中国画;这个以水墨载道的画种，从它一开始，就依托于笔、墨、绢、纸、托裱等工艺技术。

　　二千年来，笔墨、设色;即以墨为主的胶性颜料和以水为稀释剂的操作系统，和展示形式的装裱系统;即做成立轴、锦片、册页、扇面、长卷等。几无大的变局。其变化主要是在承载系统;即从绢到纸的变化。

　　目前能看到的最早的绢帛绘画，是战国龙凤人物帛画和驭龙帛画。据米芾《画史》记载，张僧繇、阎立本都用生绢作画，到吴道子、周昉、韩干时，“皆以热汤半熟，入粉槌如银板，故作人物精彩人笔”。将生绢“入粉”，是为填平绢的纤维经纬空间，以利设色墨染。一如今世以胶矾涂布绢面。

　　两宋以前的绘画，主要以绢为主;这是因为当时生产的纸张用料过于粗糙，不适宜做精细之作，宋以降，绢逐被纸替代，成为次要材料。这是第一次中国画工艺上大的革命。不过最初的宣纸，都是熟纸或半熟纸，这是因为从绢本过渡到纸本，人们还不习惯生纸敏感的水墨晕染，只有到南宋梁楷的《泼墨仙人图》《李白行吟图》等简笔水墨诞生。(应为半熟纸或生纸)，才产生了绘画史上又一里程牌：泼墨大写意。由于纸的工艺的成熟，才有可能诞生历史上最伟大的宋元山水。

　　2008年，我在策展“水墨演义”时，曾对当代水墨史进行了梳理，其中一个重要部分是当代水墨在工艺上的革新。本文谨以仇先生为例，详解工艺革新对其作品的作用。

　　仇德树作品的整个工艺操作是其作品特性的一个有机组成部分，如果没有这些工艺上的革新，也就没有其作品的面貌。而仇德树对水墨工艺的创新，恰恰又拓展了当代水墨的表现领域。

　　笔对于整个中国画历史来看，是最主要的表现工具，所有对中国画品质与等级的鉴定;如“功力”“笔墨”“皴法”“线条”等，无不围绕笔在纸上留下的斑迹而展开。这些墨迹体现了握笔者高超的技巧、修养、人品与抱负。古往今来，无人提出异议。笔对于中国画最大的贡献是创造了“线”与“皴”，笔的工艺早熟于纸的工艺，无论是在绢本还是纸本，艺术家的笔迹代表其艺术的成就，并由此产生中国艺术史上的几大高峰。千百年来，中国画论就“用笔”产生出了一个庞大的理论体系。这些辉煌的积淀，到了近世，除了作为典范同时也成为了栅拦。后人要突破是何其之难。当代水墨正是在这举步艰难之际发出了变革之声。

　　上世纪七十年代，刘国松首先在港、台打出“革中锋的命”、“革笔的命”与“建立二十世纪中国绘画的新传统”的口号，其在五、六十年代的探索中放弃了中锋的线和皴法的点，保留了水墨和棉纸，用粗糙纤维以及其他一些拓墨工具，创造了平常用笔难以表现的肌理。

　　八十年代，仇德树在大陆异军突起，更进一步进行了“笔”的革命。

　　就如本文开始所言，中国画组合的三大系统，主要的变革是在“承载系统”，即纸或绢，承载系统也就是显示系统，艺术品最终是通过承载物与观众交流。刘国松通过它发明的“粗筋棉纸”和墨拓法令人信服地革了中锋的命。

　　仇德树的崛起始于八十年代初一次偶然发现—石板上的裂痕，这对于苦苦探索、寻求变革的艺术家犹如一道闪电。从此他踏上了让水墨艺术裂变的不归之路。

　　在仇德树作品中，笔已不是要不要革命，而是不再需要显示，裂痕就是他的“笔痕”，他的心印，他的符号，他的母题，他的线条和皴法，他的精神与灵魂。

　　仇德树颠覆了传统中国画的操作轨迹，笔被隐退，而把承载系统与托裱系统上升为操作系统。笔被消解为一种敷色工具。

　　裂痕通过纸的撕裂和纸的肌理制作，令仇德树作品产生出别样皴法，一种非人工笔法的、带有偶发的“皴法”。这种操作，大大拓宽了个人笔法的形式疆界，大大拓宽了作品的尺度。如果说，笔皴法是一种个性化的肌理。那仇德树的撕裂法是融合偶发的个性化肌理。它与波拉克的行动绘画颇有相似之处，都是去笔作画，创造个性化的偶发效果。都是跟着感觉层层叠加。在仇德树那里，这种层层叠加的肌理变化与作品的浑厚、厚重通过托裱操作来完成。

　　他让中国画的后道工续走到前台，并一直陪伴作品进程于始终。但这还是纸与纸的关系，最终能承载这厚重裂痕的是底下的一方布料。在他的在托裱操作中，始终是纸与布的融合。布托住了其所有层叠的裂痕，同时也强化了其作品的收藏性与时间性，以及防止膺品的可能性。仇德树深愔如何让纸与墨发挥到最佳状态，除了裂痕作为支撑的经脉，他对纸的原处状进行了肌理处理，与裂痕形成了刚柔相济的效果。

　　从其作品细腻精到和层次的丰富，结构之间的呼应、冲突与协调，中间还有一道不可缺的程序—打磨。

　　如果说撕裂是冲突，托裱是呼应，打磨就是协调。打磨还包括深磨和浅磨，深磨是让作品透叠，浅磨是让作品和谐。打磨还创造了令人意想不到的肌理，它不从属于传统皴法的美学的概念，而是当代水墨的抽象语言。

　　由于对工艺和工序的改革，仇德树开创了一个属于他的水墨世界与话语系统。也突现了当代水墨的多样性与个性化。

　　相对来说，笔与墨的成熟期要早于绢和纸，绢和纸的成熟又促进了笔与墨的发展。但是，当代水墨的兴起，却打破了这对“龙凤配”，丙烯代墨，在大尺幅作品和布面作品上开始被广泛使用，仇的作品，同样如此，三十年来的实践，令他对丙烯代墨的使用得心应手，炉火纯青。以至于一部分当代水墨只见墨色不见墨，这也是当代水墨引发争议之处。

　　对于仇德树来说，最大限度地利用纸的质地和纸的表现形式是其作品的特点，“撕”产生的裂痕与纸的毛边效果;“雕”产生的刀斧效果(即托裱以后用刀对作品某些部分的斧正);“ 磨”产生的透叠和肌理效果;都开启了海派水墨新的美学境界。

　　在仇德树作品中，点滴的、局部的精彩只是一个零件，他的每部作品都在寻求和建构一种框架，特别在巨幅山水中。这是有无数条裂痕搭建的整体框架。艺术家在搭建和调整的操作过程中，发现和把握作品的“度”，“度”是艺术家底蕴的最高体现。是艺术作品的人格化。在仇的审美框架中，没有了后期文人画笔墨游戏，自我把玩的情趣，他要达到的是一种境界。这是在宋元山水中曾经有过苍茫和雄壮，天象和地气。是东方哲学的精神内涵。对仇德树来说，是作品的大气、大悲、大美。裂痕是悲怆的，而悲怆是仇作品的主旋律。艺术达到这般境地，非有艺术家悟道而不为也。

　　对仇德树来说，工艺发明、变革和使用只是一种手段，但没有这些手段，艺术家的思想和形象就无以传达。

　　(本文为笔者《当代水墨的工艺革新之道之一 仇德树篇》，2010年9月上海吴昌硕纪念馆仇德树个展专稿)

　　The Path of Innovative Craft in Works by Qiu Deshu

　　--With Remarks on Transmission and Broadening of Craft in Contemporary Ink Art

　　by Zhang Pingjie

　　Chinese painting，this form of picture-making which edifies by means of ink and wash，has relied from the beginning on crafts and techniques of brush，ink，plain silk，paper，and mounting.

　　For two thousand years ink，wash，and added color have been implemented by an operational system consisting of collagen-bonded pigment—mainly black ink—with water as dispersant，and contact mounting as means of presentation.This has been applied in the form of vertical scrolls，silk miniatures，album pages，fan surfaces，and horizontal long scrolls.It has undergone very little change，except for a change in the carrier system，namely from silk to paper.

　　The earliest paintings on silk still extant are Warring States-period plain silk paintings of dragons and phoenixes，with or without human figures.According to Mi Shi's History of Painting，Zhang Sengyou and Yan Liben used non-treated silk.By the time of Wu Daozi，Zhou Fang，and Han Ganshi，“silk was half-treated in a hot alum solution，then starch sizing was added by pounding between sheets of leather.This readied it for vivid depictions of human figures.” Starch sizing was added to non-alum-treated silk to fill in spaces between the fabric's fibers，to make a better surface for taking up pigment and wash.This is similar to the present use of collagen-bonded alum applied to the surface of silk fabric.

　　Paintings before the Northern and Southern dynasties were mainly on silk.This is because paper before that time was produced with coarse materials and was not suited for finely detailed depictions.From the Song onward，silk was gradually replaced by paper as the main material.This was the first revolution in Chinese painting in terms of craft.However，all the rice paper originally used was alum-treated or half-alum-treated，because when making the transition from silk to rice paper，people were not accustomed to using the absorbency of paper for a wash effect.Not until Liang Kai of the Southern Song created his “Immortal Rendered in Ink Wash” and “Li Bai Walking and Reciting Poems” did simple brush techniques for ink and wash come into being.(This has to be done on untreated or half-treated paper.) This gave rise to another milestone in the history of painting：free-hand(xieyi)ink and wash.The mature development of papermaking craft allowed for the emergence of landscape painting in the grand style of Song and Yuan.

　　In 2008，when I curated “Ink Art Evolution，” I sorted out the historical threads of contemporary ink art.An important part was my treatment of innovative craft in contemporary ink art.In this essay I will point to Qiu Deshu as an example to talk about the effect of innovative craft on creative works.

　　Qiu Deshu’s craftsmanship，as a whole，is integral and organic to his unique creative style.Without his innovations in craftsmanship，his works would not have the look that they do.What is more，Qiu Deshu’s craftsmanlike innovations in ink art have been crucial in broadening the expressive domain of contemporary ink art.

　　Throughout the history of Chinese painting，the ink brush has been its most important expressive instrument.All assessments of quality and level in Chinese painting—in terms of “mastery，” “application，” “texturing strokes，” “lines”—revolve around traces left by a brush on paper.These ink traces embody the advanced skill，cultivation，character，and commitment of the person who takes brush in hand.Since ancient times，no one has raised an objection to this idea.The brush’s greatest contribution to Chinese painting has been the creation of“line”and “texturing.”The craft of brushwork matured earlier than the craft of paper.Whether on silk or paper，traces of the painter's brush represented his or her achievments in painting，and this gave rise to a number of peaks in Chinese art.Over the centuries，“brush technique”was addressed in discourses on Chinese painting，giving rise to an extensive theoretical system.This brilliant accumulation succeeded in setting up classic standards，but in recent generations it eventually formed a self-confining perimeter that was quite difficult for later painters to break through.It was under such circumstances，in which it became hard to take a single step，that contemporary ink art cried out for innovation.

　　In the 1970s，Liu Kuo-sung raised these slogans in Taiwan and Hong Kong：“make revolution against the central tip”;“make revolution against the brush”;“establish a new tradition of Twentieth Century Chinese painting.”In his explorations of the 1950s and 60s，he did away with lines made by a central tip and points made by texturing strokes.He retained ink and wash and cotton paper.He used coarse fibers and stone-rubbing tools，creating a surface grain that would be hard to express with a brush.

　　In the 1980s，Qiu Deshu on the Mainland charged into the fray with fresh energy and carried the revolution against the “brush”even further.

　　As mentioned at the beginning of this essay，of the three major systems of Chinese painting，the main innovations have been in the carrier system，namely paper or silk.The carrier system is also the visual display system.An artwork ultimately interacts with its audience by means of a carrier.Liu Kuo-sung，by means of “cotton paper with coarse fibers”and self-invented ink rubbing techniques，carried out a convincing revolution against the central tip.

　　Qiu Deshu's emergence began with a random discovery in the early 1980s—the pattern of cracks in a stone slab.For this artist who was seeking a way to innovate，it came like a bolt of lightning.From then on he embarked on a path of no return that would lead to earth-shattering changes in ink art.

　　In the works of Qiu Deshu there is no question of whether a revolution will happen，and there is no need to make a display of it.Fissure-like traces have become his “brush traces，”his heart-seal，his symbol，his trope，his line and texture，his psyche and spirit.

　　Qiu Deshu subverted the operational path of traditional Chinese painting.The brush was made less evident.He elevated the carrier system and the contact mounting system to the level of an operational system.For him the brush was relegated to being a color applicator.

　　Fissures were made by tearing paper，taking advantage of paper's fibrous grain.This produced unique texturing in Qiu Deshu's works，a spontaneous texturing not produced by deliberate brushwork.This operation greatly expanded the formal range of a individual's brushwork;it greatly expanded the parameters of any given work.If we say that brush-texturing is a personalized way of imparting grain to a surface，then Qiu Deshu's method of tearing paper yields a personalized grain that incorporates randomness.It bears considerable similarity to the action painting of Jackson Pollock：both are forms of painting which de-emphasize the brush and create presonalized random effects.Both involve layering according to the feeling of the moment.For Qiu Deshu，a layered，variegated grain and a deeply grounded，substantial look was brought out by the operation of mounting.

　　He brought the background procedures of Chinese painting out into the open，making them go hand-in-hand with a piece's entire execution.But this is still a relation of paper to paper;ultimately what can carry his dramatic fissures is a cloth layer under the whole piece.In his mounting operations he always merges paper and cloth.The cloth serves as backing for all his layered fissures;at the same time it strengthens a piece's collectibility and duration.It also rules out the possibility of forgery.Qiu Deshu is deeply cognizant of how paper and ink can be made to realize their optimal state.Aside from treating fissures as “veins” that run through his work，his treatment reveals grain from the original makeup of the paper，and this forms a counterpoint to the fissuring.There is another essential procedure whose effect unifies the work—from its rich，delicate layering to it structural resonance and coordination of clashing elements—namely the technique of ink rubbing.If we say that tearing is a clash of forces and contact mounting gives overall coordination，then rubbing is what harmonizes all the segments.Rubbing can be divided into deep and light rubbing.Deep rubbing exposes lower layers;light rubbing gives overall harmony to a piece.Rubbing brings out surface detail that cannot be anticipated.It never gets subsumed under the traditional aesthetic category of texturing strokes;rather，it belongs to the abstract language of contemporary ink art.It accentuates the variety and personality of contemporary ink art.

　　Relatively speaking，the maturity of brush and ink came before that of paper and silk.When paper and silk matured，they stimulated the further development of brush and ink.However，the advent of contemporary ink art broke up this ideal marriage.The use of acrylic in place of ink is beginning to be widely adopted for large-scale works and works on cloth.This is also true of Qiu's works.Thirty years of praxis have given him proficiency and adeptness in use of acrylic instead of ink.This trend has gone so far that in some works of contemporary ink art，one sees the color of ink but does not see ink.This is an area of controversy in contemporary ink art.

　　For Qiu Deshu，the key feature of his pieces is his optimal use of paper's tactile，tensile properties，and of paper's expressive forms：the fissures created by tearing and the ragged effect of torn edges;the knife-edge effect of“carving”(the completed piece's surface is subjected to“incisive corrections” by a knife blade);and the exposed layers and emphasized grain caused by rubbing—all of these things initiated a new aesthetic stage of ink art by the Shanghai School.

　　In Qiu Deshu's works，partial or segmental vividness is only a component.In each of his works，he seeks to set up a framework，especially in large landscapes.This is an overall framework built up from countless fissures.In the operating procedure of building and adjustment，he discovers and ensures the piece's coherence.“Coherence” is the highest embodiment of an artist's grounding.It is the transformation an artwork undergoes due to human character.In Qiu's aesthetic framework，the ink-and-wash games of latter-day literati are gone，along with their sensibility of self-delighting refinement.He is out to reach a certain plane of attainment：this is the indeterminate spaciousness and grandeur that Song and Yuan landscapes once possessed;it has heaven's image-forms along with an earthy force.It is the inner spiritual content of Oriental philosophy.For Qiu Deshu，it is the great force，great compassion，and great beauty of a piece.Fissures are sorrowful，and sorrow is Qiu Deshu's dominant melody.When art attains to this level，it can only be because the artist has，in some sense，found enlightenment.

　　For Qiu Deshu，the invention，renewal，and utilization of craft is only a means，but without this means，an artist's ideas and images could not be conveyed.

　　(This essay on Qiu Deshu is“Part One”of a series—“Pursuit of Innovative Craft in Contemporary Ink Art”)