《Man with a Lamb 》
《抱羔羊的男人》 Man with a Lamb
Oil on canvas, 2020
Height: 91 cm. Width: 75.5 cm.
鄭延齡 YEN LIN CHENG
《抱羔羊的男人》 Man with a Lamb
Oil on canvas, 2020
Height: 91 cm. Width: 75.5 cm.
鄭延齡 YEN LIN CHENG
《山海經》 Shan Hai Jing
Oil on canvas, 2017
Height: 205 cm. Width: 290 cm.
鄭延齡 YEN LIN CHENG
Shan Hai Jing is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and myth. It largely and orderly records the features of natural geography and the content of human geographies, such as mountains, hydrology, animal, plant, mineral, national geography, economy, social culture. The chapters about Yellow Emperor, Yan Emperor, and Chiyou run throughout my entire work.
The top right is Yujiang, god of the Northern Sea(dragon rider), the bottom right has the Cross Shank country folk (man with bare buttocks) and the Through Chest country folk. The right side of the theme for the Yellow Emperor’s daughter-Ba, who subdued Wind God and Rain God. At the top, Xiwangmu and Jiutian Xuannu help Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou. Nuwa, who is in the upper left, repairing the Pillar of Heaven. Below the Nuwa, Kuafu and Houyi capture the sun. The lower left of the hat man, Dayu, who is assisted in his water control work by a Yellow Dragon and a Black Turtle, above Dayu for the Kai-Ming Auspicious Beast which is Kunlun Mountain’s guard (Nine-headed beast).
The painting coloring with warm and unadorned tone, the overall composition of the picture is divided into three sections, left, center, and right. With exaggerated human body’s muscle shape, the character postures include forward, backward, overlook, lying. By carefully painting the details of the image, I reproduce the myth of the classic description of time, space, texture, and sense of mass.
山海經為中國先秦以降最奇特之經典,認真閱讀後,內有人物、動物、山川、河流,或有害人噬命的精怪與猛獸,但我一貫的藝術主張是追求至真至善與至美的範疇,故特別擷取吉獸與故事主軸-黃帝、炎帝、蚩尤為主題。
圖右上方是北海海神禺疆(乘兩條神龍),圖右下方有交脛國(裸臀者)與貫胸國。主題右側為黃帝之女-魃,降伏風伯與雨師,圖上方者為西王母與九天玄女助陣黃帝大敗蚩尤。左側上方有女媧補天,下方有夸父逐日與后羿射日,左側下方戴斗笠者為大禹治水,受應龍與旋龜之助得以治水成功,禹上方為開明吉獸守崑崙山(九頭獸),我以實驗性構圖將全景鋪陳滿版,但分左中右三個聚落,以溫潤質樸的色調編導,並特別誇張人體驚天磅礡之肌肉張力,求律動、俯仰、顧盼等人物動態感,質感上求內斂紮實之筆觸,重現神話經典中描述時間、質量與空間之結構寫實感。
《藍毗尼・悉達多王子的誕生》 Lumbini – The Birth of Siddhartha
Oil on canvas, 2014
Height: 410 cm. Width: 290 cm.
鄭延齡 YEN LIN CHENG
From the beginning, I designed the motion of leading role, then, the guest characters echoing the theme. According to the legend, Sakyamuni Buddha (Prince Siddhartha) was born with two water columns dropped from the sky, a newborn baby is covered by a canopy, held by Queen Maya; I designed a rhythmic action, showing the Buddha’s naive and clever, Buddha mother’s Love with the dignified feeling. I also excluded the East brushwork ink style and used Western realistic classical style, with the addition of personal style skills. Mother and son are sitting on the glass bed, who are carried by the Four Heavenly Kings, “Virudhaka, Dhrtarastra, Vaisravana, Virupaksa”, the Virudhaka is holding a sword, who is modeled by my son as a fitness coach, but it was not a copy, and I just understood the muscle space, completing it with exaggerated muscle shape after referring to anatomy to realize the picture, rather than copying details; upon understanding more, I interpreted a new object. Such complicated procedures require a lot of sketching ability, and experiences of copying classical painting in the 16th – 17th century, learning connecting elements therein.
According to the legend, Sakyamuni Buddha was delivered by Queen Maya who dreamed a white elephant, so, I added a white elephant and glass bed to echo them. The Bodhi Tree which goes through the entire work is originated from the ancient tree in Tainan Park, then, I shaped it with rough strokes. The character postures include forward, backward, overlook, lying, sometimes the character is back to the viewers, and sometimes is looking around. In Chinese painting theory, “higher mountain than the meter of a tree, the inch of horse and bean-like human” refers to the focus of proportionality while staring around and lying posture shows the importance of the rhythm of modeling. However, western science had space, texture, sense of mass earlier, so I often took eastern science as the theme in the creation and western science refers to the technologic operation, achieving the top realm of eastern science as the body and western art as the application.
一開始我先設計主題人物動作,再添加和主題呼應的賓部人物。據傳釋迦牟尼佛(悉達多王子)出生時天空下兩道水柱,有華蓋遮擋初生之嬰兒,被摩耶夫人褓抱,我設計了律動的動作,表現佛陀的天真慧詰與佛陀母親大愛端莊的感受。也摒除東方較工筆水墨造型,採西方寫實古典,並加入個人風格的技巧。母子均坐在琉璃床上,由「風、調、雨、順」四大天王扛起,手持劍者為風,由我身為健身教練的兒子做模特兒,但並非照抄,只是理解肌肉空間,參考藝用解剖學後用誇張肌肉造型完成力士,這樣做是為了使畫面寫實而非抄描細節,充分理解後,自己詮釋ㄧ個新的物體。這樣繁瑣過程需要許多素描能力輔助,並臨摩大量16-17世紀古典畫的經驗,汲取其中聯結元素而完成。
相傳釋迦牟尼佛是由摩耶夫人夢見白象而生下,故在畫面添加白象與琉璃床呼應。貫穿整幅作品的菩提樹,是採台南公園的古樹造型,再自己塑造型態用粗獷的筆觸完成。人物姿態都有前、後、俯、瞰、仰、臥,時而背對觀畫者,時而左右顧盼。中國畫論中,提醒「丈山尺樹,寸馬豆人」指出比例的重點,而左右顧盼,俯仰生姿就明示造型律動的重要性。但西方科學昌明較早加入空間,質感,量感,如我常抱中學為創作主題,西學為技術操作,達成中學為體,西學為用之美術最高境界。
《草原上的低吟–馬頭琴 》 Crooning on the Steppe – Morin Khuur
Oil on canvas, 2016
Height: 205 cm. Width: 290 cm.
鄭延齡 YEN LIN CHENG
I had read the ancient Mongolian legend, 《Morin Khuur》, the story is here: a young man, Su He, saw a dying pony on the vast Mongolian steppe, took him back home and took care of it; time passed by, the pony grew up a strong handsome horse, and Su He heard that the Mongolian lord was in the horse selection race, and the winner can marry the princess. Su He had a smooth victory, but the lord denied the promise and snatched the horse, and the horse only wanted to follow its master and desired going home, the lord eventually commanded soldiers to kill the horse. The horse memorizes the master with void! The soul returns with hatred! Su He heard the horse telling him in the dream: “My master, don’t be sad, made the strings with my mane, and the zither with my bone, let me be with you always!” … on this moment, the tears burst in my eyes. I decided to paint such an ancient legend of the Mongolian steppe into a 300F giant oil painting. In its middle part, it is the protagonist, Su He, surrounded by the soldiers assigned by the lord, and on the upper left side, it is Mongolia ancient flag.
我認真讀過蒙古古傳說《馬頭琴》,故事是這樣的:話說青年蘇禾在廣大無垠的蒙古草原上,看見垂死的小馬,於是把他帶回家悉心照顧,時光飛逝,小馬長大成了英挺駿馬,蘇禾聽聞蒙古王爺在舉辦競馬選拔,勝出者可娶公主為妻。蘇禾順利奪勝後,王爺卻矢口否認此承諾,並搶奪駿馬,而駿馬一心只想主人,歸心似箭,王爺因此命士兵射殺了駿馬。駿馬憶主人心茫茫!魂歸離恨天!蘇禾在夢中聽聞駿馬說道:「主人不要悲傷,把我馬鬃製成琴弦,把馬骨製成琴身,就讓我常伴主人身側!」……這時我眼淚在眼眶打轉。我決定認真將此蒙古草原古老傳說,畫成300F巨型油畫作品。畫面中間勒馬者是主角蘇禾,周邊是王爺派的士兵,左上方是蒙古古軍旗。