James Poy Wong 黃培正

每周艺术谈话： 创造欣赏与批评

这里发生过 “会弹不会唱” 的问题，但不曾获得解决。 所谓唱，就是创造， 所谓弹，就是批评。 但在弹和唱之间，又有普通的欣赏者。

朱光潜先生曾经这样说过： “创造是作成一个美的境界，欣赏是领略这种美的境界，批评则是领略之后加以反省。 领略时虽美而不觉其美， 批评时则觉美之所以为美。” 这虽然是三个不同的步骤，但绝不是各自独立而无关连的。 人们对于这三个步骤的配合，也有着各种不同的程度，故此也可以勉强分成三种人，不过这分界线根本不能看作绝对的。 能够创造美境的人，当然就是居少数的艺术家，但是世间上的艺术作品不尽是他们手里产生出来的。 每一个人每天都有些微的艺术创作，不过未能集中得像艺术家那么丰满的成绩而已。 有时我们在室中挂相的方式，安置一张椅子的方法，甚而至在公众场所中站立的位置等等日常做着的事情， 都可以算为艺术的创造。 试想如果人们卷起了一只裤管在街上走，或是故意把身体扭侧在一边，或是把路灯全部拉斜到欲堕的情形，或是建筑的屋子都好像上重下轻，有着快要塌下来的情形，你若处身其中会觉得怎么样？

我们日常的生活大都可以列入欣赏和批评的两个反应中。 譬如在一个繁星满天的夏夜，你走上电报山顶，向四下左右观望。 起初你看见银光薄涂的海水而联想到温柔的爱情，觉得湾桥的雄伟给你以力量，金门桥的华丽给你以高贵的尊严，又因为远离湾中石岛的监狱，而使你有着自由的狂欢。 但是渐渐你连这联想和移情作用都没有了，只觉得处身在一个世界的境地中，根本忘记了现实，也忘记了自己。

过后，你已回到现实来，回想起刚才的经验，你发现自己曾处身于一种绝美的境地中。 再加上你掩着鼻子行过华埠吕宋巷的经验，你就更加明白美之所以为美了。

没有一个不会欣赏和批评的艺术家，能够创出美的境界来。 一个不能够创作的人，也决不会真正的会欣赏。 如果连欣赏都不会的人，更加谈不上批评的了。 要想批评就需要会欣赏，也就是需要知道怎样去创作。 就算你的才能无伟大的生产，你还是一个幸福的欣赏者和一个成功的批评者。

Weekly Talk on Art: Appreciation and Criticism

Here, the problem of “knowing how to play music but not knowing how to sing"² has occurred, but it has never been solved. The so-called singing means creation, and the so-called playing means criticism. But between playing and singing, there are general appreciators.

Mr. Zhu Guangqian once said: "Creation is to make a beautiful state, appreciation is to recognize this beautiful state, and criticism is reflection after appreciation. When you appreciate it, you don't realize it is beautiful, but when you critique it, you realize why beauty is beautiful." Although these are three different steps, they are by no means independent and unrelated. People also have varying degrees of cooperation with these three steps, so they can be imprecisely divided into three types of people, but this line of demarcation cannot be regarded as absolute at all. Apparently, there are only a minor number of artists who can create aesthetic realms, but not all the works of art in the world are created by them. Every single person is creating some form of art every day, but each one cannot be as focused as artists to achieve as much. Sometimes the way we hang pictures in the room, the way we place a chair, or even the position we stand in public places and other things we do in daily life can be regarded as artistic creation. Imagine if people walked down the street with one trouser leg rolled up, or deliberately turned their bodies to one side, or all the street lights were tilted to the point of falling, or the buildings seemed to be heavy on top, light on bottom and about to collapse. How would you feel if you were in such a situation? Most of our daily lives can be included in the two categories of responses of appreciation and criticism. For example, on a starry summer night, you walk up to the top of Telegraph Mountain and look and observe around. At first, when you saw the silvery sea water, you thought of tender love. You felt that the majesty of the Bay Bridge gave you strength and the magnificence of the Golden Gate Bridge gave you noble dignity. And because you were far away from the prison of the stone island in the bay, you felt ecstasy from freedom. But gradually you even lose this imaginary association and empathy. You only feel that you are in a world, you have completely forgotten reality and even yourself.

Afterwards, when you have returned to reality, you recall the experience just passed, and you realize you have been in an aesthetic realm. Coupled with your experience of walking through Luzon Alley in Chinatown with your nose covered, you would have understood even more why beauty is beautiful.

No artist who cannot appreciate and critique can create a realm of beauty. A person who cannot create will never truly appreciate it. If you don’t even know how to appreciate something, let alone critique it. If you want to critique, you need to know how to appreciate, which means you need to know how to create. Even if your talents do not yield great results, you will still be a happy appreciator and a successful critic.