都市的喧闹，空气的严重污染，与日俱增的噪音，日渐冷漠的人际关系，已令上世纪九十年代末的城里人对於他们所处环境中的各种弊病感到相当的厌烦。为了摆脱水泥搅拌机、冲击钻，电锯对我们心的摧毁性的攻击，都市人开始了一波又一波的逃避行动：去看农村，去看山野、溪流，去换气，去享受宁静。

　　这是一片没有被现代文明这头猛兽蹂躏过的土地，这是可以听到蛙鸣、鸟声和蝴蝶与蜻蜒自由飞翔的原野，这是由默默地耕作、撒播希望种子的纯朴的农民构成的安详景致，这是能让灿烂的阳光穿越纯净的空气而显得无比亮丽的世界，这就是占山笔下的那片净土。

　　占山小时生长在河北的农村，故土的乡风乡情给他未来的创作奠定了丰厚的根基。及至他在北京读完大学，有了坚实的造型能力，他便一步一步地在画布上走回辽阔的原野，他开始用绚丽的色彩去表现他的世界。

　　占山的作品色彩强烈、斑斓，高纯度的协调。多年的笔耕，竟然渐渐地形成了一种面貌，一种占山独有的面貌。当一个艺术家的作品能被人一眼就认出来的时候，就是这个艺术家走入幸运之门之际，众听周知，大凡历史上能够传世的名家，通常都只有一个面貌。八十年代以来，中国油画界各种派别大兴，不少人在一片“变”声中慌不择路，数月一个模样，半年一个新脸，弄得神不神、鬼不鬼。占山始终处变不惊。他不在意周围发生了什麽事情，他只是在思考如何用自己最适合的手法去表现自己的内心和属於他自己的那片净土。他选择了写实的手法去表达他的渴望。他的坚定走向以及带来的成功告诉世人：写实主义绘画在今天仍然具有强大的生命力，在今天中国画坛上涌现的诸多不同面貌、不同风恪的写实主义作品也向人们证实了这一不可抗拒的现实。

　　占山爱他的乡野，在他华丽色彩的背后，可以窥见他内心深处隐藏的焦虑、不安、悲哀和无奈。在他的作品中，我们根本看不见任何代表文明形象的电线杆、高压线、烟囱、电动机械、拖拉机、农药、化肥……占山在刻意逃避，他想呈现给我们的是原汁原味的田野。他喜欢草叶的香气、泥土的味道，他不会喜欢在原野上弥漫着汽油味儿和化肥味儿，他是把他选择的美好的一切看成是一种瞬间而在极力挽留。他感到灿烂是脆弱的、宁静是暂时的，纯净的水上游汇涌动着污源，而喷吐着黑烟的柴油机正从远方隆隆而至。占山是个有着忧患意识的画家，他坚定不移地回避着那些他不想表现的东西。

　　在占山的作品中，我们好像看到了许多“偶然”的场景，好像我们从火车的车窗往外一瞥，北方农村的大地都似曾见到这种场景。他是在精心策划这种“偶然”，他不想让人们在一种张扬的、外露的、典型的形态中出现。他精心地把我们安置进一个很自然的情景中，在这里你可以更真切地体验他的深情，他把他的情感藏在那些细节之中。他刻意安排了有相当难度的大量细节，而在整体上让人感觉不经意，我们常常在一些画作中看到人们对细节描绘的敷衍，那是他们认为细节不重要，而占山不同，他对细节的安排是由他的情感支配的。他深爱那些翻过的土地，各种姿态的麦草、红红的熟透的高梁，以及收割的庄稼的小桩子在下午的阳光下拉出的斜斜的影子。他不厌其烦地描绘他们，体验着浓浓的乡情。占山陶醉在北方乡野的壮阔情怀之中，他在一张画中巧妙地安排了这麽多的内容而让你感到有序、到位，不繁琐、不造作、不堆砌，其难度可想而知。

　　占山年轻、精力充沛、乐观、豁达、豪爽、才思敏捷，加上他具有非常踏实苦干的品质，都使我们确信，他在未来的创作中会向喜爱他作品的人们奉献出更成熟、更好看的东西，会向他面对的大地献出他深深的爱。

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The World of Zhan Shan



　　The ahustle and bustle of city life,the seriously polluted air,the worsening noise level and the widening gaps in human relationshin have made city people in the nineties tired of their sick environment.To escape from the cement mixer,the pneumatic drill and the electric saw which attack us from our ears to our souls,city people have started waves of runaway actions.They go to see the countryside,the wild fields and the streams so as to enjoy the refieshing serenity.

　　This is a piece of land that has not been destroyed by the beast of modernity.This is a place where you can hear frogs croak and birds chirps,and you can see butterflies and dragonflies fly freely.This is a serene scene created by simple farmers who work quietly and sow the seeds of hope.This is a world brightened up by the beautiful sunlight shining through the pure air.This is the clean land in Zhan Shan`s paintings.

　　Zhan Shan grew up in the countryside of the Hebei province.The life and customs of his homeland has provided him with rich resources for his creative work.When he graduated  form university in Beijing and obtained a solid foundation in painting,he gradually returned to the wild plains in his canvas and began to use bright colours to express his world.

　　Zhan Shan uses sttong and bright colours in his works which show great harmony.Apersonal style has gradually been formed after years of paonting.When the works of an artist can be recognized easily,this artist is already at the doorway of success.Everybody knows that great masters in the world always have their own distinctive styles.Since the eighties,many schools of lil painting have appeared in China and many artists have lost their direction in the sounds of changes.They show a different face every now and then and lose their identity.Zhan Shan has never been in a panic.He does not mind what is happening around him.He only concentrates on looking for the most appropriate way to show his thoughts and his piece of clean land.He chooses to paint in a realistic style to express his hopes and aspirations.His determined direction and the success that follows tell the world that thd realistic style of painting still possesses a great vitality today.The numerous excellent paintings in various realistic styles in China also prove to people this irresistible reality.

　　Zhan Shan loves his wild fields and countryside.At the back of his bright colours,we can see the anxiety,sadness and helplessness deep in his heart.In his works,we cannot find any electricity poles,high tension wires,chimneys,electric machines,tractors or chemical fertilizers.He deliberately avoids these things to reveal an unspoiled wilderness.He loves the fragrance of grass and leaves and the nice smell of the soil.He does not like his fields filling upwith the smell of petrol and chemical fertilizers.However,he sees the things that he loves as something transient and he wanto to make them stay longer.He feels that the brilliance is brittle,the serenity is short-lived,the source of the pure water is being polluted and the puffing diesel locomotives are roaring near.Zhan Shan is an artist with deep worries.He has determined to avoid the things that he does not want to see.

　　In ZhanShan`s works,we seem to see a lot of 'accidental' scenes.They look like the northern countryside we see when we glimpse through train windows.These 'accidental' appearances are in fact meticulously planned.Zhan Shan does not want to place his audience in a publicized and stereotyped situation.He carefully puts them in a natural environment where one can experience what he feels more deeply.He hides his emotions in the details of his paintings.He arranges a lot of details of high skills and presents them in a casual manner.Some painters do not put much attention in details as they think they are unimportant,However,Zhan Shan is different.He follows his feelings in the arrangement of details.He loves the ploughed land,the wheat lying in various directions,the ripe red sorghum and the elongated shadows in the afternoon sum made by the stalks left after harvest.He has painted them over and over again so as to immerge in the deep touch of his hometown.Zhan Shan enjoys the broad feelings of the northern plains and fields.Just in one piece of work,he skillfully puts all the details in and you still find things in good place and order without a sense of triviality or artificiality.You can imagine how difficult it is to do so.

　　Zhan Shan is young and energetic.He is optimistic,open-minded,clever and hard-working.In the years to come,we believe that he will produce better and more mature paintings for people who enjoy his works.He will continue to send his love to the land he admires.

(Ai Xuan,born in Zhhejiang in 1947,is a well-known contemporary Chinese oil painter.He went to the Central Academy of Fine Art Preparatory School in Beijing in 1963 and he served in the army in Tibet from 1969 to 1973.After that,he was appointed as the army artist and started his career in art.Since 1980,Ai Xuan`s works have been selected to the National Art Exhibition of China for six times.He has also won several important awards including the silver medal of the 2nd National Youth Exhibition of China in 1981 and the honourable award of the 18th International Salon.AiXuan held several solo exhibitions in New You in 1987 and his works were widely lauded.His works are collected by the Chinese Museum of Art,as well as by museums and private ckllectors in the United States,Canada,Germany,HongKong,Japan,Singapore and Taiwan.)