文：叶欣

有造境，有写境，此理想与写实二派之所由分。然二者颇难分别，因大诗人所造之境必合乎自然，所写之境亦必邻于理想故也。

王国维《人间词话》

写境与造境，王国维的诗情与贺丹的画意虽是两回事，却好有一比。

贺丹的画，写境的习作和造境的创作，用的办法都是写实。用王国维的话说，就是用写境来造境，用写实画理想。有人说，他的画风是西方古典，对；也有人说，他画出了中国当代，也对。但我要说，贺丹画的，是人们眼熟能详的影像世界，因为境、造境，说出的，却是可以见诸文本的思想。

画可以说话，就像诗可以入画。人的视觉记忆，本是光影和色彩的境界，像摄影、电影。古人诗文描述的视野，也自然属于这个境界。“举杯邀明月，对影成三人”，在诗里，影子是算数的，可惜一到画面，形影便不能相随了。墨子发现针孔成像的摄影原理，已超过两千年，而我们弄明白那就是人的视网膜，也不过一百年。我看贺丹《夜晚的梦》，好像是在为李白抱不平。

既然人的视网膜和摄影原理有关，画画的写境是从写生来还是从照片来，就无所谓了。在写生已经被看做是一种行为艺术的今天，写境在绘画也就无所谓习作还是创作。然而，通过“合乎自然”的写境，进行有悖自然的超现实主义绘画和朦胧诗的造境，却是王国维没有料想到的。用时空错位和超量的“写实”营造超现实的“理想”之境，贺丹的理想国，是他的白日梦。

按照现代心理学的原理，“日有所思，夜有所梦”是不错的。梦境的心象，正是视网膜的记忆的错位组合。贺丹的作品，用人类学家和民俗学者的眼光看众生相，千万人的世界在他精心打造的理想国里得到关照而没有被理想化。不歌功颂德，不趋炎附势，独立之精神，自由之思想，在他自己梦境的理想国，贺丹是一位王者。

为什么贺丹的画总能打动我？因为我认识他这个人，爱听他聊大天。看贺丹的画就好像听他聊大天。贺丹的调侃，总是异想天开又入情入理，直来直去且一针见血，有时不免让你为他扼腕捏汗。不过别怕，他有回天的妙计，就是把自己也调侃进去，正像他常常把自己也画进那个无意识的人群，身临其境，出入于王国维所谓“无我之境”和“有我之境”之间。

如果说诗歌用字句写境造境的“心象”是靠文本对读者视觉记忆的唤醒来实现，那么贺丹的画给他的观众带来的，则是可以见诸文本的寓意和哲思，仁者见仁，智者见智，靠观众各自给出解读。贺丹的画可以用来说话，表达思想。他也不像文人画家或超现实主义画家那样，把所思所想写在画面上。他只用画题，然后“不着一字，尽得风流”。

对，贺丹的画里也有戏。戏文靠你自己在画面上搜寻，会看的，你看个门道；不会看的，至少你也能看个热闹。保不定会在台上看见自己的尊容，会心一笑。从编剧、导演，主角、龙套到布景、道具，他一人全包。然而，看他的画热闹，闭起眼来回味，浮上心头的，竟是童年远去的记忆和游子莫名的乡愁。好像当年在黄土塬上独自赶路，万籁俱寂，忽然就听见那么一嗓子：信天游。

贺丹所造之境，从来合乎他的自然；贺丹所写之境，也总是邻于他的理想。

2019年6月3日写在巴黎大有庄书舍

He Dan’s creative  and descriptive state

Ye Xin

There is a creative state (tsao-ching) and there is a descriptive state (hsieh-ching). This is the basis of distinction between the idealists and realists. However, it is difficult to make a differentiation between the two because the state which the great poets create must be in accordance with what is natural, and the state which they simply describe must approach the ideal.

The creative state and descriptive state in Wang Guowei's poetry and He Dan's picturesque conception are two different things, but they are better than one.

The methods used by He Dan, the practice of descriptive state and the production of a creative state are all realistic. In the words of Wang Guowei, it is to use the descriptive state to produce descriptive contents and to use the realistic painting to express ideals. Some people say that his style of painting is remaining Western classical style, which could be true; others say that he painted modern Chinese style, and it seems to be true as well. But I want to say that the world in He Dan's paintings is actually a world of people's familiar images, because there is no  distinction between the past or present in the human’s retina. He Dan looks at the world with his own eyes, uses the reproduction of images in a descriptive state, creates this state, and those works realize the idea of the book about what we always see.

Yes, painting can speak, just like poetry can be drawn. Human visual memory, this is like the realms of light and shadow, like photography and film. The vision described by the ancient poetry also naturally belongs to this realm. " I raise my cup to invite the Moon who blends" （Li Bai）.In Li Bai’s poem, the shadow is counted, but unfortunately, once the picture is fullfilled  the shadow can't follow. Mozi discovered the principle of photography for pinhole imaging already more than two thousand years ago. But we figured out that it is named and conscious just since a hundred years. I watched He Dan's "Dream at Night" as if he takes up the cudgel for Li Bai.

Since the human retina is related to the principle of photography, it does not matter whether the drawing is descripted from a sketch or a photo. Today, when sketching itself has been regarded as a kind of performance art, there is no such thing as writing or creation in writing. However, through the "natural" writing environment, the surrealistic paintings and the poetry of the natural world were created, but Wang Guowei did not refer expect to it. Using dislocation of time and space and excessive "realism" to create a surreal "ideal" situation, Hedan's utopia is likely a daydream.f

According to the principles of modern psychology, it is good known that the thoughts of the daytime will reflect in the nights dream.. The illusion of the dream is the misplaced combination of the memory of the retina. He Dan's works are viewed by anthropologists and ethnologists. The world of crowd has drawn attention in the utopia he has descripted carefully. It’s neither idealized, nor eulogistic, does not hang onto the influential, thoughts of freedom, and spirit of independence. He Dan is a king in the utopia of his own dreams.

Why do He Dan’s paintings always touch me? Because I know him personally, I love to speak to him and listen to his words. It’s like Watching He Dan’s paintings is like listening to his shooting the breeze. He Dan’s teasing is always whimsical and makes sense, straightforward and sharply, sometimes it sweats with anxiety or fear. But don't be afraid, he has the right idea to save the situation, just laughing at himself, just as he often draws himself into the unconscious crowd in his painting, immersed in the situation, and he enters and stays in Wang Guowei's so-called " impersonal state" as  well a"s the personal state".

oPetry uses words to describe the "image" of the creative state and descriptive state to be achieved by the awakening of the reader's visual memory. What He Dan's paintings brought to his audience can be seen as the moral and philosophical meaning of the text. the benevolent see benevolence and the wise see wisdom and the interpretation is given by the audience. He Dan's paintings can be used to speak and express ideas. He does not write down what he thinks about the picture like a literati painter or surrealist painter. He only used the title of the painting, and then " do the best without words"

There are also theatrical takes in He Dan’s paintings. The play is based on your own search on the painting. People might understand his interpretation; and even if people don't understand his expression, they eople always enjoy their seeing. People will definitely see themselves in the painting,  and they will just smile. From the screenwriter, the director, the protagonist, to the set, props, he is all in one. However hilarious his paintings might be, when the people close their eyes they might be able to recall their memory of childhood and the nostalgic of the wanderer. It seems that when I was alone wandering on the Loess Plateau and suddenly I heard a Shanxi local melody (Xintianyou).

The state created by He Dan has always been in line with his nature; the state descripted by He Dan is always on account of his ideals.

Written in Paris on June 3, 2019