林晓明是川音成都美术学院毕业后在德阳长期进行创作青年油画家，我去德阳到他的画室时才进一步知道他是中国油画界最重要的人物何多苓的研究生。

　　Lin Xiaoming is a young oil painter who has been engaged in long-term artistic creation in Deyang after graduating from Chengdu Academy of Fine Arts with Sichuan Conservatory of Music. On the visit to his studio in Deyang, I further got to know that he was a postgraduate of Mr. He Duolin, one of the most important figures in the field of oil painting in China.

　　艺术创作从文化学的意义来讲，最重要的一个明显特征：就是一个艺术劳动者，往往会选择一种他最熟悉而擅长的艺术语言，来表达他对社会的态度和思想情感。在其过程中，留下的最深的印痕，定会是他一生的文化情趣与价值取向。当然，属于艺术家个体的灵性，也会不自觉地渗透其中。

　　In a sense of culturology, the most important and obvious feature of the artistic creation is that an art worker often chooses a kind of artistic language he’s most familiar with and good at to express his attitudes, thoughts and feelings toward the society. During the process, the deepest impressions left are certainly to become his whole life’s cultural inclination and value orientation. Surely, the intelligence endowed with the artist unconsciously permeates into his creation.

　　林晓明的油画所呈显出来的最大特点，就是在整个画面中，充满着细腻而神秘的东方文化意象。在画面中，他首先会从构成中的简约考虑出发，通过结构主体的凸显，使其营造的气氛缠绕其周围，给人一种迷蒙之感。那种淡淡的氤氲，可以黏住你的皮肤，渐渐地和血融在一起，让人揣摩着这种迷离之下的所指。简单地说，初看林晓明的油画，你会觉得他是诗性而忧伤的。画面中的所有元素，会有一种水性的溶与柔在紧跟着你，使你不得不想起宋词的意境来。

　　The greatest feature displayed in Lin Xiaoming’s paintings is that the whole picture is full of fine smooth and mysterious Oriental culture imagery. In the picture, he would put the simplicity in the constitution into first consideration, and by means of highlighting the structure main body, let the atmosphere it creates encircling it, thus giving people a sense of mist. That light mist might stick on your skin and gradually melt in the blood, making people try to figure out what is referred to under such mist. In brief, the first sight at his paintings makes you feel that he’s poetic and melancholy. All the elements in the picture seem to follow you like a sort of water softness and solubility, and make you have no choice but recall the artistic conception of the poetry in the Song dynasty.

　　对于存在与成功的道理就是当今中国现实社会而言，成功者们的图像，往往会令后来者们研究与模仿，当然这也是任何一个艺术家在创作成长过程中的必须过程。但这种过程，往往会令具有判断思维的人很快从中体悟到属于自己的方法，最终形成非仅仅是模仿中的属于自己的语言方式，并在其中的乐趣中为思想的展呈服务着，以致成为文艺学上所说的风格。现在，我们还不能够草草的对林晓明的油画作出结论式的判断，他那丰富的社会阅历也许到了某种爆发的时候，定会使他创作出一系列具有影响力的作品。

　　As for the phenomenon that the principle of existence and success is a reality in today’s China, the images of successful people frequently drive the successors to study and imitate them. And surely this is a necessary process any artist will experience in his growth of creation. But this process can always make the people with critical thinking soon understand his own direction and finally form his own way of language unable to imitate from, which serves for the display of thoughts amidst its pleasure, thus becoming the so-called style in the culturology. Right now, we cannot hastily give Lin Xiaoming’s oil paintings a conclusive judgment. His abundant social experience is probably at the moment of sort of explosion and will certainly drive him to create a series of influential works.

　　写生与画风景，是一个油画家过程中的必须，但也是油画艺术家们检验能力的最直接途径。对林晓明写生和风景画的能力与技术而言，本人认为，在某些程度上，要高于他现在正在进行的一些类研习的创作。我记得四年前，看到他的风景画时，至少我的眼睛亮了一下。我记得，画面中那种极强烈而能够抓住眼球的东西表现得淋漓尽致。语言在他现场写生的全神贯注中融进了那时那景的氛围气息。也就是说，在风景绘画中，林晓明的绘画语言和他将想表达的企图完全达成了一致：关系明朗、调性清晰、画面干净、色彩准确，这些充分体现一个油画艺术家能力的素养，在青年油画家林晓明的画面中一一展呈。甚至，我当时还觉得，近期他不如干脆把更多的精力放在这方面题材的创作上，也许还能获得极佳的效果。

　　Sketching and drawing landscapes are a must for becoming an oil painter, but also the most direct way to test the abilities of oil painters. As regards to Lin Xiaoming’s ability and skill on sketch and landscape, I think that to some extent they are better than the study-like creations he is doing now. I remember when I saw his landscapes four years ago, at least I brightened a little. I still remember what strongly caught my eyes in the picture were thoroughly displayed. The language, during he gave his whole attention to the on-the-spot sketching, melt in the atmosphere at that time on that scene. That is to say, in his landscapes, Lin Xiaoming’s drawing language and his ideas to express were fully in conformity: clear relationship, vivid coherence, clean frame and precise colors. All these fully showed the accomplishment of an oil painter, and were all displayed in this young oil painter’s paintings. I even thought that for a short term, he was better to pay more attention to the creation on that theme and might achieve the best result.

　　当然，我非常明白，一个油画艺术家，如果没有进入题材性的创作，是很难在当今十分热闹的绘画领域中博得一席之地的。当局者迷，也许晓明忽略了他极强的能力部分，而注重了快速参与绘画游戏规则的扮相登场。这样就掩盖了他才情四溢的，最具魅力的地方。但愿晓明能尽快把这方面的才干转移到自己已经深思熟虑的文化价值判断体系上来进行更多的创作尝试，就一定可以创作出一批非常值得大家关注的作品来，并因此也能很快地找到自己在绘画艺术领域中的位置。

　　Certainly, I quite understand that an oil painter, if he doesn’t engage the theme creation, can hardly win a place in the present boisterous drawing field. Those closely involved cannot see clearly, perhaps Xiaoming neglects his extremely strong ability and lays emphasis on the quick participation in the drawing games. And this has covered his overflowing talent and affection as well as the most attractive part. I wish he could soon possible shift his talent in this respect to his already deliberate judgment system on cultural values and make more creation trials. In that case, he is sure to create a batch of paintings much worth everyone’s attention, therefore, he will soon find his own position in the field of drawing art.

　　以上这些絮絮叨叨的文字，算不上评论，也算不上推介辞。但，却是我想对青年油画家林晓明说出的真心话。吹捧与无故拔高的美术评论之风已经在中国盛行十年，但本人的确不好意思与之为伍。说些有益于艺术劳动者们可以成就更高的肺腑之言，其意义可能远远大于胡乱的过实之美。当然，也只有把晓明当做朋友的人，才会口出真言。

　　The above babbled words are neither a commentary nor a recommendation, but the heartfelt words I want to say to the young painter Lin Xiaoming. The common practice to flatter and unduely praise for no reason in fine arts comments has been in vogue in China for ten years. But I myself really feel embarrassed to be associated with it. The significance to say a few heartfelt words benefiting the art workers to get greater achievements is likely far better than the careless unduely praise. Of course, on

　　2012于北京