古丽斯坦Gulistan艺术收藏爱好者协会(波士顿、纽约、华盛顿、芝加哥、旧金山、洛杉矶）

不想走出记忆的天空 — 我读古丽·斯坦

绘画艺术是人对自然和自身认识的情感性反映。是人精神生活的一种物质化表现。尽管当代社会随着媒介种类的拓展，人类表达倾诉方式得到了空前的释放，但在内心和精神层面的发掘和情感体验上，绘画依然是最为深刻和敏感的表达方式。

中国油画的发展状况通常因为客观原因忽视了认识自然认识自己，忽视了自我人性的舒展和精神的表现。当今的中国油画正处在一个开放的全球化的时代。新生的青年油画家们在宽松自由环境中继承百年来中国油画的传统，使实现认识自然和认识自我在斑斓的油彩中发掘和表现自我情感有了正真的可能。

女性艺术家古丽·斯坦的绘画作品充分地证实了这一点，她的油画作品呈现出优雅、迷朦的特征，女性的敏感和有心理的幻觉，宗教的纯净和诗意化的氛围，使她的作品充分反映出一位女性艺术家心灵的活动和情感的状态。“我只用很少的颜色做画，但当这些颜色部署恰当时，就产生了无限的幻想，感觉的凝聚。”是的，古丽·斯坦很多作品展示了她本人的这种创作的感受。像《女娲之服》《女娲之服·星云》等系列作品画面呈现出偏黄色调，画面出现的建筑，飞鸟，头像等形像依稀可辨，颜色控制在偏黄橙色调中色彩种类虽不多，但仍显得颜色很丰富，虚幻的形象加之橙黄色调中相近颜色的微秒变化，画面显得空灵而典雅。

她的画面构成了现代意识形象的组合穿插，表现手法也是非写实的，画家很年轻，但画面流露出来并不是当下通常青年艺术家们那种浮躁，生硬或病态变异的情绪，而是混合着洋气的一种朦胧诗意。很奇怪读她的画时不经意中还感到有宋词的意境。但这种意境也是时隐时现……又融合在欧洲古典文化的韵味之中，她曾谈到创作感受时说过“历史悠久，但你和它之间没有距离。你可以随意触摸它。”她这种绘画的作品并非简单的搬弄组合一些历史的物象元素。而是用心灵和历史相碰交流和感悟。

读古丽·斯坦的作品不应以简单的眼光去审视，而是欣赏她作品中所营造出来的多重意境和氛围，一种心境情感的流露。对艺术家而言，画面上表现东西不是描摹而是传达复杂而微妙的可以感受到而又很难用文字来描述的种种别样的情绪和心境。她在笔记中写道：“在记忆的天空里，有洁净的白云……静止的、集合的、散落的、燃烧的以及沉思的云……。“心平气和的观察自然：星星、月亮、树木、花草还有躺在粉笔盒里的粉笔……。”“如果星星和眼睛一样该有多好，彼此都能数得清……都能看到一条洁白的小径，从心灵走向心灵……彼此透明。”“太阳是什么时候转过头顶，青草是什么时候黄的，自在的花朵是什么时候落的，树是什么时候长高的，落叶是什么时候发出叹息的……”。所以她的作品值得认真品味，从视觉心理上，艺术家的作品并非都是叙事的，而是表现性的，或者是抽象的。

古丽·斯坦与当下大多数艺术家直白的对现实持批判逆反态度，和激进反传统心理不同，她充满对周围生活的热爱，用纯真、敏感、冥想和记忆，把对现实生活的体会和历史文化的感悟，再通过自己世界观和艺术情感过滤的绘画的形式表现出来，让人们安静的慢慢的去重读。古丽·斯坦给我们呈现了她眼光中的世界。她的这种现代意识的创作方式不是像以往油画、创作、写生到提炼、概括、传统的创作方式，而首先表现自己主观的情绪，以现代的观念和思想观照的创作方式。

古丽·斯坦没有老一辈油画家们长期形成的精神上、艺术上、观念上的禁锢和约束，创作的环境是宽松的。她又特别出生在天山脚下那遥远的地方地域辽阔的新疆，旧时不仅是沟通东西各国的重要经贸通道，而且也成为世界四大古代文明（黄河流域、印度河流域、西河流域及地中海区域古代文明）的荟萃之地。这一地区又是十三个民族聚居的地方。在历史的长河中，虽都有各自本身的发展历史，但都对这一地区的文明艺术的发展做出了重要的贡献。创造出了各自不朽的艺术作品。这样广阔的文化背景从小浸润着古丽·斯坦在能歌善舞民族中长大，有两种民族血液融合，赋予了她特殊的气质。两种文化深厚的积淀，在艺术家心里精神上交融着，给予她别人通常感受不到的两种文化交融生发出来的东西。

纵观她的《记忆系列》、《行走系列》、《东方的漫游系列》、《有关时间的系列》和《向中世纪致敬》等作品，我们可以看到从遥远的地方走来的她秉承了这些优秀的文化传统。同时由于从小中外文化艺术传统熏陶，使她对当代艺术有种天生自然的联系。当代欧美的各种艺术风格和一些重要的艺术家，像乔托 弗兰切斯卡及当代的塔皮埃斯等GIOTTO，PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA， TAPIES，SIMONE MARTINI, ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN等都做为艺术的营养，通过她的吸纳过滤，融入了她的思想，变化成了她自己的东西，使她的作品呈现出来的柔美但不轻浮，典雅却不呆板，现代但不粗野，梦幻却不病态。 比如《东方的漫游系列》作品中，东亚文化传统的符号，中国传统的青花瓶，元明古典家具，汉代墓室的壁画人物，西域的面具等等，被她的艺术思维再过滤后，并不是简单的拼凑在画面上，而是赋予了她自己的思想而重新创造性的反映到画面上，生发出新的艺术意境和氛围。欣赏这些画面，读者会随着古丽·斯坦的眼光和思绪穿越时间和空间，重读和感悟历史和文化。

再比如《有关时间的作品系列》，中外文化的元素，宋代的花鸟画和古希腊的石雕被她信手拈来表现在一本打开书相邻的两页上，时间与空间流逝，生命诞生与消亡，只有文化的痕迹被留了下来。不管是宋代皇室画家那劲健的毛笔勾勒在华贵的绢锦上的花卉和虫鸟，还是古希腊艺术家雕琢的精湛古刻，有关它们的生命和事件都灰飞湮灭了。它们的文化痕迹却流进了艺术家的心灵，永远的留在了艺术家记忆的天空里，走入了艺术家的精神世界。变化成灵感和意境，又艺术的被画家倾诉在画面上。这种创作的方式是符合艺术的本质规律的。是符合人的本来属性的。我们百年来的中国油画发展历史学习借鉴外来的艺术风格和技术是重要的，学院的训练也是不可缺少的，但千万不要忘记了艺术的本质，不要忽视绘画的最简单也是根本的初衷，是要表现人的情感。古丽·斯坦的绘画在延续发展百年来油画前辈已有的成果。环境的宽松、艺术前景是灿烂的。欧洲文艺复兴产生出了飘逸洒脱、英雄或典雅、精确的艺术风格和精湛的写实油画技巧。

传统国画也是深厚中国文化传统的反映。古丽·斯坦的艺术风格和油画技巧，随着她作品质量的提高和数量的积累，会逐步的展示出来。刻意的追求技巧反而会走向艺术的反面。

作为原创的油画家，古丽·斯坦的作品之所以与当下一般油画家作品风格和品味不同，是在于她经历的不同和文化背景的多重性。在于她与生俱来的心智，对中外历史文化亲和的感悟。一种“彼此都能数得清……，都能看到一条洁白的小径，从心灵走向心灵……”古丽·斯坦并没有像其它一些青年画家对传统文化的表现出来的激烈的抵触，继而寻求新的艺术道路和风格。她却对传统的历史和文化有着天然的柔和感。作品也自然透出了悠长而典雅的文化韵味，这在青年油画家中是难能可贵的。说的简单点，对艺术的感情（文化和历史）从学院里或师傅那里硬学恐怕是学不来的。

艺术家与一般画家的区别在于，一般画家用眼睛、头脑和手去观察记录世界，而艺术家是用心灵和感情。古丽斯坦写道：“我还记得在记忆的天空里有洁净的云，真不想走出记忆的天空，它像我那样全然的纯粹……，集体开放出静静的花朵，遥远的回忆弥漫着……”线条色彩在我的画面里已完全脱离了记录自然形态的作用。它是心的灵境物的神韵，创作的乐趣是在追求瞬间心境的过程。

古丽·斯坦的艺术精灵游荡徜徉在她自己记忆的天空里，情感渲泄在她的画面上。艺术化了的精神，精神化了的艺术。是的，她将带着那不愿走出记忆的天空，将她的艺术精神的家园变趁成一种更大的“抵达”。

董杰
美术编辑

Unwilling to Leave the Sky of Memory

My Reading of Gulistan

The art of painting is the emotional reflection of human beings towards nature and ourselves. It is the material reflection of the spiritual life of man. Although now with the extension of media, the manner of our expression has been liberated on an unprecedented scale, painting is still the deepest and most sensitive way of expression in the mental and psychological exploration and emotional experience of life.

The development of Chinese oil painting usually omits knowing ourselves and nature, the stretching of our nature and the performance of our spirit because of its focus on realism. Some Chinese artists like Xu Beihong did not learn all the skills of western classicalism, so their realism cannot be called knowing nature in the real sense. Some modernist predecessors in the circle of oil painting like Lin Fengmian and Wei Tianlin did not know themselves or successfully show their personal spiritual world in a real sense, either. The current Chinese oil paintings are now placed in an era of open globalization. Fresh, young oil painters inherit the tradition of the centuries-old history of Chinese oil painting in a relaxed and free environment. They create the possibility of knowing nature and ourselves through colorful oil paintings to explore and reflect our feelings.

The works of female artist Gulistan fully show this point. Her works are elegant and psychical. Her paintings show the sensitivity and psychological foundation of a young woman. Her paintings contain religious pureness and poetic atmosphere. All these reflect the state of the emotion and psychological workings of a female artist. “I only use a little color to paint. When the color is done in a proper way, the paintings bring about limitless illusion and the cohesion of feelings.” Yes, many of the works of Gulistan show this to us. The hue of the series such as Nuwa’s Dress and The Essence of Memory is a bit yellow. The architectural works, birds, and head portraits, etc., can be vaguely distinguished. Although the colors in the hue of yellow and orange are few, the paintings still appear to be colorful. The illusory images and the subtle changes between the colors of yellow and orange make the painting intangible and elegant.

Her pictures are formed through the combination of modern ideologies. Although the artist is very young, the paintings do not show fickle, immature, or abnormal emotion like most young artists do today. Her works are partly poetic with foreign flavor. It is a surprise that I can feel the artistic conception of poems of the Song Dynasty when reading her pictures, which is hit-and-miss. It is mixed with the charm of European classical culture. She once mentioned that “history is long, but there is no distance between you and history, which can be touched at any time.” Her paintings are not just the combination of some historical images, but they are the result of the communication between souls and history.

You cannot use a simple way to read the works of Gulistan. What you should pay attention to is the atmosphere in her paintings, which expresses her emotion. To artists, the picture is not the tracing of objects but the expression of complex and subtle feelings and moods, which cannot be described in words. For example, “In the memory of sky, there are clean white clouds… still, collective, scattered, flaming and meditative…. Observing nature calmly: stars, the moon, trees, flowers, and chalk lying in a chalk box…. It would be good if stars could be countable like eyes,… both can see a pure white path, from heart to heart,… both transparent. When did the sun rise? When did the grass turn yellow? When did bloomy flowers wither? When did the trees grow tall? When did fallen leaves sigh…?” Hence, her works are worthy of being read carefully. From visual psychology, not all the works of artists are narrative; they are sometimes expressive or abstract.

Gulistan is different from most artists today—different from those who criticize the state of the world directly and are radically against tradition. She has full passion for her surroundings, and she uses pureness, sensitivity, musing and memory to express her feelings about real life, history, and culture, which is shown in her paintings. They are filtered by her own world view and artistic emotion, worth reading calmly and slowly. Gulistan reveals the world in her eyes. This kind of modern manner of creation is not like the traditional way, which relies on oil paintings, creation, sketching, extraction and summarization. Her paintings show her personal emotion first, using the modern idealistic way to create.

Gulistan does not have the endurance and confinement in ideology, art, and psychology like the older generation of oil painters. Her environment of creation is relaxed. She was born at the foot of Tiantan Mountain, which is located in the remote and boundless Xinjiang. This region of China was an important trading channel between the East and the West in ancient times, and it was also the meeting place of four ancient world civilizations (The Yangtze River Valley peoples, Indian River Valley peoples, Western River Valley peoples, and Mediterranean Valley peoples). There are 13 ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. Although different ethnic groups have their own histories of development, they all have made important contributions to the civilization and culture in this region. They created their own immortal works. Gulistan was brought up in the Uyghur ethnic group—a people who are good at singing and dancing. She has two mixed bloodlines in her body, which gives her a special temperament. Two different cultures were blended into the mind and heart of Gulistan, so she can experience life in a special way because of it, at levels which cannot be felt by others.

When reading her works like The Essence of Memory Series, The Oriental Wandering Series, The Walking Series, Contemplating the Middle Ages, etc. We can see that she, from such a remote place, is the successor of an excellent traditional culture. She has a good sense in modern art because she was nurtured by both Chinese culture and Western culture. Furthermore, thanks to her edification in traditional domestic and foreign art since her childhood, she was born with a natural link to present-day art. The present European and American art styles of many kinds and some important artists, such as Marc Chagall, Giotto, Piero Della Francesca, Tapies, Simone Martini, Rogier Van Der Weyde, and others, have all been absorbed and experienced as her artistic nutrition. They have melted into her thoughts and become her own, which makes her works mellow rather than flirtatious; elegant rather than stiff; modern rather than barbaric; and fantastic rather than morbid. For example, the traditional signs of eastern Asian culture, the traditional Chinese Qinghua vase, the classical furniture of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the fresco figures in the tombs of the Han Dynasty, and the masks from the western fields in The Oriental Wandering Series were not simply thrown into the picture without the impression of her artistic thoughts, but they were endowed with her own thoughts and recreated into the paintings; and these show new artistic conceptions and light. In enjoying these paintings, the readers follow Gulistan’s eyesight and travel through various times and spaces to reread and understand history and culture. Another example is The Essence of Memory Series, in which both the elements of domestic and foreign cultures, such as the flowers and birds painted in the Song Dynasty and the sculptures of ancient Greece, were freely applied by Gulistan and exhibited in the neighboring pages of an open-faced book. With the flow of time and space, with the birth and death of life, only the traces of culture were left. In spite of the flowers, insects and birds outlined by royal painters of the Song Dynasty with powerful brush strokes on flowery silk and brocade and the exquisite ancient sculptures by the Greek artists, all the lives and affairs surrounding these objects have faded away. However, the traces of their culture flow into the hearts of artists, forever left in the sky of their memory and entering into their spiritual worlds. They have become inspirations and conceptions, expressed by artists, painted into pictures. Creation of this kind fits the basic rules of art as well as the original attributes of human beings. The centuries-old history of the development of Chinese painting and the study of foreign art styles and skills are important, and training at the college level is necessary. But we should never forget the nature of art, nor should we ignore the easy and basic original intention of painting: to express people’s feelings. Gulistan’s paintings succeed in developing and preserving her ancestor’s painting traditions. Her environment is free and her artistic prospects are bright. The European Renaissance produced easy and free, heroic or elegant, and accurate artistic styles and exquisite true-life paintings.

Traditional Chinese painting is the reflection of profound Chinese culture. Gulistan’s artistic style and painting skill will be gradually uncovered with the improvement of the quality and quantity of her works. Pursuing skill alone, however, will lead one away from the nature of art.

As a creative painter, Gulistan has had different experiences combined with her multicultural background, which makes her works different from the styles of her contemporaries. The differences are also due to her inner thoughts and careful understanding of domestic and foreign history and culture. They are of this kind: “We can list it clearly…. We can all see a white trail from heart to heart….” Gulistan has not shown the sharp confrontation with traditional culture as some other young painters have done to seek out new artistic roads and styles. On the contrary, she has a natural and gentle feeling towards traditional history and culture. Her works also show the sense of long-lasting and elegant cultural aroma, which is quite unusual and full of reverence compared to other young painters. In short, it is impossible to learn the sense of art (and culture and history) from college textbooks or experiences alone.

The difference between great artists and average painters is that the latter observe and record the world with their eyes, brains and hands, while the former do it with their soul and passion. “I still remember that in the sky of memory, there are clean white clouds. I really don’t want to leave the sky of memory, which is completely pure, just like me…, flowers quietly bloom together, and the remote memory is suffused…. Lines and colors in my paintings completely deviate from the function of recording natural shapes. They are the mirror of heart and the nerve of matter. The delight of creation is the process of pursuing one’s present state of mind.”

Gulistan’s artistic inner essence thrives in wandering in her own sky of memory, while her feelings are expressed in her painting. The spirit becomes art and the art becomes spirit. Yes, she will build the house of her artistic spirit into a kind of greater “reach” within her sky that will not leave the sky of memory.

Dong Jie
Art editor