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“Humanistic”
Portraits in the Revolutionary Era
--About
Zhu Wei’s Work
As
contemporary Chinese art has aroused more and more international
attention, following nearly 30 years of development and evolution,
Chinese art has entered a new stage. Many artists, at varying points,
have realized the importance of the Chinese art tradition, and have
attempted to create contemporary art works that simultaneously resonate
with traditional factors and capture the contemporary Chinese social
state of mind. This comes down to the matter of cultural identity, an
issue which is commonly discussed at international forums. Frankly
speaking, it’s about answering the following questions: Who am I?
Where am I from? Where am I going? How do I distinguish myself from
previous artists? How am I different from other cultures? As people
continue addressing these questions in their thought and practice, art
will perpetually innovative itself.
Zhu
Wei is an artist who constantly explores these issues. He is a serious,
wise and humorous thinker and a diligent practitioner. His optimism
causes him to have an open approach to developing his work, but there
are two questions that he continually seeks answers to. The first is the
excessively political interpretation made by the overseas critics on his
works. The other is the debate and classification made by the domestic
audiences and critics over the classification of his works—whether
they are to be considered traditional Chinese paintings or whether they
deserve another type of taxonomy. I personally think that within
the field of contemporary Chinese art, which is becoming increasingly
internationalized, the two problems have great universal significance.
Many artists are plagued by these same set of problems, and while these
answers may prove to be elusive, the process by which individual artists
express their doubts and questions is crucial for both artistic and
social development.
Zhu
Wei’s first concern—the excessively political interpretation of his
work—can be understood within the context of cultural differences and
misunderstandings. On the Chinese mainland, Chinese contemporary art was
historically marginalized by mainstream ideology because it was regarded
as heretical, but gained appreciation from Western audiences early on.
The development of contemporary Chinese art owes a great deal to the
early interest and support of Western democratic countries; however,
Western art specialists often do not possess a comprehensive and
experiential understanding of Chinese cultural and political history.
Instead, Chinese history is understood in a generalist perspective,
whereby Chinese communism and the Cultural Revolution are regarded in
limited terms. Thus, artistic works that bear political or revolutionary
symbols often elude critics but are easily understood by Chinese
audiences. While the earliest Political Pop images can be read as
satirical criticisms on China’s socialist revolution, the cynical
criticisms and images of the early 1990’s and the commercialized
subversive images all have profound social, political, and psychological
roots. These works reflect the social reality of the last 20 years in
socialist China. Therefore, the emergence of two Chinese contemporary
currents acceptable by the west - Political Pop and Cynical Realism
- in the mid 1990’s is understandable. It is therefore not
surprising that the “New Generation” movement of young artists in
the academies, who emerged at the same time as the Political Pop genre,
have been neglected by the mainstream Western art audiences.
There
are two significant issues that need to be clarified to art audiences
outside of China. First, is that not all of the contemporary visual
narration about the Chinese socialist era is exclusively about politics;
second, is that the works that do call political attention to the
Cultural Revolution often possess a wide range of varying political
beliefs. Zhu Wei’s works are suitable examples to explore these
issues.
Zhu
Wei was born in Beijing in the 1960’s to a family with a military
background, and his childhood memories are rife with the frenzy of
revolution and socialism. At that time, primary education was also
flooded with utopian slogans and ideals like: “Realizing Communism”
and “Liberate Mankind.” Images of the red scarf, red flag, red star,
red book (Mao’s quotations), sickle and axe, the Gate of Heavenly
Peace, and others, appeared as widely as commercial advertisements do
today. Although many people currently critique this tumultuous age from
a retrospective standpoint, Zhu Wei remembers these events as he
experienced them as a child—his memories are not tainted with the
negativity of heated combat and tyrannical rule, but capture the
innocence of vivid childhood memories of this age. In many ways, Zhu
Wei’s works suggest that being a child during the revolution was
significantly freer than growing up under the pressures of present-day
China. In order to respect Zhu Wei’s true experiences, one must
recognize that the artist does not possess strong hatred for that age,
but considers the era an imperfect, but precious life experience.
Therefore, his works often depict the Cultural Revolution with a mild
and neutral point of view, and always presents them with a sense of
humor. Unlike other artists who invoke the attitude of “Great
Criticism” to critique the Cultural Revolution, Zhu Wei remains honest
to his impressions and memories as seen through the eyes of an innocent
child.
In
his “The Heavenly Maiden” and “Utopia” series, Zhu Wei uses his
own artistic language to relate his impressions of China’s
revolutionary era—the mixed feelings of purity and piety, innocence
and helplessness appear in his subjects’ faces. His “Festival”
series deliberates on feelings of seriousness, contemplation, and
anxiety, while his “Story of Beijing” caricatures the scenes of
military parades occurring during the Cultural Revolution. The
consistent use of a child’s innocent viewpoint to depict the stories
and experiences of the Cultural Revolution is what differentiates Zhu
Wei’s works from conceptual and sloganistic “Political Pop,” and
it is this innocence which lends his work an honest and warm
“humanist” perspective on this time. This kind of non-“abstract
humanism” bred during the Cultural Revolution, is understood by those
who personally lived through those times, but for historical bystanders,
who understand the era through rational and universal concepts of
humanity, it is often difficult to appreciate the delicate
“humanity” delivered by Zhu Wei’s works. This emphasis on personal
life experience remains drastically different from the messages
delivered in “Political Pop” works.
Zhu
Wei’s latest series, “Vernal Equinox” and “Spring Herald,”
reveal the artist’s efforts to stress tradition over political
critique. His work “Madam Gou’s Spring Outing” reflects this turn
towards tradition, as he invokes the symbolic subject of spring, a
recurring theme in traditional Chinese works. In the “Vernal
Equinox,” Zhu Wei paints a group of blossoming peony flowers
juxtaposed alongside six figures that have just emerged from the winter,
still dressed in heavy winter coats. The figures look like dolls, posed
in similar costumes, postures, and expressions. By painting the peach
flowers with the traditional Gongbi technique, Zhu Wei taps into
traditional spring metaphors—collectively, they compose the artist’s
retrospection and memories of springtime during his childhood. In
“Spring Herald,” Zhu Wei’s portrait depicts the experience of
seasonal change, and the anticipation of an imminent spring. The
figure’s face and clothing are painted red, while the background is a
pool of light green water surging through the chilly winter. In front of
the figure’s chest, Zhu Wei has deliberately placed a blossoming peony
flower. Using repetitions of flowers, spring water, simply ordained
figures, the “Vernal Equinox” and “Spring Herald” series provide
us with images of the spring theme, their visual sense of humor and
their symbolic significance help the audience relish this experience
time after time. On these works, Zhu Wei also uses an unusually large
number of traditional red seals. These seals, once transplanted onto his
works, carry both traditional style and contemporary meaning, reflecting
the artist’s endearment for and recycling of the tradition.
Although
many of Zhu Wei’s works concern China’s socialism and the Cultural
Revolution, these are told through his memory of that era. They are
impressions that have been deeply planted in his mind, and impressions
that represent the memories of people of his generation. Often times,
Western perceptions of contemporary Chinese art are informed by Western
perspectives that regard the Cultural Revolution as inhumane and
barbaric, and socialist China as autocratic and ruthless. However,
there are still artists like Zhu Wei who follow their own feelings and
extract artistic inspiration from their experiences of living through
socialist China. Both representations of this era are true, but the
latter is more individual and vivid; it is the depiction of life
experience that can consistently relate to the people of that
generation.
In
addition to Zhu Wei’s aforementioned concern about common Western
misinterpretation of his works, the artist also places high priority on
the way in which his work is regarded in China. This concern deals
mainly with the classification of his work, and the recognition of his
work’s language. Because contemporary art is generally thought to
include oil painting, photography, installation and computer art, among
others, traditional Chinese art mediums are often overlooked within the
contemporary art realm. As a result, many artistic experiments and
innovative attempts to use traditional ink and wash or calligraphy have
been marginalized by contemporary art. Both orthodox Chinese painting
and mainstream contemporary art don’t seriously accept experimental
ink and wash painting. Zhu Wei employs Gongbi technique, which is
considered even more traditional than freehand ink painting, and
moreover, the Gongbi technique, compared with the freehand ink painting,
is more marginalized in the realm of traditional Chinese painting and
ink painting. Therefore, while it appears that the differences between
traditional Chinese painting techniques, like Gongbi and freehand
painting, and contemporary art mediums are immeasurable, Zhu Wei has
managed to incorporate the traditional Gongbi technique into his
contemporary artwork. His example illustrates the flexibility of
contemporary art in accepting different forms of Chinese traditional
art.
Over
20 years ago, Li Xiaoshan was brave enough to make a poignant criticism
upon the self-enmeshed and conformist state of traditional Chinese
painting, and while this criticism had become an important denunciation
of Chinese modern art, it did not offer any constructive opinions to
artists. Young Chinese artists responded to this critique by beginning
their individual explorations, creating different genres, styles,
theories and methods such as: modern ink and wash, experimental ink and
wash, conceptual ink and wash, city ink and wash, modern calligraphy,
and new literati artist works. The effects of these explorations were
remarkable, causing several influential artists to emerge, including:
Tian Liming, Liu Qinghe, Liu Zijian, and Wang Tiande. While there were
also several young artists who investigated the possibility of
incorporating tradition in contemporary artistic practice, Zhu Wei is
the one of the earliest artists to investigate and gain recognition from
his practice.
In
my opinion, Gongbi ink paintings are more readily acceptable by Chinese
contemporary art than are freehand ink paintings for three reasons.
First off, freehand brushwork no longer retains any conventional
standards regarding format, skill and aesthetic standards. The
reputation and identity of freehand brushwork has also been corroded by
the widespread commercialization of this style of painting, leading to
the production of a large number of poor quality works. Lastly, the
emphasis that freehand brushwork places on chance, improvisation,
emotion, and frivolousness are seemingly incompatible with contemporary
arts’ appreciation of rational spirit. Gongbi painting holds its
advantages in all of the three aspects, especially the last point. This
technique offers artists the opportunity to incorporate rational
aesthetic qualities regarding color and technique, thereby exemplifying
the unique features of their work.
Zhu
Wei has spared no effort in incorporating the essence of many forms of
traditional art practice into his works, not just through his use of
Gongbi painting, but also through his adept knowledge of traditional
Chinese painting theories, Chinese bronzeware, ancient grotto murals,
seal cutting and paper craft. One can observe the profound traditional
influences on Zhu Wei’s work, such as composition that is as precise
as seal cutting; figure sculpting that is as simple and sober as bronze
ware; and outlines as mellow and terse as porcelain. Thus, in viewing
Zhu Wei’s works, the audience can sense his mastery of traditional
artistic craft, and his ability to incorporate those essential elements
into his works. Because Chinese traditional culture has such a rich and
extensive history, many wonder which elements of traditional culture
should be retained in contemporary works. In response to this question,
Zhu Wei’s art offers many answers: he notes that his favorite masters
in art history are Gu Hongzhong from the Five Dynasties, Li Song and Fan
Kuan from the Northern Song Dynasty and Qiu Ying from the Ming
Dynasty—all individuals who have had significant impact on the
development of Chinese Gongbi painting. When comparing Zhu Wei with
those who mention “Shi Tao” or “Ba Da” in referencing tradition,
Zhu Wei clearly has his own preferences for the Gongbi style.
As
communication between China and the world increases, the world’s
understanding of Chinese culture is getting deeper. As this awakens
audiences to Chinese artistic concepts, Zhu Wei’s works have gained a
lot more interest and appreciation amongst artistic audiences worldwide.
I have once previously stated that: Chinese contemporary art
is an epistemic field that is constantly renovating and transforming,
and as a result is mutually affected by Chinese historical culture,
current events, and the global democratic social cultural trend of
thought. Therefore, if you only understand China but not the world, you
can’t really understand the value of Chinese contemporary art, and
vice versa. Due to the fact that Chinese contemporary art is accepted in
the world and speculated in the domestic market, people are easily
misled by surface level information. So to appreciate valuable and
outstanding contemporary artwork is not an easy task, it requires a
great deal of patience and study. Zhu Wei’s artistic creations
illustrate the range of issues that are being investigated in the field
of contemporary Chinese art, and one can acquire significant insight
into the field of contemporary Chinese art simply by analyzing his work.
As
one of Zhu Wei’s contemporaries, I feel that Chinese people who were
born in the sixties can be considered lucky. Because we were born when
the Cultural Revolution was already underway, our lives weren’t
significantly impacted by this era, yet, we retain profound memories of
the socialist time period. We came of age in the 1980’s, experiencing
the upsurge of the reform and opening up, and finally, at the end of
that decade, encountered the unprecedented Tiananmen Square incident.
Today, people around the age of 40 have passed through many different
stages of societal change and have experienced a spectrum of emotions,
ranging from joy to sorrow. In this constantly developing and
drastically changing social environment, we have gradually become the
core force of the society. As a sensitive artist, Zhu Wei is deeply
committed to his social mission, under what he considers to be a
historical opportunity; he endeavors to record his contemporaries’
attitudes towards history and culture, life and the world, and to leave
a distinctive mark in history.
The
value of Zhu Wei’s work lies primarily in his in-depth and refined
study of Chinese traditional art, and his ability to incorporate
essential traditional artistic elements into his contemporary works.
Secondly, he is able to expand traditional artistic language to include
contemporary artistic concepts, organically integrating traditional and
contemporary artistic languages. At the same time, his works express a
certain “humanism”: individual feelings towards a specific
historical era. During his artistic career, which has lasted more than
20 years, Zhu Wei has devoted relentless efforts to his practice, and
has achieved most compelling results. As time passes, the foremost
contemporary Chinese artists will emerge, and Zhu Wei’s works will
undeniably be recognized as symbolic emblems of their time.
Zhang
Zhaohui
January
2007
First published in Zhu Wei, p.2-5, published by J.Bastien Art, Belgium, 2007
Zhang
Zhaohui is a noted arts scholar and curator from China. He
grew up in Beijing and received his Bachelor of Art Degree from the
esteemed Nankai University in Tianjing in 1988, before going on to earn
a Master of Art Degree in modern art history from China Art Academy
seven years later. In 1998 he graduated from Bard College in New
York with another Master of Art Degree in Curatorial Studies. He
has received numerous grants and fellowships, including a fellowship
from the Asian Cultural Council and Luce Foundation in 1997, and a
visiting scholarship at Asialink. During the years between 1988 and 1992
he served on the curatorial staff at the National Museum of Art in
Beijing, whereas he was the director of the Curatorial Section at He
Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen from 1999 until 2000. He became
the founding director of Beijing Xray Art Center in 2002, a highly
prestigious organization which is widely considered an important
contributor to contemporary art in China before the appearance of 798
art compound. He is now director of Joey Art Consulting, an art
institution in 798 art complex.
革命时代的“人性”
——谈朱伟的艺术
当代中国艺术引起国际社会越来越多的关注，经过将近三十年的发展演变和积累，中国艺术的也进入一个新的阶段。一部分艺术家意识到或迟或早地意识到中国艺术传统的重要性，试图创造出融合传统艺术的因素，并浓缩当代中国社会心理状况的当代艺术品。这涉及到国际论坛上经常提到的文化认同的问题，通俗地说，就是我是谁，我从哪里来，到哪里去，我与前人有什么不同，我同其他的文化有什么不同？人们不断用思考和实践来追问下去，便呈现出不断创新的艺术。
朱伟是一位对这个问题进行不断探索的艺术家，他是一位严肃但充满睿智与幽默的思考者和勤奋的实践者。乐观的他对自己的艺术保持着开放的态度，但有两点一直让朱伟耿耿于怀。一个是来自海外的评论家们对他的作品的过于政治化的解释，另一个是国内观众和批评家对于他的作品是国画还是什么其他的别的什么画种的疑问与归类。我个人觉得，在越来越国际化的中国当代艺术领域，这两个问题有很大程度上的普遍性意义，许多艺术家也觉得被这个问题所困扰。对于这两个问题的清晰而准确并让人满意的回答也不会太容易的。但对具体的艺术家和作品而言，自己或者别人有问题，有追问是件好事，正因为如此，艺术家的思考与实践才最大程度上集中体现了社会与艺术发展中所出现的新问题。
先来谈朱伟的第一个困惑，即关于作品内容和主题的多余的政治化猜测。平心而论，中国当代艺术的兴起是在西方先进文化的激励下而发展起来，它在中国大陆曾经被作为异端而长期受到主流意识形态的排挤和压抑，但在西方文明世界却受到了追捧。因为中国当代艺术的被接受与欣赏首先是从西方民主国家开始的，而且在一定程度上是因为受到主流排斥的大陆非官方艺术得到了西方民主世界的同情与扶植而逐步发展起来。因此西方的艺术专家对中国社会生活情境没有亲历的感性认识，而是对中国共产运动与文革的集体性猜测。所以在评论中国艺术家的作品的时候，那些有中国政治与革命符号的作品往往容易得到西方评论者的阐释并得到观众的理解。
应该承认，从最早的那些讽刺和批判中国社会主义革命的政治波谱形象，到90年代初期的犬儒主义式的符号与形象，以及商业化的媚俗图象，在中国都有着深厚的社会政治背景和心理学根基，这些作品也在很大程度上反映了社会主义中国最近二十年的社会现实。因此，在90年代中期出现了两个受到西方接受的中国当代潮流-政治波谱和讽刺现实主义-是可以理解的，同时，和政治波谱同时出现的年轻的学院艺术家的“新生代”艺术现象在某种程度上受到西方艺术主流的忽略也就不觉得奇怪了。
但有两个层面的意义则需要对非中国的艺术观众进行澄清。首先是并非所有关于社会主义时代的当代视觉叙事都是仅仅关于政治的；其次，即使是关于文革时期的政治内容，不同的艺术家有不同的政治态度。以朱伟的作品为例，我们进一步澄清这两个问题。
的确，作为六十年代出生在北京军人家庭的朱伟，在他孩童时代的记忆中，充满了关于革命与社会主义狂热的内容，那个时候的启蒙教育也充斥着“实现共产主义”和“解放全人类”的乌托邦理想。红领巾，红旗，红五角星，红旗，红宝书（毛泽东语录），镰刀和斧头，天安门城楼等，如同今日无处不在的商业广告，充满了那个年代。尽管今天人们站在今天的理性角度对那个荒唐的时代进行着批判与检讨，但作为对那个时代孩提时代的记忆，朱伟的印象中并不是整日的刀光剑影，血雨腥风，而是生动有趣的，是一段比成长在今日沉重压力下的孩子们更快乐更自由的“阳光灿烂的日子”。所以在从尊重自己的真实经历出发，朱伟在感性经验上并没有对那个时代刻骨铭心的憎恨，而是一种虽然不尽理想但却十分珍贵的人生经历。因此，在他的作品中，有关文革的符号往往是温和的和中性，而且总是有某种幽默感。他仍然用孩子一样的童贞的眼光来表现对文化革命的印象与记忆，而不象其他一些艺术家那样以文革时期的大批判的态度用艺术来批判那个产生“大批判”的荒唐的年代。
在《天女散花》和《乌托邦》系列中，朱伟用自己的艺术语言对革命时代的印象进行了高度的概括，人物的表情中有纯真与虔诚，无辜与无助相混合的感觉；在《节日》系列中，艺术家刻画了大人们严肃而凝重并充满焦虑的表情；在《北京故事》中，他将文革中军人游行的场景描绘成卡通的形象。所以，用孩子的童贞的眼光来描绘自己记忆中的文革故事与经历是朱伟的作品不同于概念化和口号式的“政治波谱”的地方。所以，他的作品看起来还传达出在特定历史时期的真实的而温暖的“人性”光芒。
而这种在文革中滋生的并非“抽象的人性”对于亲身经历者是可以感受，概括和传达的；
但对于那些处于隔岸观火的人用理性的普遍的人性观点显然难以体味朱伟作品中传达出的这样难能可贵的“人性”。这种对自己生命经历的肯定态度显然不同于那些口号式的泛意识形态化作品。
他最近的新作品《开春图》和《报春图》系列则显示了淡化政治色彩，强调回归传统的努力。春天在中国的绘画传统中是一个很有象征性意义的主题，例如著名的《彀国夫人游春图》。在《开春图》中，朱伟采用了一些瓷器上的图案，将怒放的桃花与六个刚刚从冬天走出依然满身寒衣的人物并置，他们象几个玩偶，以相似甚至同样的服装，姿势和表情被呈现在人们面前。而用传统工笔画手法描绘的桃花则暗示着春天的寓言或者想象，是艺术家对于自己在孩童时代的对春天印象的追想和缅怀。在《报春图》中，艺术家以肖像般的构图描绘了对于春天的即将来临的体验。人物的面容和衣服被染成红色，而他背后是一汪嫩绿的春水，如同严冬无法遮挡的洪流，滚滚而来。人物胸前仍然是一枝怒放的桃花。用花朵，春水，和简洁的人物造型，《开春图》和《报春图》系列为我们提供了春天主题的意象，其视觉的幽默感和形象背后的象征意义值得人们反复玩味和体验。值得特别指出的是，在这两个系列中，朱伟使用了大量的图章，这些传统样式和有当代意味的红色图章作为视觉符号，被他移植到作品中，显示了艺术家对传统的锺爱和再利用。
虽然朱伟的许多作品都是关于中国社会主义和文革的记忆，是存留在他脑海中对社会主义时期的印象，在某种程度上是他这一代人对于既往生活的追忆。虽然在西方人的眼中，文革是残暴的，血腥的，社会主义中国是专制的残忍的和非人道的，所以也就出现了迎合西方对社会主义中国想象的部分当代中国艺术图象。
但仍然有朱伟这样遵循自己感觉的艺术家将自己所经历的社会主义中国的经验提炼为艺术经验。应该说，这两方面的经验都有真实性的一面，只是后者更为个人化，显得有血有肉，是一种可以反复回味的人生经验和心理历程。
上面从作品内容上大致谈了一般的西方人对朱伟作品的理解的偏差，下面再说说朱伟的第二个困惑。这个困惑来自于本土，是对他作品语言的认识问题。在一般人眼中，当代艺术只包括油画，摄影，雕塑，装置，电脑艺术等，与中国的传统艺术媒介没有缘分。一些用传统水墨画和书法做当代艺术实验的创新也落得双重边缘化的境地，正统的传统国画和当代艺术主流都没有认真接纳实验性的水墨画。而朱伟所使用的是比水墨画更为传统的工笔画手法，
因为工笔画在传统国画/水墨画领域比起写意水墨更是边缘化的，甚至有匠人之嫌。因此，从工笔画到当代先锋艺术，其间似乎风马牛不相及。但朱伟却从工笔性水墨画入手，走出了自己的当代艺术之路。这个例子可以说明当代艺术的在观念层面的可适应性和中国传统艺术的开放性，只要不用故步自封的眼光将艺术从观念到技法都格式化。
20多年前，李小山放胆对僵化的中国画系统那作茧自缚，陈陈相因，倚老卖老的状况提出了尖锐的批评，成为中国现代艺术批评史上的重要檄文；但论者当时的批评文本并没有给艺术家提出建设性的意见。中国年轻的画家开始了各自的探索历程。艺术舞台先后上演了现代水墨，实验水墨，观念水墨，都市水墨，现代书法，新文人画等流派风格与理论说辞。探索的效果也可谓是很显著，也出现了一些有影响的艺术家例如田黎明，刘庆和，刘子健，王天德等人，也有年轻的艺术家开始了探索从工笔画传统出发而走向当代艺术实践的可能性。但比较早地使用工笔画资源进行有效的当代艺术探索并获得一定认可的艺术家则非朱伟莫属。
在中国绘画史上，没骨工笔画有着悠久的历史，也拥有骄人的艺术成就，但宋元文人水墨画兴起之后，“逸笔草草，不求形似”的只表达胸中之抑郁的文人水墨画逐渐占据美术史的主流地位，“笔墨”成为至高无上的评价绘画的标准。而工笔画则被排斥到绘画艺术的边缘。这样的情况一直延续到今天。所以，在八十年代以来的前卫艺术运动中，几乎看不到有工笔画的身影。因此，朱伟将工笔画媒介作为艺术探索的出发点是需要很大的勇气，同时需要多年的潜心钻研，将工笔画的技术要领吃透，同时在笔法，纸张，设色，造型，等方面进行持续的探索，才能走出自己的艺术道路。
在我看来，中国传统绘画中的没骨工笔画比写意水墨画更容易进入当代艺术领域。首先是因为写意画已经形成了非常规范的手法，格式和套路，以及审美规范，传统思维的惯性很重，而且这个领域有众多的名家大师把持着，其次，写意水墨画在今日的中国已经被商业化腐蚀掉，产生着大量的艺术垃圾，败坏了水墨画的名誉与身份，最后，水墨画的随机性，偶然性和即兴式的情绪性和游戏性特征与建筑在理性精神之上当代文明社会属性有明显的不兼容性。而工笔画在这三个方面有着自己的优势，尤其是在最后一点上。
因为工笔画在技术手法上的理性色彩，可以促使艺术家进行大量的有效的技术积累并形成自己的制作经验，从而提炼出自己独特的艺术风貌。
朱伟在吸收传统艺术的精髓方面下足了工夫，不仅是没骨工笔画，还旁及中国古代画论，中国青铜器，古代石窟壁画，篆刻，纸张工艺等，观众从他画面上可以考察出深厚的东方艺术传统底蕴，例如作品构图有篆刻般的谨严精密，人物造型有青铜器的古朴稳重，线条造型有瓷器轮廓的那种圆润与简洁，画面的肌理效果的反复处理后呈现出凝重而浑厚，所以看朱伟的作品，人们可以感觉到他对传统文化精髓的把握和精神气质的提炼。显然，中国传统文化博大精深，今天的艺术家如何学习传统艺术中的精髓而回避糟粕的侵扰是一个很严肃的问题。在这一点上，朱伟的艺术可以说明很多问题。他曾经多次提到自己最喜欢的几位艺术史上的大师是五代的顾闳中，北宋的李松、范宽，和明代的仇英。这些画家都在中国工笔画的发展史有着突出的成就。
所以，对于秉持着中国画正统观念的中国艺术权威们来说，朱伟的作品是不入流的，无论是从手法上还是表现对象上；但对于那些接受他的作品的西方人而言，他们往往不理解他在艺术语言上的锤炼和他深厚的传统艺术功底，而是偏爱画面上的政治性内容，因此他的作品显得曲高和寡。人们并不能真正理解他的艺术一度是艺术家的最大的苦恼。
幸运的是，随着中国与外部世界交往的增多，世界对中国文化的了解越来越深入，中国人的艺术观念的更新和眼界的拓展，朱伟的作品遇到了日益增多的知音。我曾经表达过这样的观点，中国当代艺术是一个不断更新和变化的认识领域，是中国历史文化以及现实情境同世界民主社会文化思潮共同作用的结果，所以只了解中国而不了解世界是不能真正认识中国当代艺术的价值，反之亦然。随着中国当代艺术在世界范围内的接受与在国内市场上的炒作，人们很容易被人为的假象所误导，所以，欣赏有价值的优秀的当代艺术创作不是很容易的事情，需要有耐心的人潜心学习和研讨。显然，朱伟的艺术创作是个很能说明问题的例子，分析他的艺术能让人们获得当代中国艺术的真知灼见。
作为朱伟的同龄人，我觉得我们生于六十年代的这一茬中国人是幸运的，因为虽然赶上了文革，但生命又没有被过多的耽误，同时对社会主义时代的记忆却十分深刻，我们在八十年代进入青年时期，经历了改革开放的热潮，也遭遇了史无前例的六四事件。。。。。到今天，四十岁上下的人已经饱含沧桑，尝过了许多人间的悲喜。在这个持续发展与激烈变动的社会环境中，我们逐渐成为社会的中坚力量。作为敏感的艺术家，朱伟深刻地意识到自己的历史机遇和社会使命，他努力用自己的艺术图像记录下这一茬人对历史和文化，生命和世界的共同看法，留下这个时代的独特印记。
朱伟的艺术作品的价值在于他首先对中国传统艺术进行了深入而细腻的研究，将传统艺术中的精髓融入自己的当代艺术创作中，其次，他用当代艺术观念有效地整合传统艺术语言，使传统艺术的精华与当代艺术语言有机地结合起来。另一方面，他的作品表达那个特定的历史时期的个人感受，并升华为普遍的“人性”。在他二十多年的艺术生涯中，朱伟投入了巨大的心血，从而取得了令人瞩目的成果。人们有理由相信，随着时间的推移和不断考验，最优秀的当代艺术会浮出水面，在被人们认识的之后，最终成为记录这个时代标志符号。
张朝晖
2007年元月
首次刊发于比利时J.Bastien Art2007年出版《朱伟》，第2-5页
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