幅开始放大。特别是上世纪八十年代“书法热”兴起以来，为了追求视觉效果，书法的形制呈越来越大之势。王冬龄敏锐地感受到这种审美需求的变化，将大字创作推向极致。他从1987年起就开始尝试大字创作，第一件大字作品《泰山为砥砺，黄河为裳带》曾在中国美术馆和国外展出。2004年他在30张八尺整张宣纸上创作《逍遥游》(7米×12米)，惊艳书坛;2007年，为了配合在中国美术馆的“共逍遥”个展，他花4天时间创作了高4.95米，长37.5米的巨幅《老子》(现藏浙江美术馆);2011年3月底，王冬龄又在由24张丈二宣拼接而成的宣纸上完成了高7.3米、宽17米的狂草《心经》创作。这些巨幅鸿制，最值得称道的，不仅仅是尺幅大，更重要的是他在其中力图体现的阐释经典的古典情怀与狂飙突进式的时代精神。他的大字创作之所以产生巨大的轰动效应，除了作品本身所达到的创造性高度，一个重要原因是他善于现场公开创作，与媒体密切合作，将书法创作活动变成一场公共的文化活动嘉年华，有效地将书法艺术从书斋推向公共空间，将书法由把玩的、展厅观赏的艺术扩大为公众的文化景观与艺术狂欢。他巧妙地将书写过程中蕴含的娱乐性特质放大，让大众分享书法的愉悦，他自己也由此而变成了一个行为艺术家、乃至社会活动家。他的大字创作开创了一代风尚，有效地拓展了书法的表现力。同时，他不断丰富表现内容，尝试将流行歌曲、现代新诗引入创作领域，并借助于摄影、多媒体等手段，拓展书法的表现疆域。他一会儿将目光投向遥远的古代，从先哲的精神世界中寻求感应;一会儿将目光投向火热的当下，与现实生活激情互动。比如他的《西湖十景》，简直堪称艺术摄影和书法创作的“梦幻组合”，情景交融，墨韵逸飞，是用书法表现西湖之美的别具匠心之作。

　　艺术没有国界，但是，书法艺术如何让世界上更多的人认识、了解，却有着一道认知上的门槛。王冬龄借助于现代书法和抽象水墨，为逾越这道门槛提供了新的途径。4年的旅美经历，开拓了王冬龄的国际视野。回国后，他热衷于参与国际交流，频频到国外进行书法讲座及现场创作。他出任中国美术学院现代书法研究中心主任，将现代书法作为自己的重要发展方向，努力在西方现代艺术和传统中国书法艺术之间找到最为和谐的融汇点。这其实也恰恰是林风眠的“中西融合”艺术观点的具体实现，只不过当时的时代背景下林风眠无法放手做到这一点，而到了王冬龄时代，社会已经具备了进行这种“融合”的环境和条件，并藉此将书法融入当下，融入世界艺坛。

　　王冬龄的成功之处，归根到底，是他扎根时代土壤，把握时代脉搏，感应时代气息，让书法艺术的魅力之花，绽放于时代之林。

　　哦!叶茂花红，王者之风。

　　Si Shunwei Written in Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong August 27, 2011

　　Each category of art nurtures representative artists to display its characteristics at different times. Calligraphy is no exception. For a calligrapher, to lead the trend of times and to leave his name in the history of calligraphy, simply good calligraphic techniques are not enough, but the artistic height he has reached, the influence exerted, and the significance achieved in his era.

　　This era, characterized by informatization, technicalization, entertainment and commercialization, is an era when politics, economy, culture and art of the world are most highly and widely integrated and infiltrated with each other, which has revolutionarily impacted the art of calligraphy. No need for reticence, the fading and even vanishing of calligraphy in practical use as a result of the aggressive replacement of computer keyboard have brought certain impact on calligraphy. Yet, while facing a crisis of erosion, the traditional calligraphy embraces fresh opportunities for development, because the unprecedented communication and integration of Chinese and Western arts as well as the colourfulness and diversity of modern life have presented artists a grand performing stage, and colours and elements in fashion have brought artists with passion and vitality.

　　Facing this new context of art, some are worried that the fading art of calligraphy may gradually vanish; some stick to the beaten track of traditional calligraphy by burying themselves in study rooms; yet some adjust themselves to the trend and customs of the times, and create arts of calligraphy with new concept and attitude to cater to the taste of the era. Mr. Wang Dongling is one of the last, a wave rider leading the trend of contemporary calligraphy.

　　Wang Dongling knows very well that to be a representative contemporary calligrapher, one must root oneself in tradition while be geared to the needs of modern times, base oneself upon China while aim at the world; in a word, one must be an inter-disciplinary artist. Thus, according to Wang’s own words, he practices in-depth in both the form and language of traditional calligraphy on one hand; and on the other, he is brave in exploring and reforming calligraphy with modern concepts, trying to seek breakthroughs among traditional calligraphy, modern calligraphy and abstract ink-and-wash in stumbles.

　　As an important part of traditional Chinese culture, inheritance of calligraphy is not only out of the need of its own continuity, but also of the sustainable development of traditional culture. In this aspect, Wang Dongling has immediate advantages as an apprentice to senior calligraphers Lin Sanzhi and Sha Menghai. Mr. Wang’s early lessons from Lin Sanzhi have tentatively established his approach to calligraphy. In 1980s, Wang Dongling was admitted to graduate school of China Academy of Art majoring in calligraphy. And his experiences as an apprentice to Lu Weizhao and Sha Menghai have built him a strong foundation in the theory and practice of traditional scholarship of calligraphy. For Mr. Wang, this opportunity to learn from masters is not only a favor of history, but also his good honour; and even more his artistic root based on which he practices and continues his calligraphy life, and his source of courage to step out of China, communicating and exchanging with international calligraphers and seeking new approaches for modern calligraphy.

　　It is hard to become a successor of calligraphy art, and even harder to be one with the sense and ability to innovate and to put the innovation into practice. Compared to conventional calligraphers who lock themselves in studies, Wang Dongling is an activist in calligraphic innovation, which is highlighted in two aspects. One is that he expanded the form of expression in calligraphy through his efforts in creating huge calligraphy works with bigger characters. Small-sized traditional calligraphy works are more suitable for in-house decoration and appreciation. But with the emerging of modern exhibitions, the size of art works became bigger to fit with the exhibition halls, especially with the increasing popularity of calligraphy since the 1980s, large calligraphy works are on the trend to pursue visual effect.. Wang Dongling, sharply sensing this change in the aesthetic needs, has put the creation of big characters to the perfection. He started trying big characters since 1987and his first piece, Mountain Tai, the Temper, Yellow River, the Belt was exhibited in the National Art Museum of China and abroad. In 2004, his Happy Excursion (7 meters * 12 meters) written on 30 pieces of rice paper sized 2.67 meters each took the calligraphy circle by surprise. In 2007, in coordination with his solo exhibition of Happy Excursion Together in National Art Museum of China, he created in 4 days a giant Lao Tzu, which is 4.95 meters in height and 37.4 meters in length (currently kept by Zhejiang Art Museum). In late March 2011, Wang Dongling completed The Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra in wide cursive hand, sized 7.3 meters in height and 17 meters in width, on rice paper composing of 24 pieces of smaller rice paper sized 4 meters. Of these giant-sized works, The most impressive point of these huge works, is not only the size, but the classical passion to interpret classics and the storm-like modern spirits he strived to show in them. Why can his works trigger such sensational effects? Besides the artistic height of the works, his expertise in site creation also has a say. His close cooperation with media turned the calligraphy creation into a public Carnival of culture, effectively brought the art of calligraphy out of study rooms to the public, and expanded the definition of calligraphy from an art of appreciation and exhibition to one of public cultural scenery and an artistic revelry. He skillfully enlarges the pleasures in calligraphy creation to share such delight with the public. In this sense, he becomes a behavior artist or even a social activist. His creation of big characters initiates a new custom of writing, which has effectively expanded the expressive force of calligraphy. Meanwhile, to enrich the contents of calligraphy, he tries bringing in popular songs and modern poems into his works, and taking advantage of photography and multi-media. He tracks the remote ancient times for concussion from the spiritual world of the sages, and at the same time, casts his eyes to the fervent modern times to interact with passion with the real life. One good example of this is his Ten Sceneries of the West Lake, a “fantastic combination” of artistic photography and calligraphy, perfectly blending emotional with the natural setting, and an original masterpiece in calligraphy in displaying the charms of West Lake, fusing ink with the rhyme of nature.

　　Art has no boundary, but a cognitive obstacle does exist as how to make more people know and understand the art of calligraphy. Wang Dongling, with the help of contemporary calligraphy and abstract ink-and-wash, provides a new approach to overcome this obstacle. The four years in the U.S. has broadened Wang Dongling’s international vision. Returning to China, he has been a frequent participant in international communications and a active holder of calligraphy seminars and site creations. Being the Director of Contemporary Calligraphy Research Center of China Academy of Art, he takes contemporary calligraphy as his major pursuit and unremittingly seeks the most harmonious balance between modern western art and traditional Chinese calligraphy. This is actually a concrete realization of Lin Fengmian’s idea of “Chinese-Western Integration”, which was impractical due to the bond of historical condition in Lin’s time; while in Wang Dongling’s era, the social environment and conditions are ready for such integration and goes even further to fit calligraphy into contemporary society and the international world of art .

　　To sum up, Mr. Wang Dongling’s success lies mainly in that he goes with the trend of this era, taking root in its soil, grasping its pulse, sensing its spirit, and bringing the art of calligraphy into full bloom in modern times.

　　Oh! Through Wang’s prolific works, I am very much impressed by Mr. Wang’s glamour as a leading contemporary calligrapher!