林慧萍
对比具象绘画的创作，抽象绘画的创作需要艺术家对各类感觉与思想的敏锐捕捉以及对无法触及的潜意识的发挥。艺术家许东荣采用自动书写的手段释放创作潜力，并在此基础上融入各种技法，将一生在绘画上的积累，由抽象的方式综合呈现。因此，抽象作品的创作过程远比结果重要得多，而图画与造型的产生也随缘应变，因机缘产生的偶然效果最为不可思议，也最为真实。
新系列“流动的水痕”作品是艺术家许东荣对前期抽象的深入推进。他开始减弱对技法、思想、工具上的依赖性，以人生的感悟溶于作品。新系列的创作方法受到黄宾虹屋漏痕的启发而成，屋漏痕是雨水流过墙面的痕迹，受此启发艺术家许东荣将此衍生为新系列的创作技法，在画面中可以看到流淌的线条，看似无形却自有秩序。留白的部分以屋漏痕所形成的空间效果来呈现，使整个画面流露出无限的开阔之境。这系列作品仍然保留书法线条的根基，原本以狂草线条为主的表现方式，改为大块面泼洒的技法，而如何泼洒与把控画面氛围，考验艺术家多年以来累积的创作功力。泼洒的方式使水墨画的轻盈洒脱特质溶于作品，东方艺术的特质隐藏于画面不可见之处。题材更多地延续中国国画喜欢描绘自然的主题：夕阳温暖的霞光、波光粼粼的水波，漂浮的云等等无形却实在存在的自然气象。风格上一改过去在艺术上追求的分量感，以轻薄取代厚重，在重叠中丰富层次，色彩的碰撞越加具有戏剧效果，组织结构也更加严谨。此时艺术家摆脱了中西方绘画的观念与技法上的束缚，中西方艺术的观念与技巧已经巧妙且无形的融入于作品中。
此次展览主题“拼图”浓缩了艺术家一生的实践与思考。站在古来稀的年龄，回望自己的一生，就像拼图一样，不断地累积不同的生命历程与创作经验，从而拼成最后的创作成果。他从最初的爱好到学徒到大学的正规训练，之后多元的行业与身份的转换，一切都在不断地相互流动。对于艺术家来说，变化是一生的常态，唯有变化才永恒。放到艺术领域也是如此。一名艺术家，最怕风格与绘画技法的定型。当风格稳定时，虽一定程度呈现艺术家的个人特征，但不敢对现有风格进行突破同时会成为艺术家自我发展的枷锁。艺术家许东荣很早地领悟到这问题，因此他的一生的创作不囿风格，不断突破，让他能够画以前没画过的，画以前画不出来的。这种“不破不立”的精神是对艺术家一生最好的创作箴言。
Compared with figurative painting, the creation of abstract painting requires the artistto be keen enough to capture all kinds of sensations and thoughts and to tap into the untouchable subconscious. By applying the method of automatic writing,and integrating it with various techniques to release the potential of creation, artist Tung Lung Hsu presents his whole life in painting in a comprehensive abstract way. For abstract works, the creation process is far more important than the result, and the production of pictures and shapes is rather as to chastic variable, as the accidental effect produced by chance can be the most incredible and the most real.
In the new series "Flowing Water Traces", Tung Lung Hsu has gone deeper on the basis of his early-stage abstract works. He reduces dependence on techniques, ideologies and tools, and replaces them by integrating more of his perception of life into the works. Methods he applies in the new series were actually inspired by artist Huang Binhong's theory of "water leak marks" which means the traces of rain flowing down the wall. Tung Lung Hsu extends the theory and develops new techniques for his new series. The seemingly random lines flowing in the picture actually run by their own patterns. The negative space surrounded by leak marks acts as the empty blank part of the painting, making the whole picture visually open and boundless. In this series, the artist also retains the foundation technique of calligraphic lines. However, instead of cursive as the originally dominating way of expression, he turns to the technique of splattering.It takes years of experience and solid skills to apply the splattering technique while still having a grip on the atmosphere of the picture. The technique integrates the quality of lightness and elegance of ink wash into the painting,and gives an intangible, unique texture of Oriental art to the whole picture. As to the subject, this series is rather consistent with the tradition of Chinese painting that favors objects from the natural world, such as the warm sunset glow, sparkling water waves, floating clouds and other intangible but existing phenomena. In terms of style, the new series gives up pursuing the sense of weight and replaces thickness with thinness. The overlapping of paints gives it richer layers, and the collision of colors brings about more theatrical effect. It is also more organized in structure. At this point, the artist has been freed from the constraints of all the concepts and techniques of both Chinese and Western painting, and integrated them into the works in an ingenious and invisible way.
Theme of the exhibition "jigsaw" encapsulates the artist's lifetime practice and thinking. Looking back at the age of 70, he finds life is like a jigsaw puzzle that constantly accumulates pieces and experience to form the final results. From an amateur to an apprentice then to a formally trained student at college, he has gone through constant changes, including the changes between multiple industries and identities later. Artists live in a constant state of changing. Only change is eternal, and the same goes for art. An artist is most afraid of style and painting techniques getting stereotyped. When the style goes stable, in spite of the fact that it constitutes the artist's personal characteristics to some extent, it could hinder the self-evolution if the artist is too afraid to makea break through. Tung Lung Hsu realized this problem very long ago. He constantly breaks through and never ties his creation to any particular style, so that he can paint whatever cannot or has not been painted before. "There is no making without breaking." This should be the best motto that guides an artist through life.
