曹俊 | 跨越视界的艺海领航者

早年的工程训练使他深谙材料的化学组成与物理特性，其画作兼具科学家的精确与诗人的自由，这尤其体现在矿物颜料的运用及其与水墨间变幻莫测的互动中。

His initial training in engineering gave him an intimate understanding of materials, their chemical composition and physical properties. He approaches painting with the precision of a scientist and the freedom of a poet. This duality is particularly evident in his way of manipulating mineral pigments, of which he exploits the unpredictable reactions with water and ink.

曹俊宛若站在文化的交界处，其绘画视界既非纯粹中式，亦非完全西化，而是立足于丰饶的中间地带，在这里，显见的矛盾悄然消融，取而代之的是一种崭新的艺术融合。这令人想起霍米·巴巴提出的概念——“第三空间”：一个既非此亦非彼、具有杂糅性的新空间。曹俊作品完美体现了这种文化与美学交融的第三空间，不同传统在此对话，而不是相互稀释。

One could see in this approach a metaphor for his position at the crossroads of cultures. Neither completely Chinese in his practice, nor Westernized in his vision, Cao Jun occupies this fecund space of the in-between, where apparent contradictions dissolve to give way to a new synthesis.

This positioning reminds me of the notion of "third space" theorized by Homi Bhabha, that liminalspace which is neither one nor the other, but something new and hybrid ^[7], Cao Jun's works perfectly embody this "third space" cultural and aesthetic, where traditions dialogue without diluting.

曹俊从中国到新西兰再到美国的跨境之旅映射出他的艺术轨迹：无论是在身体上，还是智力和精神上，曹俊都称得上是一位艺术游牧者，他跨越边界，就像墨色渗透纸背，流畅而坚定。

His geographical journey, from China to New Zealand and then to the United States, reflects thisartistic trajectory. He is a nomadic artist, not only physically but also intellectually and spiritually. He crosses borders like his inks cross paper, with fluidity and determination.

2018年，波士顿麦克马伦艺术博物馆为其举办大型个展“曹俊：大自然的赞美诗”，标题意味深长。尽管技法与理念极其复杂，曹俊艺术的本质仍是对大自然的礼赞——不是明信片式的风景，而是广袤无垠、神秘莫测、震撼心灵的大自然。这次展览由哲学家约翰·萨利斯与艺术史家南希·内泽共同策划，突显了画作的哲学维度。萨利斯写道：“曹俊作品是对人类与宇宙关系的视觉哲思。”这种哲思不是抽象的思考，而是让绘画回归本质。

In 2018, the McMullen Museum of Art in Boston dedicated a major exhibition to his work, titled "Cao Jun: Hymns to Nature". This title is revealing. Despite all its technical and conceptual sophistication. Cao Jun's art remains fundamentally a hymn to nature, not the domesticated and picturesque nature of postcards, but nature in its cosmic, mysterious and sometimes terrifying dimension.

This exhibition, curated by philosopher John Sallis and art historian Nancy Netzer, highlighted the philosophical dimension of his work, As Sallis writes, "Cao Jun's works are a visual meditation on the relationship between the human and the cosmos" ^[8]. This meditation is not abstract but incarnate in the very matter of the painting. 

《栱门》90X207cm

在充斥着愤世嫉俗和自我指涉的当代艺术界，曹俊作品无疑为画界带来了一股清新的气息，更准确地说，是一种投身海洋与星空深处的奇妙体验。它提醒我们，艺术依然能让我们震撼、沉醉，带领我们进入比我们自身更宏大的境界。

In a world of contemporary art often cynical and self-referential, Cao Jun's work offers a breath of freshair. or rather, a plunge into the oceanic and celestial depths. It reminds us that art can still amaze us, disorient us and reconnect us to something greater than ourselves.

因此，当你下次欣赏曹俊的作品时，不要仅仅将其视为一种装饰，而要让自己沉浸在那奔涌的水墨波浪中，陶醉于他的宇宙之蓝中。或许，只是或许，你将体验到伟大艺术带来的那种不可言说的震撼。

So the next time you come across a work by Cao Jun, do not just admire it politely as a beautiful decorative object. Let yourself be overwhelmed by his waves of ink, lose yourself in his cosmic blues, and perhaps, just perhaps, you will feel that metaphysical thrill that only great art can provoke.

（文/柯弗.兰斯林(HervéLancelin)，著名收藏家、策展人，法国当代艺术收藏家协会ADIAF的成员，翻译/彭建武，复旦大学博士，河南大学博士后，山东科技大学外国语学院原院长，教授，研究生导师）

注释：

1. Lao Tseu, "Tao Te King"，translation by Liou Kia-hway, Gallimard, 1967.

2. Charles Baudelaire, "Les Fleursdu Mal", poem “Correspondances”, 1857.

3. Frangois Jullien, “Proces oucreation. Une introduction a lapensee des lettres chinois" Seuil, 1989.

4. Shang Hui, “Cao Jun: In Search of Deep Philosophical Meaning in the Creation of Ink Painting", Journal of Chinese Culture，2024.

5. Vassily Kandinsky, "Concerningthe Spiritual in Art”, Denoel，1954.

6. Emil Cioran, “La Chute dans letemps", Gallimard, 1964.

7. Homi K. Bhabha, "The Location of Culture", Payot, 2007.

8. John Sallis, "Cao Jun: Hymns to Nature", exhibition catalog, McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, 2018.

艺术家简介

曹俊，中央美术学院（国际学院）特聘教授、中国传媒大学国画专业博士生导师，旅美艺术家。先后获得巴黎卢浮宫国际艺术沙龙展金奖，纽约、洛杉矶杰出艺术家称号。作品参加第十三届全国美展进京展等中国重要展览。先后在中国美术馆、美国波士顿学院美术馆、北京荣宝斋等地举办个人画展十余次。代表作入编中、美大学教材，及《荣宝斋画谱》。作品《春消息》悬挂于人民大会堂；《荷语凝香》等作品陈列于新西兰国会及多国使馆。