黄向京

畫家范少華（59歲）於2018年受邀參加深圳美術館展覽，以慶祝新加坡與中國建交30週年，但因疫情延期，最終改於本地舉行其至今規模最大的個展《歷久彌香——范少華藝術展》。

此次展覽展出范少華精心籌備七年、超過100幅的大型畫作，尺寸皆為1.2米以上。其中最具代表性的作品是尺寸達8米長、1.6米高的《仙鶴》油畫。范少華在接受《聯合早報》訪問時表示，這幅仙鶴畫是為深圳美術館的主牆量身定制，歷時七個月完成，構圖經過五六十次調整，採用中國畫長卷的散點透視法，結合油畫工筆細描，描繪一群丹頂仙鶴飛越連綿山脈的場景。

范少華提到：“這幅畫在技法上突破了傳統山水畫的皴法或青綠山水，而是融入了自己獨創的‘皺摺法’，呈現出似山非山、似水非水的空靈意境，展現山水的遼闊深遠與幽靜。畫中的山脈看似寫實，實則抽象，不再拘泥於傳統的石頭與樹林結構，而是充滿象徵意義，讓人感覺如夢似幻。”

皺摺法成為創作語言的標誌

范少華認為，藝術史的進步往往源於材料的革命。他在2004年幸運地創新出“皺摺法”這一藝術語言，將富有印痕肌理的皺摺效果作為其創作的主要圖像符號。這與他的人生觀不謀而合：世間萬物無常，人生如薄紙般脆弱。在其藝術中，皺摺不僅象徵自然界的肌理，更透露出對生命無常的哲思。

一幅表現連綿山脈籠罩於晚霞中的山水畫，以璀璨色彩暈染開來，虛實交錯，皺摺巧妙化為山脈，呈現出“近黃昏”的意境。皺摺法作為畫面的背景底色，主題多樣，包括花鳥、松鼠、城市（如2014年的《圓夢新河》系列），甚至抽象畫，傳達陰陽易經的世界觀。他將西洋油彩與中國書法筆意結合，讓觀者自由展開想像。

然而，皺摺法的高度辨識度也帶來挑戰：如何避免圖像符號陷入程式化？范少華坦言，這是一個矛盾且兩難的問題，若能突破這一瓶頸，藝術家便可迎來“第二次再生”。

展覽內容多元，涵蓋山水與歷史題材

展覽空間面積達1萬8000平方英尺，除山水、荷花與抽象畫系列外，還展示了歷史畫與人物畫作品。范少華早年師從盧延光，學習中國水墨人物畫與花鳥畫，後畢業於中國廣州美術學院油畫系，寫實功力深厚。今年他重回歷史題材，描繪了紅頭巾、苦力、三輪車夫與修船工人等場景，再現新加坡建國歷程。

出生於廣州、移居新加坡30年的范少華說，紅頭巾女工與他是同鄉，透過與她們的交談，他創作出五幅巨幅寫實油畫，呈現紅頭巾女工年輕時來新加坡奮鬥的憧憬、建設中的勞動場景、工地上的午餐時光，以及晚年在陋巷中與貓相伴的生活畫面，展現了駕馭群體人物的能力。

范少華的《牛車水》系列，從時代視角切入，展示上世紀40、60與90年代市集的演變——從路邊攤到紅白塑膠布棚下的新春市集。他以水墨技法結合水彩質感，表達對廣州童年的懷念，如光腳在街上玩耍的快樂與廚房裡與祖母的互動。

此外，他以白、藍、紅等不同色彩手法，描繪建國總理李光耀的面部微笑特寫，既熟悉又具新意。范少華也未缺席現實主題創作，如沙斯疫情（《世界末餐》）、冠病蔓延，甚至印尼種族暴動（《三月新聞》）。多年前的《自畫像》中，他以雙手掙脫束縛，尋求自由，這不僅是藝術家自我形象的描繪，更是藝術人生的象徵。

展覽即日起至12月19日舉行，展出時間為週一至週六上午11時至下午6時，地點位於ArtSafe（三樓展廳，No. 8 Changi South Street 2, U-Freight Logistics Centre, S486632），聯絡電話：92360009。

Artist Fan Shao Hua (59 years old) was invited to exhibit at the Shenzhen Art Museum in 2018 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China. However, due to the pandemic, the exhibition was postponed, and he instead held his largest solo exhibition to date, The Essence of Time: Fan Shao Hua Art Exhibition, in Singapore.

This exhibition showcases 100 of Fan Shao Hua’s large-scale paintings, each over 1.2 meters in size, and took seven years to prepare. The most significant piece is a crane painting, 8 meters wide and 1.6 meters high. In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Fan Shao Hua shared that this painting was custom-made for the main wall of the Shenzhen Art Museum. It took seven months to complete and required 50 to 60 drafts before finalizing the composition. The painting adopts a Chinese scroll-like scattered perspective combined with Western oil painting techniques to meticulously depict a flock of red-crowned cranes soaring over rolling mountains.

Fan Shao Hua explained, “The technique in this painting breaks away from the traditional brushwork of Chinese landscape painting or blue-green landscape techniques. Instead, I incorporated my unique method of folds and creases. It is neither purely mountain nor water, but it reflects a vast, ethereal, and serene landscape. The mountains, though seemingly realistic, are abstract, not composed of the conventional stones and trees seen in traditional landscapes, carrying a more symbolic meaning, making the scene appear dreamlike.”

The folding technique has become a hallmark of Fan Shao Hua's artistic style. He believes that the progress of art in history is driven by a revolution in materials, and in 2004, he was fortunate to develop his own artistic language, with the textured folds becoming a key element in his work. This aligns with his life philosophy—everything in the world is transient, much like the fragile and thin nature of paper, representing the ups and downs of life. His art reflects the beauty of all things with an underlying sense of vulnerability.

One of his oil paintings depicts a continuous mountain range shrouded in a glowing sunset, where the vibrant colors blend together and the folds transform into mountains, embodying the theme of "approaching dusk."

The folds serve as a textured background for various subjects, including flowers, birds, squirrels, and cityscapes, such as his Fulfillment of Dreams at Sungei Road series from 2014. His abstract work also expresses the worldview of yin and yang in the I Ching. Fan Shao Hua uses Western oil paint to convey the brush strokes of Chinese calligraphy, inviting the audience to engage in their own imagination.

However, the challenge with his distinct folding technique is to avoid it becoming formulaic. Fan Shao Hua acknowledges the dilemma between maintaining artistic consistency and avoiding repetition. He believes that if an artist can break through this challenge, it signifies a form of rebirth.

In the 18,000-square-foot exhibition space, in addition to landscapes, lotus flowers, and abstract works, Fan Shao Hua also showcases historical and portrait paintings. Having studied Chinese ink figure painting and bird-and-flower painting under Lu Yanguang, and graduating from the Oil Painting Department of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Fan Shao Hua demonstrates strong realism skills. This year, he returned to historical themes, portraying scenes of red headscarf women laborers, coolies, trishaw drivers, and ship repair workers, capturing Singapore’s nation-building journey.

Born in Guangzhou and having lived in Singapore for 30 years, Fan Shao Hua shares that the women laborers in red headscarves were from his hometown. After speaking with them, he created five large-scale realist oil paintings depicting their youthful dreams when they came to Singapore to work, their labor contributions, lunchtime breaks at construction sites, and their later years spent in alleyways with cats as companions, showcasing his ability to portray group figures.

Fan Shao Hua also painted Chinatown from different time periods, illustrating the evolution of markets from the 1940s, 1960s, and 1990s—from street vendors to market stalls and finally, the Chinese New Year market under red and white plastic tents. In archival photos, he also found memories of his childhood in Guangzhou, such as the joy of walking barefoot on the streets or interactions with his grandmother in the kitchen, expressed with watercolor-inspired ink painting techniques to evoke nostalgia for past life experiences.

Fan Shao Hua, known for his portrait work, has also painted Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in this exhibition, using contemporary methods with different colors (white, blue, and red) to highlight the familiar yet unfamiliar smile of the leader.

Fan Shao Hua did not shy away from reflecting real-world events, such as the SARS outbreak (as seen in The Last Supper of the World) or the spread of COVID-19. He even captured the news of ethnic riots in Indonesia in his painting March News. His self-portrait from years ago depicts hands struggling for freedom and liberation from bindings, a metaphor for the lifelong struggles of an artist.

The exhibition runs from now until December 19, Monday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at ArtSafe (No 8 Changi South Street 2, U-Freight Logistics Centre S486632), 3rd-floor exhibition hall. For inquiries, contact 92360009.