He Kun 賀昆 : Capturing the Reality of the Pandemic with Traditional Brush Painting
Interviewed by Fete Chinoise Team
Photography: Courtesy of He Kun
As featured in Edition No. 6 of Fete Chinoise Magazine: Time + Tempo
《孩子不哭》宣紙水墨設色， 賀昆， 2020年
AN ARTIST’S CALL: SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
《口罩下的我們 —— 頭像速寫之二》宣紙水墨設色， 賀昆，2020年
From my series “The Quiet Spring,” the beginnings of the virus can be seen — at the time it wasn’t perceived as too serious and no one could predict that just two months later, it would become a global pandemic. The development of the epidemic inspired several series of large- and small-scale ink paintings with profound reflections. “This Quiet Spring,” “Not Leaving Home This Spring,” “We are Fighting,” “Angels Fighting Sickness on Earth, Strict Control of the Disease in Villages,” “Under the Mask of Us,” and “Spring Flowers in Bloom” were all completed in tears; some were drawn with righteous indignation. And I trust these works will hold historical value and meaning because they record the early beginnings of the pandemic.
新冠肺炎病毒肆虐中國大地後蔓延全球，我很難過。每天從手機上閱覽各種有關疫情的報導、消息、文章，這成為我兩個多月來生活中主要關注的事情。春節前夕新冠肺炎病毒在武漢剛暴發時，我便開始以這個公共衛生健康事件為內容進行創作，從“這個春天靜悄悄”系列作品中可以看到，在疫情初期，我們並沒有感受到它的嚴重性，更沒有想到兩個月後它會成為全球人類的災難。圍繞疫情的發展，我至今創作了幾個主題系列的作品，大大小小的水墨作品已有幾十件，通過瞭解災情的事態消息報導，我通過深刻感受，進而創作，便形成了後來的主題組畫系列作品，包括 “這個春天靜悄悄”、“這個春天不出門”、“我們在戰鬥”、“除病痛天使在人間，戰疫情山村嚴防控”、“口罩下的我們”、“春天花會開”。這些作品有的是在含著眼淚的狀態下完成的，有的是在義憤情緒下畫完的，我相信這批作品未來會凸現出它的歷史價值和意義，因為它們完整地記錄了疫情從開始至今兩個多月期間，每個時段事態下我的思想。
《最美的人》宣紙水墨設色， 賀昆，2020年
For those unfamiliar with my work in printmaking and ink painting, I want to clarify that the subject of my work has always been focused on things found in real life: things of today and things of the past. I have always been interested in the phenomenon of people’s lives and their environments. Contemporary painters paint contemporary figures and events, which carry the sentiments of life, in turn, the works send out a message that can touch people: the work is a life that can be seen and felt, a life that breathes with the people and society. From a historical perspective, those in the future will be able to know what our contemporary world was like and what contemporary artists were thinking through these works. My collection, inspired during the pandemic, aligns perfectly with the subject matter that my works have always embraced. This tragic virus inspired me to create paintings of many people I had never depicted in my corpus before.
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多年來我一直將現實生活中存在或過去存在的生活狀態做為創作題材，無論是版畫創作還是水墨畫創作，在環境中體現人物的生活活動形態是我所感興趣的主題。當代畫家畫當代的人物和事件，有生活感受，作品傳達出來的資訊能夠感染人，從看得見摸得著的生活中，才能產生與民眾、社會同呼吸的作品。從歷史的角度看現實生活題材的作品，未來人們就能夠從作品中知道當今是一個什麼樣的世界，當下的藝術家在想什麼。疫情下創作的這批作品與我一貫創作的現實生活題材是一致的，此次疫情災難激發我創作了眾多過去沒有畫過的人物作品。
I want to emphasize that artists should fulfill a professional duty with the people and events of the pandemic. The series of “Under the Mask of Us” portrays the courage of the medical staff — our everyday heroes. I found that the love of humanity is perfectly reflected in their image. The portraits embrace sadness, helplessness, determination, bravery, and hope. During this disaster, medical staff stood on the frontiers; they risked their bodies to save life after life. They are truly worthy of respect.
“口罩下的我們”這批作品塑造了一批醫護人員的形象，這些普普通通的醫護人都很偉大，人性的愛在他/她們身上體現得很完美。這些頭像的描繪有悲傷、無助、堅定、勇敢、希望，在病毒災難面前，我們醫護人員戰鬥在前沿，他/她們用血肉身軀一個一個地拯救生命，是人們必須尊敬的人。
《天使在人間》宣紙水墨設色， 賀昆，2020年
ART + CULTIVATION
A person’s cultural cultivation is constantly being built through study and application of knowledge. No one is born with wisdom, and I believe one only needs to complete one contribution in one’s lifetime and that knowledge is collected to make this one single contribution. Artists remembered in history have all created a unique aesthetic vision: from the Renaissance to modern times, each artist recognized in every era is great, not solely because of their works but because of their artistic style and talent that help to form unprecedented aesthetic ideals.
《口罩下的我們 —— 頭像速寫之三》宣紙水墨設色， 賀昆，2020年
對於一個藝術家的成長來說，能夠影響他的人或事是分階段性的，這與他的人生經歷、學習經歷有關系，一個人的文化素養是從小到老不斷學習、吸收，在運用中獲得的，沒有誰天生聰慧，人這一生只需要幹好一件事，其他的知識都是為幹好這一件事而為。我敬仰人類文明創造的人們，每一位傑出的先輩之所以被歷史記載，多是用一生的經歷把一件事做到完美。藝術界被載入人類文明歷史的藝術家，都是創造了一種新的審美方向的人。從文藝復興到現代，每一個時代公認的藝術家之所以偉大，不僅僅是他創作了某一件作品，而是他的藝術風格、藝術才能，形成了一個前無古人的審美形態。
《口罩下的我們 —— 頭像速寫之一》宣紙水墨設色， 賀昆，2020年
We know from history that with every major disaster, timeless works and outstanding artists will appear as well. Of course, there will also be many who appear under the banner of ‘artist’; but serious and outstanding work is the result of profound artistic cultivation with distinct artistic style and a vivid artistic perspective, which appears in the work. COVID-19 will also produce excellent works and artists.
新冠肺炎病毒結束後，政治家們在治理社會之時，一定會重新思考和全新認識，這不僅僅是公共衛生健康安全的問題，東西方文化背景下的意識形態會得到人們的重新認識，人類科技發展到今天，疫情得到控制後，“人類命運共同體”必將是人們思考的主題，也是人類新的文明時代的開始。如果全球依然“各自為陣”，現代文明就會倒退到“城堡”式的生存行為方式。當然，思考或改變這一切都是政治家和社會各個領域領軍人物的事，民眾依然會回歸到原本的生活軌跡上，該吃吃該喝喝，日出而耕，日落而歇。
FINAL THOUGHTS
賀昆 He kun
Even though it may be hard to imagine life after COVID-19, politicians will surely rethink and renew their understanding of social governance. It is not just a matter of public health, but also the ideologies under Eastern and Western cultures that will be revisited. The idea of the shared fate of humanity will become a topic of contemplation as well. If anyone thinks that the world can be divided into parts, the era of modern civilization will regress into “hermit” nations fighting only for their own survival. Still, thinking through all this is the work of politicians and leaders of each region. I believe people will go back to their regular ways of living, eating and drinking, working during the day and resting at night.
Finally, I pray for those who passed away due to the unfortunate infection of the virus. God bless the people of the world and China.
從歷史看每一次人類災難的時代，都會造就出不朽的作品和優秀的藝術家，當然同時也會出現不少投機分子，還有打著藝術家的旗號招搖過市的人。嚴肅而優秀的藝術作品的產生必定要求藝術家具備深厚藝術修養的積澱，具有鮮明的藝術風格、明確的藝術觀點，並把它們在作品中呈現出來。毫無疑問，這次的新冠肺炎病毒災難也必將誕生優秀作品和優秀的藝術家。
最後為那些因不幸感染病毒而離世的人們祈禱，天佑我中華，天佑世界人民。
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