立足世界前哨 弘扬丹青国魂

立足世界前哨   弘扬丹青国魂

——记旅泰国际实力派华人艺术家谢天鸿

为庆祝泰皇八十寿诞，旅泰国际实力派华人艺术家谢天鸿现代彩墨画国际巡回展览在泰国曼谷国际商城SIAM PARAGON  M楼大厅拉开围幕。这次画展展出谢天鸿二十年来集累的部分原创精品共89幅，有油画、国画、彩墨画，工笔写意、泼墨泼彩，给人以展新的艺术观念、艺术思想和艺术理论。作品展现出谢天鸿不同凡响的艺术才华。其中有一幅绢本工笔画（如意吉祥颂泰华）孔雀牡图，将呈献给泰国诗琳通公主。并在画展开幕式上向CCF诗琳通公主慈善基金会捐助善款20万泰铢。中华人民共和国驻泰王国特命全权大使张九桓博士为谢天鸿画展主持开幕剪彩大典，画展盛况空前。

在名家巨匠灿若星河的中国画坛，谢天鸿是一颗耀眼的新星，也将可成为画坛一代巨星。

谢天鸿1960年出生在河南襄城汝河之畔一个贫苦的书乡之家，和古代画圣吴道子隔乡壁邻，可能是由此缘故，天鸿自幼颖悟过人、酷爱书画。在蹂躏善良的年月，他家造到冲击。难有容膝之安，一肉之味。天鸿靠要饭、捡拾破烂换来纸笔涂鸦。八岁时他拜当地名士盛北斗、李明辅先生为师，学绘工笔虎和山水、人物、花鸟。显露出颖异的绘画才能。为了生活他16岁被迫浪迹天涯，拼搏于茫茫艺海，卖艺至蔽户蓬门，困苦艰辛，砥砺意志，他壮游名山大野，足迹遍及五岳、三山、青城、桂林、白山黑水、长江大河。17岁在流浪卖艺途中考入武汉画院研修班，得恩师曹立庵、邓少峰、黄亮等名家教诲，逐窥中国画艺术之堂奥。在远足游历的同时，常常是半肩行囊，数卷诗书，然而，天鸿丝毫未改丹青之志，依然没有疲惫的追求美的饥饿灵魂。他爱画虎，常以枯枝为笔，虚地为纸，将虎之情、虎之恋、虎之悲、虎之善绘于大地上，绘于心田中。在武汉动物园狮虎山，他常常浸淫与虎山下，观察虎起、虎卧、虎行、虎坐、虎饮、虎食、虎亲、虎斗，虎虎生威，耳不旁听，目不杂骛。缅情画虎如徐悲鸿之于天马，潘天寿之于雄鹰。93年谢天鸿应邀到加拿大讲学，旅游于猛虎经常出没的原始山林。筑棚于参天大树上，数月之久。不惧兽困鸟啄，不畏生命危险，认真观察吊睛白额大虫的一剪、一扑、一腾、一跃拍摄录取了许多珍贵资料，为今天描绘出惟妙惟肖、细腻工整、神韵洒脱、虎虎生威的精美图画。形成谢天鸿自己独特的艺术风格，在当今画坛形成了他虎画艺术的特有符号。悲智良善的虎子佛性。

艺术也是一种宗教，没有殉道者的精神，是难以叩开那神圣殿堂之门的。书画之道，资贵聪颖，学尚浩渊。古今画虎，流派纷呈，置身国画艺术变革的时代，谢天鸿的艺术皆得益于他皈依佛门后顿悟宇宙人生空有不二的般若妙意。广博无量的般若慧海滋养他无量的艺术才华。

艺术是人生与自然交融的结晶体，是主体与客体交媾的新生儿。诗人文豪给了他诗的情、画的意。宇宙万物给了他不执着的无量精神，生命与万有妙空的悲与智，造化又给天鸿美、善的韵律和妙有真空的慧思。《五富鸿运图》《大爱永恒唱恋歌》《真情溶化万年雪》《大千福音护娑婆》等巨幅工笔虎作，有表现威中不失仁厚，猛中带有安祥，勇中含着温柔。谢天鸿用他特有的虎画艺术符号，宣告世人，三界六道有情皆有善良佛性。虎象人类一样，既有七情六欲，亦有天伦之乐，更有慈悲佛性。谢天鸿的艺术参透着他对自然万物的静观、默察、深入、所获得心灵愉悦的过程结出的智慧之果。

谢天鸿不但画虎，而且还画孔雀、山水、人物、及花鸟、虫鱼、他的虎和孔雀并驾驰名海外。虎作为兽中之王，具有一种威慑的力量，壮美的形象。因此，世人常常以虎作为威严无敌的象征。虎的威严凌厉，虎的所向披靡，与谢天鸿艺术家的胸怀和追求的博大意境相契合。从他笔下的那些呼啸、奔跃、厚道、高趣、雅情、磅礴的形象里，感受到了凝聚在崇山峻岭宇宙万物之间的昂扬开阔的无量精神。

谢天鸿笔下的孔雀，盛隆妩媚，光华灿然，金羽辉灼，冰清玉洁，犹如仙子起舞一般。虎与孔雀在他的笔下并驾齐驱。这大概是由于虎为兽中之王，孔雀亦堪称鸟中之魁的缘故吧。同时，这也体现出一种艺术的辩证法。刚到极致则折，因此，需要一种有韧性的刚，刚柔相济。如果说，虎体现出阳刚之美的话，那么孔雀所包含的阴柔之美正是谢天鸿艺术家对宇宙人生、悲智双运顿悟的之高境界。

谢天鸿笔下所绘的花卉，无论是工笔还是写意，都有一种与众不同的新意，飘洒俊逸，给人以透明和生命感。他笔下的荷花、牡丹、梅花、竹子葡萄等，似散发着的天国清香。前法国总统希拉克称赞他为“富有才华的艺术家天才”并重金收藏数十幅精品；美国总统柯林顿及夫人希拉里莅临访泰期间，缘遇谢天鸿画展。喜不自禁重金收藏《墨竹图》《万里清香》和平鸽等六幅珍品。泰国前总理川、立沛也收藏了谢天鸿的艺术作品《万山红遍》并给以至高的赞誉。

四十岁后，谢天鸿客居泰国，皈依佛门，研究宇宙人生、哲学、伦理、文学艺术之真谛，融会贯通。其艺术境界，高古拙扑、浑厚华滋、飘逸闲适、意趣天成、超凡趋圣。他不喜攀附、深居简出、不趣时媚俗，为人直语、朴实可亲、声名远扬。2008年他的数幅精作参加由中国美术家协会、中国文联、泰国国家美术馆、泰中艺术家联合会、泰国文化厅联合举办的中泰当代美术展，中国美术家协会副主席刘大为、中国文联副主席冯冀才对谢天鸿的作品高度评价、肯定、和赞扬。

谢天鸿不仅长于寄情山水、花鸟、狮、虎、豹以扬国魂。而且时有表现英雄、伟人、古贤等英姿浩气的杰作问世。2008年春节他应中国驻泰王国大使馆特命全权大使张九桓博士的邀请，为大使馆贵宾厅创作巨幅人物、山水、墨竹《竹林七贤图》，深得张大使赞誉，称其为“多才多艺、全才的实力派艺术家”。并欣然作诗一首，题写于《竹林七贤图》画卷上，成为当今艺坛一段佳话。

此次谢天鸿个人画展，值泰国诗琳通公主华诞之际，谢天鸿艺术家以大师之风采，凝聚出世入世如如不动的般若妙笔，为公主殿下精心绘制的绢本工笔《如意吉祥颂泰华》孔雀牡丹图，画中兰绿孔雀加金铂绘制，典雅风韵，洒脱华滋，画面孔雀傲立盘石，昂首前视。牡丹国花绽放，春意盎然，象征中泰两国欣逢盛世，前程似锦。雌雄两只孔雀互为对映，以美相竟，生机无限。欣欣向荣，五彩缤纷的新美景象，充满着对生命的热爱和幸福生活的美好向往，孔雀开屏喻示国运昌盛，国泰民安，瑞气祥和，呈献此图再次为中泰文化艺术的交流谱写新的篇章。

谢天鸿是一位国际文化型的实力派艺术家，他众艺兼长，精而无华，是中国当代彩墨画创新型艺术家的典范。生活是源泉，情感是立场，是观点。谢天鸿矢志不渝地紧跟着时代。立大志，发大愿，为人类世界的和协美好，用神驰不执不染的妙笔，绘出无量般若的艺术作品，开启人类祥和的无量悲智，扬丹青国魂与般若慧海。愿谢天鸿艺术家的艺术之松长青！为人类世界创造的艺术才富无量！！！！！！（国际在线泰国首席记者：陆永江）

Stand on the front of world art and carry forward the Chinese national spirit in painting

The story of Xie Tianhong, a masterful Chinese artist of international fame sojourning in Thailand

To celebrate the eightieth birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, Mr.Xie Tianhong, a masterful artist of international fame sojourning in Thailand, held his global touring exhibition of modern watercolor painting on floor M at Siam Paragon (Bangkok). Dr.Zhang Jiuhuan the Chinese ambassador in the Kingdom of Thailand presided over the opening ceremony and the exhibition turned out to a huge success. On the exhibition there were total 89 excellent pictures presented, which were created in the past twenty years including nearly all types in painting such as oil painting, traditional Chinese painting, watercolor painting, painting of fine brushwork, painting of freehand brushwork etc. Audience can sense the brand-new artistic idea, thought and theory in these paintings which display Xie Tianhong’s outstanding talent in art. Among the paintings exhibited there was one picture of peacocks and peonies, drawn through fine brushwork on silk scroll, titled A pleasant and auspicious future will embrace Thailand and China, was specially dedicated to Her Highness Princess Sirindhorn and on the opening ceremony two hundred thousand Baht was also donated to the charity funds under Her Highness Princess Sirindhorn.

Xie Tianhong is a dazzling star out of the galaxy in the Chinese painting world and will be a super star in the near future.

In 1960 Xie Tianhong was born into a poor scholar’s family by River Ru at Xiangcheng county of Henan province，and in his neighboring towns  there is one town happens to be the hometown of Wu Daozi, an ancient saint in Chinese painting art, it might be for this reason, Tianhong was amazingly clever since his childhood and had strong passions for calligraphy and painting. During the dark times in which the goodness of Chinese people was overrun and Tianhong’s family also could not escape from the national disaster. At that turbulent time it was hard for him to find a narrow place to live and his tasting of meat could only be expected in dreams. In order to get paper and brush to practice painting Tianhong had to beg and collect trash. When he was eight years old he learnt painting landscape, figure, flower, bird, and tiger through fine brushwork from his tutors Sheng Beidou and Li Mingfu, both were locally well-known scholars. He then showed his extraordinary talent in painting. When he was sixteen he was forced to leave his hometown for making a living. Therein he began his struggle in the boundless sea of art, selling his paintings along the way he was wandering. Extreme poverty and hard times steeled him to be a high character. He traveled extensively in China and left his footprints in many famous mountains, rivers, and places of interest such as Moutain Tai，Moutain Taihang,Moutain Emei, Guilin, Yangtze River and etc. During his roaming around China for selling his paintings he passed the entrance examination and was admitted into a research class of Wuhan Painting Academy, that year he was seventeen. In this outstanding academy he was guided by his beloved tutors Cao Lian, Deng Shaofeng and Huang Liang who were all master painters in China, and it was at that time that he got to know the mystery of traditional Chinese painting. Tianhong is an avid reader too. While he traveled around China bags of books always accompanied him. However, his interest in Chinese painting had never faded and he kept seeking the beauty in art aggressively. He loves drawing tigers and often took a dried branch as his brush drawing tigers on the ground，expressing tigers’ rich feeling and character to the world, such as tigers’ emotion, love, sadness, kindness and so on. At Wuhan Zoo he frequently sat beside the mountain where the tigers played, observing them with full attention on every single activity in which the tigers stand up, lie down, walk, sit, drink, kiss, fight, and show their fresh prestige. We can say his addiction to drawing tiger equals to Xu Beihong’s intoxication in drawing horse and Pan Tianshou’s love in drawing hawk. In 1993 he was invited to have lectures in Canada. He traveled to the primitive forest where the tigers usually turned around and he set up his tent among the large trees, for quite a few months he disregarded the hurt from wild animals and the attack from insects, and even risked his life in concentrating on the tigers’ daily activities in every detail, even a skip, a rush, jump and leap. He took many precious photos and collected a lot of first hand information based on which today we can see his beautiful paintings of tiger: as vivid as live, subtle and neat, free and easy, forming his unique characteristic in art and leaving his distinctive mark in drawing tigers. Under his brushwork a tiger is bestowed with some natures of Buddha: sad, wise, kind and charitable.

Art is also a kind of religion demanding the spirit of martyr without which it is difficult to find the way to the holy world of arts. To understand the truth of calligraphy and painting a high intelligence is most valuable and an extensive learning is a must. There are many of ancient and contemporary schools when it comes to painting of tigers. In the transforming time for Chinese painting art Xie Tianhong benefits a great deal from his devotion in Buddhism through which he comprehended the true meaning of universe and life. Tremendous wisdom from Buddha brings endless artistic energy to his creation.

Art is the crystal of nature and life, and it is also the newborn baby by marriage between subject and object. He got poetic and artistic flavor from great poets and men of letters, and at the same time he obtained immeasurable creative power from the universe. The charity and wisdom in lives of the universe equipped Xie Tianhong with beauty, mercy and inspiration. Among his large-size paintings of tigers, such as Affluent Blessing and Fortune, Buddha’s eternal love to humans will be eulogized forever, True tenderness can melt down snow mountain of ten thousand years, and The human world is under the shelter of Buddha’s great blessing, we can see rich characteristics in tigers: august and kindhearted, fierce and composed, brave and gentle…，With his special art code in drawing tigers Xie Tianhong declares to the world that everything in the universe has the nature of Buddha in different degree. The tigers, like human beings, have emotions and sensory pleasures and they also have family happiness, not to mention they have the nature of Buddha such as mercy and charity. The calm observation, silent watching, and profound thinking are deeply rooted in his works, which are actually the fruits of wisdom from the happiness in his soul during the creative process.

Xie Tianhong’s paintings cover not only tigers but also peacock, landscape, figure, flower, bird, insect and fish. His painting of tiger enjoys the same fame as his painting of peacock abroad. Tiger, as the emperor of the beast, has something of deterrence as well as a sublime image, for this reason, tigers often stand for a dignified and invincible being. Some character seen in a tiger, such as a tiger’s dignity, invincible spirit, and the style as head of the beast world, goes well together with his broad mind and artistic conception of a painting master. From the vivid images of tiger created under his pen we can feel the vastness of the universe which is widely open and immeasurable.

Peacocks under Xie Tianhong’s brush are charming, brilliant, pure and noble, like fairy maidens dancing in the heaven. The tigers weigh the same as the peacocks in Xie Tianhong’s paintings, and we may attribute this to the general opinion of the public: the tiger is the emperor of the beasts and the peacock is the king of the birds. At the same time we see some kind of dialectics in the art world: tough things will break when they reach their limit, so the tough things need to be aided by something soft and they go side by side. If we say Xie Tianhong displays the masculine beauty through his paintings of tiger, then he describes the feminine charm in his paintings of peacock.

Xie Tianhong’s paintings of flower, no matter by fine brushwork or freehand brushwork,  appear to be transparent and full of life and always make you feel a kind of fresh idea which distinguishes him from the common painters. Under his pen lotus flower, peony, plum blossom, and bamboo are all so lifelike that seem giving off delicate fragrance from the heaven. The former French president Chirac appraised him as “A talented artist” and paid very high price for collecting his tens of excellent paintings. When Xie Tianhong held his painting in Thailand several ago it happened that the former USA president Bill Clinton and the first lady Hillary paid a visit and the couple could not help loving his paintings at the first sight and offered a lot for collecting Ink bamboo, Delicate fragrance spread ten thousand kilometers, Pigeon of peace and other six choicest paintings. The former prime minister of Thailand Chuan Leekpai spoke highly of Xie Tianhong’s art works and took Thousands of Mountains thoroughly in Red as one of his treasured collections.

When Professor Xie was forty he sojourned in Thailand and was completely converted to Buddhism. Since then he has engaged himself in exploring the essence of life, universe, philosophy, ethics, literature and arts，well digesting it and completely soaking into his head. His artworks reach a point which displays elegance，primitive simplicity like a jade in the rough, vigor and splendor，transcendence and purity，grace and calm，in a word, his works bring us into a supernatural realm created in a quite natural way. Master Xie lives a secluded live. He neither has any interest in social climbing nor follows the fashion to curry favor with the secular world. He is frank to everyone he meets and very easy going. He has been received as a masterful painter internationally and praised and respected worldwide. In the beginning of 2008 quite a few excellent works were presented at the Art Exhibition of Contemporary Thai and Chinese Artists and received very high comments from Liu Dawei, vice chairman of Artists Association of China, and Feng Jicai, vice chairman of Federation of Chinese literature and Arts, also spoke highly of Xie Tianhong’s works and appraised with tremendous enthusiasm. This art exhibition was jointly organized by Artists Association of China, Federation of Chinese Literature and Arts, Thailand National Art Gallery, League of Thai and Chinese Artists, and Thailand Cultural Department.

To promote the Chinese national spirit in arts Xie Tianhong expresses his feelings not only through painting landscape, flower and bird, lion, tiger and panther but also often through painting heroes and great men of the current time and saints in the history to depict their charming image and eulogize their noble spirit . In spring of 2008 at the invitation of Dr.Zhang Jiuhuan the Chinese ambassador in the Kingdom of Thailand Xie Tianhong created for the Chinese embassy a large–size painting of multiple styles including landscape, figure and ink bamboo. This painting was titled Seven Virtuous Gentlemen gathering in the Bamboo Forest. Dr.Zhang Jiuhuan was attracted by this painting so much that he improvised a poem on the painting and appraised Xie Tianhong as a masterful and versatile artist. This has become a much-told story in the contemporary art circles.  

This time Xie Tianhong held his painting exhibition during the birthday of Her Highness Princess Sirindhorn and Xie Tianhong dedicated to Her Highness a elaborate painting called A pleasant and auspicious future will embrace Thailand and China, a picture of peacocks and peonies in which the blue green peacocks are drawn with gold and platinum powder, the peacocks display their elegance and grace in a carefree way and their brilliance is overwhelming. The peacocks stand proudly on rock and look straightly forward; the peonies, national flower of China, are in full bloom to usher in a beautiful spring, resembling Thailand and China are in prosperous times and will have a bright future. The two peacocks, one is female and the other is male, stand side by side showing their beauty in a competitive way. The peacocks spread their tails implying that Thailand and China will enjoy a prosperous time and people live in peace and fortune.

  As a masterful artist of international culture Xie Tianhong is gifted in many ways and is regarded as a paragon of contemporary artists who bring forth new ideas in water color painting. When it comes to the quality of art works we always hold that life is the source of artistic creation and the feeling is the standpoint and opinion. Xie Tianhong will decisively keep up closely with the time and will make an ambitious plan to create excellent art works for the peace and harmony of the world.

May his pine of art remain green forever!

(By Lu Yongjiang CRI online Chief reporter in Thailand)