2015 “半城花” 郝萍专访 | Interview with Hao Ping

1. 本次展览的作品以“花和女人”为主调，能告诉我们为什么吗？

佛语云，“一花一世界”，大千世界，千变万化，不离其宗。在我看来，物都是一个微观的世界，我有我的世界，花、鸟、鱼皆然，禅是明心见性，返朴归真。故中国题材多以人、花鸟、山水为主，述禅明志，都是在表现世界归一“禅”的道理，即世界大小有异本质则同，我想通过描绘女人和花、表达我的禅–静谧空灵的本真，我的笔下花、女人皆静，心俱空灵，我想它们都于我世界的禅相通。我在努力用我的方式.展示一个朦胧、优雅、空灵的世界 ……

Most of your artworks feature “Women and Flowers”in this exhibition, what kind of message you want to convey?

Buddhism believes that “One flower, one world”. The nature of this world is always the same, despite various changes. I admire the ancient Chinese Zen lifestyle, their freedom of spirit, their elegance and their harmony of the co-existence with the nature. I am attempting to find a simple and peaceful mind as well as the simple happiness to enjoy the nature from this exhibition.

2. 你作品中的女孩脸部特征和形象很特别，为何用这样的脸部特征和形象去表达中国女性？
东方的女性美是内敛的，含蓄温婉的，中国古典女人 “形容优美，体态婀娜 。气质娇柔 仪态娴雅。”这种清幽淡雅的形象，更符合我画面所呈现的中国味道。 我笔下的人物或者自我陶醉，或者自怨自艾，或者顾影自怜，但都有丰富的内心世界，在她们自己的世界里，她们是自我欣赏，自我疼惜的。她们或许在思春，或许在幽怨，可能和黛玉葬花差不多吧。

The features of the Ladies in your works are quite special. Why you use this kind of features to present Chinese ladies?

Oriental female beauty is tender and implied. We usually describe Chinese classic beauty as tender, elegant, sensitive with an artistic temperament. However, they have their rich inner world. I intend to express these above qualities about Chinese beauty in my paintings. These ladies live in their own world, sometimes they show some traces of self-pity. Sometimes they show self-appreciation and self-compassion in their world. Maybe they are expecting some romance or they are experiencing depression…

3. 你的作品虽是油画，但胜似水墨画，为何用这种绘画方式去诠释你的作品？
我想这是与中国的传统文化的浸染有关系的。艺术往往是来源于生活，与一个人的成长背景和生活体验有着密切的关系。我生长在中国土地上，感受中国文化的博大，我欣赏中国画的意境，和水墨的酣畅淋漓的艺术感。但是我又喜欢油画的表现形式。 表达的方式虽然不同，但精神旨归却是一致的，所谓殊途而同归吧。所以我用这种绘画方式来诠释 我对作品的理解，不管以什么形式 画材 题材，表达出内心的感受是最重要的。

Although your works are oil paintings, but they have the touch of Chinese ink painting. Why do you decide to present your artworks in this way?

I think I am very much influenced by Chinese culture. Art comes from one’s life, it is relating to one’s education and cultural background. I am a Chinese and I grew up in Shandong, where I feel the greatness of Chinese culture. I appreciate the artistic conception of Chinese painting by splashing the art of ink.  I want to use oil as a media to represent the oriental aesthetics.

4. 你的大部分作品名都出自于中国古代诗词，那么您本人最欣赏的是哪几位中国古代诗人？

王维。 王维是山水田园诗人 他的诗风格清新 有如一份画卷 同时这幅画卷中有着恬淡的诗意 。王维诗的独具特色的宁静之美和空灵的境界是我所欣赏的。他所强调的“美”与’真“的和谐统一，把天人合一视为最高境界的美。都是我所喜欢的。

The titles from your artworks are mostly from Chinese ancient poems, couldyou please tell us who is your favorite Chinese poet?

Wang Wei is my favorite poet. He is a renowned poet, whose poems depict the great nature. His poems are pure and peaceful. I enjoy the tranquility and the harmony of trueness and natural beauty. I believe this is the highest state of mind to understand the real beauty in life.

5. 你自己认为你的作品风格是属于传统的还是属于现代的？为什么？

审美是永恒的， 没有古代和现代之分，汉代的美和唐代的美没有本质的区别，当然会有一定的时代特征。所以说我的作品表现形式是现代的。 但审美境界没有超越古人，或者说是一致的。殊途同归。 美是超越时空的。赫本的美不是属于美国或者英国，而是属于全世界。

Do you think your art creation is more towards traditional or modern? Why?

Aesthetics is eternal, both ancient and modern. The Aesthetics from Han dynasty is not much different to Tang dynasty. Surely there were certain characteristics of the time. So my work is modern representation of ancient Chinese aesthetics and culture. I believe the true beauty is beyond time and space. The beauty of Audrey Hepburn doesn’t belong to the American or the British, it belongs to the whole world.

6. 你的作品给人带来一种悠闲自得，富有诗意的感觉，这与你的现实生活很相似吗？能与我们谈谈你的现实生活中的兴趣爱好吗？

从我的画境，可以读到“蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜……”,读到“庄生梦蝶” 读到“子非鱼，安之鱼乐” 这一切营造了我所向往的自由世界，自由精神世界。人都可以成为自己的主宰，其实只是回归最初混沌的质朴而已。东方哲学的向内心寻找安宁大概如此。我认为“人不管处于什么样的生存空间里，精神形而上的都是自由的。我理解的“安宁”是内心所赋予自己的。很多当代人的焦虑 更多的是来源于内心，来源于内心的不满足。我的生活无异于常人，也是柴米油盐酱醋茶。只是我在这种普通的生活里，给自己寻找到了一份安宁。淡然处之 为自己营造了一种悠然自得和诗意。用这样的心态生活着，我更快乐、从容。
我是一个相对安静的人，喜欢听舒缓的音乐，安静的在阳光下享受一杯清茶或者咖啡。

Your artworks bring us a relaxed and poetic feeling. Is this as same as in your real life? Can you talk about your hobbies in your life?

My artworks create a peaceful, beautiful and simple world of Zen with the freedom of my spirit. This is the perfect world that I admire and dream. When we find a peaceful mind of our inner spiritual world, we will find the true happiness. We are the masters of our own lives. Unhappiness comes from our greed, anxiety and dissatisfaction. My daily life is nothing different to the ordinary people, occupied with my work and my family, trying to look for the inner peace for myself and this is kind of life I am quite happy with.

I am a quiet person, who likes listening to the gentle music, quietly enjoying a cup of green tea or coffee in the sunshine.