[凝神遐想，妙悟自然]。这是中国绘画创作和欣赏心理的高度概括，它指出了审美观照及审美主体的精神的高度集中，同时也是审美主体想象的高度活跃。这种集中和想象排除了外界的杂念和超越了个人的私欲。显然，这种思想亦可与老庄思想相提并论，不管是从审美对象的个体来讲，还是从创造的主体来说，其关键的一环都离不开[艺法自然]。[自然]这一概念，尤其在中国山水画中，是一个极至重要而又富有哲学内涵的范畴。对于山水画来说，[自然]就是[真•善•美]，也就是[生命]。我结识的一位山水画家汤万清先生就是通过[艺法自然]力求对山水画的发展进行一番深入的探索，试图把握山水画美学脉络之根本而进行着默默地耕耘。

　　与汤万清先生的相识还是数年前的事，那一情景至今仍历历在目，我在东京映像画廊举办个展时一对年迈的夫妇领着一家老少来到了我的画展，说是从报纸上看到画展的消息，特意从很远的地方赶来，他们认真的看了我的画。说真的，当时我很忙，没能接待他们，甚至不知道他们也是从事绘画的同行。在那之后，我又接到他们打来的电话，这才知道夫妇二人也是画家，是武汉书画院的高级画师，定居日本。从此，我们就开始了频繁的交往，从友谊中认识和了解到这位老画家的人和画。

　　汤万清又名水一，1932年生于湖南省醴陵市。幼时喜爱绘画，早年拜潘树棠先生学习西画。在动荡不安的生活环境下,他始终如一地笔耕艺田,不辍画业。1978年他有幸成为中国绘画大师李可染先生的门下弟子，得其山水画的亲授，那亦是他的画业腾图之契机。此后他在艺术的生活实践中不断总结经验。创作了大量的山水画佳品，在艺术变法过程中追求新生事物。他喜爱赵无级的绘画，特意登门拜访过赵无极先生，求得艺术创作的指点。从他众多的作品中可以看出作品变化的三个阶段，传统写实、抽象奔放、意趣装饰。但归根还是包容在[艺法自然]里。古人曾有[妙于生意能不失真]之名言。尝问如何是生意?曰：[殆谓自然]。其问自然，则曰，[不能异真者，斯得之矣]，[且观天地生物，特一气运化尔，其功用秘移，与物有宜，莫知为之者，故能成于自然]，如今汤万清的画有形有色，求物比之，乃为追及自然者,他爱农村的自然风光，从自然中去风采生意。他的[生意]是真情，用其真情来[艺法自然]，对于[自然]，前人亦总结有[自然之妙有]，[凝神遐想，妙悟自然],[妙造自然]等，看得出汤万清也是以[度物象而取其真]，[外师造化，中得心源]，[身即山川而取之]的求艺精神。他在岭南等地进行了大量的写生绘画，无不说明[艺法自然]这一道理在他的山水画中体现出本体地位。他的大量作品也证实了他的恩师李可染先生的[废画三千]之言。从某种意义上来说，他把握了[艺法自然]这一概念范畴，无疑就把握了中国山水画的特点和本质。他创作的[山中一夜雨]、[千里暮云平]、[霜叶红于二月花]、[汉江远眺]、[峡江云]、[月点潭心一粒珠]等作品以传统的造形方式表现了自然美的意境。[艺法自然]这一范畴在中国山水画美学中如果去追根溯源,从老庄美学思想体系中亦可找到其最早的归宿。老子有[人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然].所谓[道法自然]就是指[道]以自然为法则，[自然]是整个宇宙普遍规律，

　　自然和人间必须遵循这一法则才能达到和谐。这一思想却为[天人合一].把人之性情纳入了这一规律体系。艺术无疑是以表现人生，表现人之心灵世界，表现宇宙万象作为目的和对象。为此汤万清的作品[山水抽象系列]又走向了一个新的台阶。他驱使笔墨，重情个性，但仍是倾向于[艺法自然]的性情表现，以通向对[道]的观照和把握这一特点将自然当作至美对象和至真对象，以此来描述和表现。他的另一部分作品群[翠谷垂练]、[九寨沟一瞥]、[夏日清幽]、[南国水乡]等更加以民间剪纸的装饰手法来构成。画面的气分完全改去了传统的格调，用色浓重，突显新意。但仍不失[艺法自然]。庄子云：[天地有大美而不言，四时有明法而不议，万物有成理而不说。圣人者，原天地之美而达万物之理，是故至人无为，大圣不作，观于天地之谓也]。圣人的[观于天地]就是观照生机勃勃的大自然，因为美就在于大自然之中，观天地之万象，于此获得美的感觉，从而进入与自然融为一体，并把握住[道]的审美境界，所以大自然成了求道者探源寻根的故土，是求美，求真者赏心悦目的审美形象。因此，[道]在自然，[美]在自然，[真]也在自然。汤万清的艺术作品态度即是[胸襟流露]，[卓然天成]的自然之真情。他在自然中求得妙悟，即用[艺法自然]对[自然]进行审美观照，企图把握作为宇宙本体的[自然]之[道]。在汤万清看来，[道]存在于山水的形质之中，或者说山水以其形质闪耀出[道]之光环，所以画家通过[应目悟心]，心与山水同化,就能从中领悟到[道]的存在。就主体方面来说，要想得到一个审美的意象，[艺法自然]是极至必要的。就是说主体必须具有一个虚静空明的心境，这个虚静空明的心境是实现审美观照的必要条件。就客体方面来说，首先必须有[象]。[象]就是审美形象，就是自然山水。在观察[象]的同时寻求[道]就显得十分重要。因此，在汤万清看来，审美观照的实质乃是对于宇宙本体和生命[道]的观照和把握，至于移神定质,轻墨落素,[有象因之以立,无形因之以生]亦说明了[象] 乃是通向[无形]的[道]。此[道]是无形的，亦是无尽的坎坷。李可染先生曾特意为汤万清题写了[峰高无坦途]的字句，并付[此吾七十总结印语与万清共勉]字样。这一[坦途]即指的是[人生]的[道]，又指的是[艺法自然]的[道]。绘画是主体的内在精神与客体的外在形式的高度统一，是一种创造性活动，并以外在形式的相对有限性去把握无限的精神内容。此所谓：[灵之所见,故所托不动;目有所极，故所见不周。于是乎以一管之笔，拟太虚之体,以判躯之状，画寸眸之明]。自然山水显现着太虚的[道]，把握了自然山水的灵质。因之，山水画当以法自然为本。古人也曾对其审美意象作了高度的概括。外以[造化]为师，内以[心源]为艺术创造的动力，既肯定了[造化]和[自然]的重要性，同时说明的主体的创造性是不可缺少的机体，至此，看汤万清的作品，无疑感受到他的[外师造化，中得心源]之美学，尤其是[象]和[道]的探求。主体和客体相融为一，心手相融为一。画家摒除了世俗的利害私欲，物与心同化。

　　汤万清先生作为一个山水画家对自然山水有直接的多角度的审美观照。这是发现自然山水审美形象的唯一的途径。要想对自然山水做到深入的观照,并[夺其造化]，则必[业精于勤]，[饱游饫看]，只有这样才能集自然山水之气象万千于一体，而物我两忘，是至[目不见涓素，手不知笔墨]。否则[所养之不扩充，所览之不淳熟，所经之不众多，所取之不精粹，而得纸拂壁，水墨遽下，不知何以掇景于烟霞之表，发兴于溪山之颠哉?主客体不能相融，不能达到高度统一，其结果必[以一盖全，不见整体，下笔见其形似而神不分，实不知何谓华山，何谓泰山]。因此，[欲奇山水之造化。莫精于山水，精于心目，精于笔墨，情于山水，情系万物之气象，忘乎物我而以气韵充之，布之，气韵足则神自显，而形似自在其间矣]。汤万清总结前人的经验，在不断地默默探索。他已年高七十有三，但却有[志在千里]、[羊鞭不用自奋蹄]的精神。真可谓，[春水渡旁渡、夕阳山外山]。他为人诚实，谦虚和善，对待绘画事业兢兢业业，在艺术的变法和创作上他有独特的认识和见解;[我以我法，画出我对生活的感受]。是的，他是这样说的，也是这样画的。

王 凯(日本国际书画评论家协会会长、画家、美术评论家)

President of Japan Fine Art Critics Association, artist, and fine art critic: Wang Kai

　　“Contemplate with rich imagination; understand naturally and intelligently.” Fully summarizing the creation and appreciation of Chinese painting, this points out the high concentration of the spirit of aesthetic understanding and aesthetic subject. It also describes the active imagination of the aesthetic subject. Ruling out external distractions, concentration and imagination have surpassed personal desires and interests. Obviously, this thought can be mentioned in the same breath with those of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Be it the aesthetic object or the subject of creation, the critical chain can not go without “imitation of nature”. “Nature”, especially in Chinese landscape paintings, is a domain which is extremely significant as well as rich in philosophical connotation. To landscape paintings, “nature” is just “truth, goodness and beauty”, namely “life”. Tang Wanqing, my friend, is an artist of landscape paintings. He works diligently in painting, exploring deeply the development of landscape paintings through “imitation of nature” and attempting to grasp the basic rules of the aesthetics of landscape paintings.

　　I got to know him several years ago. Our first meeting still lives vividly in my memory. On the day I held my personal exhibition in Tokyo Image Gallery, an elderly couple and his whole family arrived at my exhibition. They said that they knew about the exhibition from the newspaper, and that they came from far away just to view my paintings. Frankly speaking, because I was very busy then, I couldn’t attend them and even didn’t know they were also artists. After that, answering their call, I knew that they were also artists. They are senior artists of Wuhan Academy of Calligraphy and Painting and have settled down in Japan. Since then, we have been keeping in close contact with each other. The friendship between us helps me understand this old artist and his paintings.

　　Tang Wanqing(Shui Yi), was born in Liling City in Hunan Province in 1932. During his childhood, he liked drawing and learned oil-painting as an apprentice to Mr. Pan Shutang. In a life environment full of turbulence, he committed to painting consistently and never stopped. In 1978, he fortunately became one of the disciples of Li Keran who was a master in Chinese painting and taught him personally landscape painting. That period offered him the opportunity of becoming a greatest artist. After that he continued to summarize his experience in his life practice of art. He has created a great amount of excellent works of landscape painting and run after new things in the reform process of art. With a deep affection for the paintings of Zhao Wuji, he visited him with a purpose to accept his suggestions on artistic creation. His works can be divided into three stages: traditional realistic paintings,; abstract and passionate paintings; and paintings of ornament and interest. However, after all they are included in “the imitation of nature”. A famous old saying goes like this “Painting should be smart in meaning and true to life”. One may ask what “smart in meaning” means? The answer is “probably it means close to nature”. One may also ask what “close to nature” means. The answer is, “If it is not different from truth, it is “close to nature”, and “Observing everything in the world, we find that they are finished just by one touch whose function might be secretly moved and good to everything. Because this is done without being noticed, it can be accomplished naturally. At present, Mr. Tang’s paintings are vivid with shapes and colors, imitating things in nature and running closer to nature. Mr. Tang loves natural scenery in the countryside and finds charms and truth in nature. His truth refers to his true feelings with which he follows nature. There are some established ideas, such as “excellent art of nature”, “contemplate with rich imagination; understand naturally and intelligently”, and “magic creation of nature”. As we can see that his artistic principle is pondering images and catching their truth, learning outwardly from nature and gaining inwardly in the heart, gaining understanding by approaching hills and rivers. He has created many sketches and paintings in the Lingnan Mountains, which fully show the ontological position of “imitation of nature” in his landscape paintings. A great many of his paintings also prove what his tutor Li Keran has said -- that a perfect painting may not appear before many drafts have been discarded. In a sense, his understanding of the concept -- “imitation of nature” -- indicates undoubtedly that he has grasped the characteristics and essence of Chinese landscape painting. His works, such as Shan Zhong Yi Ye Yu (literary meaning “A Rainy Night in the Mountain”, Qian Li Mu Yun Ping (literary meaning “The Clouds in the Dusk), Shuang Ye Hong Yu Er Yue Hua (literary meaning “Frost-beaten leaves are more crimson than spring blooms), Han Jiang Yuan Tiao (literary meaning “Looking far into the distance by the Hanjiang River”), Xia Jiang Yun (literary meaning Valley, River and Clouds), and Yue Dian Tan Xin Yi Li Zhu (literary meaning Moon in the Lake) -- reflect the poetic mind state of nature through a traditional molding method. The concept of “Imitation of Nature” in the aesthetics of Chinese landscape painting can be dated back to the aesthetic ideas of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Lao Tzu said, “Man models himself on earth, earth on heaven, heaven on the way, and the way on that which is naturally so”. The so-called “The Way on That Which is Naturally So” means “The Way” follows “nature” -- which is the basic rule of the whole universe.

　　Only by observing this rule, can the harmony between nature and man be realized. This idea is the spirit of “harmonious union of man and nature” which has included man’s disposition into this system of rules. There is no doubt that the objective and subject of art is to reflect life, and the soul of the people, as well as all the images in the universe. For this reason, his Abstract Landscape Series has reached a new level. Although focusing on feelings and individuality, his way of painting still reflects his inclination to “the imitation of nature”. With the characteristic of understanding and grasping of “The Way”, he takes nature for his subject which is perfectly beautiful and true so as to describe and reflect it. What's more, his other groups of works, such as Cui Gu Chui Lian (literary meaning “The Waterfall in the Green Valley”), Jiu Zhai Gou Yi Pie (literary meaning “A Glimpse of Jiuzhaigou Valley), Xia Ri Qing You (A Tranquil Summer Day), and Nan Guo Shui Xiang (literary meaning “Riverside Villages in Southern China”) -- are molded with ornamental techniques of paper cutting. Completely different from traditional styles, the atmosphere of the paintings is featured with dense colors and innovative ideas. However, it still observes the rule of “Imitation of Nature”. Chuang Tzu has said, “The operations of Heaven and Earth proceed in a most admirable way, but they say nothing about them.

　　The four seasons observe the clearest laws, but they do not discuss them All things have their complete and distinctive constitutions, but they say nothing about them. The sages trace out the admirable operations of Heaven and Earth, and reach to and understand the distinctive constitutions of all things. And thus it is that the Perfect Man (is said to) do nothing and the Greatest Sage to originate nothing -- such language showing that they look to Heaven and Earth as their model.” “The Looking to Heaven and Earth as their Model” is just to understand lively nature because beauty lies in nature. Observing all images of the universe can enable people to have aesthetic gains. Consequently people can be integrated with nature and grasp the aesthetic state of “the way”. Therefore, nature has become a homeland for those whose search for “the way”. And also for an aesthetic image of those who pursue beauty and truth. In a word, everything lies in nature including “the way, beauty and truth”. His attitude about artistic works is the natural feeling which is “to reveal his idea” and “to be excellent by nature”. His natural and intelligent appreciation is to carry out the aesthetic understanding of “nature” through “the imitation of nature” so as to grasp “the way” of “nature” which is the noumenon of the universe. He believes that “the way” exists in the form and primary elements of landscapes or landscapes shines with the halo of "the way” through their forms and primary elements. Thus, artists can assimilate themselves with landscapes through observation and inward understanding so that they can appreciate the existence of “the way”. As far as the subject is concerned, it is quite essential to imitate nature so as to gain an aesthetic image. That is to say, the subject must have a mind state of being void, tranquil and clear -- which are the necessary conditions to realize aesthetic understanding. As far as an object is concerned, there must first be an “image”. “Image” is an aesthetic form, namely landscapes. It is very important to search for “The Way” while observing “image”. Therefore, he believes that the essence of aesthetic understanding is the understanding and grasping of the noumenon and life, (The Way) of the universe. As for the concentration on elements and creation of paintings -- the aesthetic image as well as the noumenon of the universe is established -- which explains that “image” is “the way” leading to “the noumenon of the universe”. This “way”, shapeless, is full of frustrations. Mr. Li Keran once specially gave Tang Wanqing his personal inscription: ““ Feng Gao Wu Tan Tu” (literally meaning “It Is Not Easy to Reach the Highest Peak)”. This is what I have summarized at the age of 70 and let me share it as encouragement with Wanqing”. “Tan Tu” (literally meaning “Flat Road)” here refers to “the way” of “life” as well as “The Way” of “Imitation of Nature”.

　　As a creative activity, painting is the high integration of the internal spirit of the subject and the external form of the object. Meanwhile it is to grasp the infinite contents of spirit through the relative finite external form. This is so called because nothing is in the sight of one’s spirit. What it carries is motionless, because sight is limitless, and what one has seen, is not complete. Therefore, sitting squarely, an artist can draw a bright eye vividly with a mere brush, grasping the essence of the universe. Landscapes in nature embody "The Way” of the great void, as well as seize the essence of landscapes. Landscape painting hence shall mold itself on nature. People in ancient times highly summarized the aesthetic images of landscape paintings. The power for artistic creation is to learn outwardly from nature and gain inwardly in the heart, which not only affirms the importance of the Creator and the nature, but also proves that the creativity of the subject is the indispensable organism. Now we can clearly find that while appreciating Tang Wanqing’s works, it is no doubt that we can also feel his aesthetic idea -- which is to learn outwardly from nature and gain inwardly in the heart – especially in his pursuit of “Image” and “The Way”. The subject and the object are melted into each other, while hand and heart are united too. Assimilating materials with heart, the artist has discarded the interests and desires of the secular world.

　　As a landscape artist, he has developed an aesthetic understanding of landscapes with direct and multiple angles. This is the only approach to the finding of the aesthetic images of landscapes. To understand landscapes and gain their beauty beyond nature, one has to work diligently and feast one’s eyes through frequent travels. Only by doing this, can the artist fully reflect panoramic landscapes through one painting, and even reach the mind state of being oblivious to the outside world and self, i.e. “Completely oblivious to paper, brush and ink”. Otherwise, what he has fostered will not be expanded, what he has read is not fluent, what he has experienced is not sufficient, and what he has gotten is not essential. When the paper is pasted on the wall and one starts to draw, he neither knows how to draw mist and clouds, nor how to express his feelings through rivers and hills. There is no harmonious combination of the subject and the object as well as their high integration, which surely results in “taking a part for the whole and only having similar forms without discriminating spirits". Actually the painter himself doesn’t know the difference between Mount Huashan and Mount Tai. Therefore, to show the wonderful landscapes created by nature, one has to be diligent in the following aspects, such as landscapes, observation, brush and ink. Meanwhile he should have a great affection for landscapes and panoramic images of the world. Being oblivious to outside materials and oneself, one should complement this with aesthetic charm. If the aesthetic charm is fully revealed, the spirit will appear and formal resemblance is naturally reflected. He has summarized the experience of his predecessors and continues to make explorations silently. Although he is 73 years old, he still has great ambitions and strong self motivation. Indeed, it might be called “Spring rivers flow past ferries one by one, and sunset shines on hills one after another.” Honest, modest and kind are his personal traits. He is extremely diligent in his painting and furthermore, he has unique understanding in the reform and creation of art. “I create paintings on the understanding of my life with my artistic principles”. Yes, this is the way he has described his art, as well as the way he has drawn.