心随花开-徐明慧绘画作品展
徐明慧--花间集
Fred Dervin （文德）教授 赫尔辛基大学
译者：陈宁 天津美术学院 赫尔辛基大学
“我的（生命中）必须有花伴随我直到永远，永远。”——克劳德·莫奈
[Herbarium：在英语中，介绍各种花卉的书籍。Florilège是法语，与Herbarium同意。]
《温暖的阳光》
100x100cm，2022
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春天颂
春回大地，万物复苏，生机盎然。春天是伊始，鸟儿迁徙，动物从冬眠中苏醒，植物发芽，鲜花盛开。对于像我一样来自北欧的人来说，春天是一个非常特殊的时刻，我在自然界的每一个细节中都能看到重生、更迭，甚至希望。四五月份的芬兰，白天变长，天气变暖。树木和花儿逐渐苏醒，向外迸发着生命，他们的颜色、香味和形状令人沉醉。尽管大多数花儿在冬天枯萎，但她们在经历寒冬过后，在春天再次苏醒...... 中国的成语“百花齐放”(bǎihuāqífàng)是数百朵花同时绽放，完美地描绘了春天回归后大自然在人类眼里的美丽景观......
还有什么比一场壮观而色彩斑斓的花卉展览更能庆祝春天的到来呢？ 徐明慧的展览展现在我们眼前的是我想称之为代表生命与爱的“花间集”。通过这次精致、生动、多彩的艺术展，我们希望启发观众思考花卉在日常生活中的给予我们的力量，同时反思美学、多样性、全球化、人际关系以及(更重要的是)生命和爱。
《阳光明媚满园春》
100x100cm，2022
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一年四季，世界各地每天购买约3500万朵花。当你开始环顾四周时，你会注意到花儿无处不在：公园、家庭、学校、商场，还有艺术！在徐明慧为自己本次展览写的序言中，她提到了克劳德·莫奈，莫奈给了她巨大的灵感！约翰·康斯特布尔、文森特·梵高、皮埃尔-奥古斯特·雷诺阿、乔治亚·欧姬芙、杰夫·昆斯和安迪·沃霍尔(以及其他人)都用花来捕捉自然的荣耀，但他们通过艺术也捕捉到了人类生活的变化，并要求观众在新的艺术视角下放慢脚步，观察自然和生活的错综复杂。美国女艺术家欧姬芙说：“当你把一朵花拿在手里，认真地看着它，它就是你此刻的世界，我想把这个世界给别人。” 同样，徐明慧毫无保留地向我们展示了她的“花海”世界。
《花缘》
100x100cm，2023
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花儿提醒我们复杂的历史
徐明慧艺术作品中的每一朵花都很好地代表了花卉世界的多样性。它还提醒我们，我们（人类社会）既有全球性，也有地方性，更有复杂的历史。在欣赏艺术作品时，请大家尝试思考这些问题：这些花的品种来自哪里？ 它们从何时开始在中国和世界各地出现？ 它们是何时被命名的(在世界各地，花的名字并不稳定，直到至少19世纪才标准化)？ 它们在世界不同时代和地区象征着什么？ 它们何时受到青睐，何时受到抵制，被谁？为什么？
虽然花儿似乎是“普遍的”，但我们与它们的关系在不同的文化里是不同的。例如，我们知道天主教会最初并不急于将花儿纳入庆祝活动中，因为作为一种崇拜行为，它们似乎太过“异教徒”。后来，复杂的花卉装饰在教堂和墓地中广泛使用。从文艺复兴时期(14-17世纪)开始，由于洲际旅行和文化交流，欧洲花卉的多样性增加了。因此，许多植物和花卉从美洲带回，人们开始收集和交换(例如，洋蓟与牡丹球茎)。后来，拥有一个花园也逐渐成为权力和影响力的象征。法国著名作家让·德·拉·布吕耶尔(1645-1696)甚至在他的《品格论》一书中，描述了一个关于富有的郁金香收藏家的章节，作者在书中讽刺的说到这名收藏家是时尚和对花卉激情的受害者。在很长一段时间里，交换球茎和花瓣是国际外交不可或缺的一部分。在17世纪，郁金香狂热席卷欧洲(郁金香当时是从土耳其进口的)，第一次全球经济危机（1637年），因为荷兰郁金香泡沫引发。当时，实际上请一位好的艺术家画一朵花比购买一朵“真”花更便宜。
《花香漂浮地中海》
100x100cm，2023
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《香飘飘》
80x100cm，2021
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《阳光下的黄色花朵》
100x80cm，2023
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《心随花开》
100x80cm，2023
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《合荷玫美》
100x80cm，2024
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《红色的绽放》
80x60cm，2020
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花儿是我们此刻的世界
我们知道，人类因为各种各样的原因被花儿吸引：美学、商业、时尚、外交、医学、营养... 例如，甘菊、藏红花和玫瑰被当作药物治疗疾病。同时，花儿也在文化、经济、人际和宗教中有着万千含义。
在维多利亚时期的英国(大约1820-1914年)，花卉学，即赋予花朵意义的做法，非常流行，以巧妙地传达特殊的信息和情感。许多人会同意，花儿拥有一种语言，可以帮助我们表达我们的感受和给予特定的信息。例如，它们从出生到死亡都被用来庆祝和纪念我们所珍爱的人。
花儿可以有不同的含义，给来自世界不同地区的人们带来特殊的意义。例如，在中国，菊花有大约2万种不同的品种，它象征着长寿、力量和高尚的精神。有时，菊花也用来庆祝生日，亦或者“辟邪”。在中国艺术里，菊花是优雅、灵感和智慧的象征。在欧洲语言中，Chrysanthemum一词含有黄金的含义(参见希腊语Chrysos)。一般来说，在西半球，菊花象征着奉献、幸福、长寿和忠诚。然而，白菊花大多是在某人去世时用来表达哀悼的。作为春天到来的典型象征，牡丹(中国的“花中之王”，有33种官方认可的品种)象征着优雅，荣誉和繁荣，在家庭、商店和庆祝活动中随处可见。牡丹在中国艺术中与感情、爱情和美丽联系在一起。虽然牡丹在“西方”没有那么强烈的象征意义，但在结婚12周年纪念日时，人们通常会送他们牡丹，作为幸福关系和财富的象征。有趣的是，早在前面提到的维多利亚时代，采摘牡丹被认为是不吉利的，因为这可能会招致诅咒。
庆祝多样性、生命和爱
“花总是为那些想看的人准备的。”——亨利·马蒂斯
《夏日清风》
80x60cm，2020
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《愉快的节日》
80x60cm，2020
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《随风舞动的花儿》
80x60cm，2020
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自1911年以来，荷兰77.5万平方米(相当于200个足球场的面积)的阿尔斯梅尔花卉拍卖行每天展出约4400万朵鲜花。全球60%的鲜花交易都是通过荷兰的拍卖进行的。阿尔斯梅尔（荷兰西部北荷兰省城市）是一个令人难忘的色彩缤纷的地方!
徐明慧的艺术就像一个“阿尔斯梅尔”，她在艺术中通过鲜艳的色彩和表达形式，让人们沉浸其中，渴望嗅到或摸到她美丽的花朵。艺术家还以某种方式提醒我们，我们需要保护和珍惜大自然为我们提供的一切。花儿代表希望。虽然他们死了，但他们总是会复活。看着花儿，我们就知道明天还会回来...
毫不奇怪，英语中许多短语直接引用花儿来描述积极、乐观和快乐。例如，stop and smell the roses的意思是停下来，花时间享受现在的时刻吧！
2024年春天来了。停下脚步，尽情地徜徉在艺术家徐明慧为大家提供的生命与爱情的“花间集”吧! 一起将快乐带给你周围的所有人!
《笑春风》
80x60cm，2023
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Xu Minghui’s Herbarium of life and love
Prof. Dr. Fred Dervin, University of Helsinki, Finland
“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
Claude Monet
[Herbarium: Word used in English to refer to a collection of flowers and plants chosen for their beauty and ornamental characteristics and mounted on sheets of paper. Florilège is the French word for Herbarium which comes from Latin for “picking flowers”.]
《盛日寻芳》
80x60cm，2023
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《满堂彩》
80x60cm，2024
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Ode to Spring
Spring is around the corner in China and many other parts of the world. This is the time to go meet nature again and its vibrant colours and scents. Spring is the time of new beginnings, with birds migrating, animals awakening from hibernation, plants sprouting and flowers blooming. For someone who comes from Northern Europe like myself, Spring is a very special time where rebirth, renewal and hope are noted in every detail in nature. As such, in April and May the days get longer and the weather warmer in Finland. Trees and flowers are waking, bursting and rioting to life, enchanting us with their bright petals and beautiful scents, as well as their different shapes and colours. Although most flowers disappeared during the winter, through their perseverance, they reappear in Spring. The exquisite Chinese idiom 百花齐放 (bǎihuāqífàng), which translates as hundreds of flowers blooming at the same time, depicts perfectly what one feels when Spring comes back in Finland and elsewhere…
《欢歌笑语》
80x60cm，2024
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《春暖花开》
80x60cm，2024
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And what better way to celebrate the inspiring coming of Spring than a magnificent and amazingly colourful exhibition about flowers? Xu Minghui’s exhibition lays before our eyes what I would like to call an Herbarium of life and love – or simply, using this delightful French word: a florilège. With this exhibition of delicate, vivid, multi-coloured but also ephemeral flowers (we know that they are going to die), we want to inspire the viewers to think about the power of flowers in their everyday lives while reflecting on aesthetics, diversity, globalization, human relations and (more importantly) life and love.
《献给母亲的爱》
60x60cm，2023
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Every season of the year, around 35 million flowers are bought daily around the world. When you start looking around you, you notice that flowers are omnipresent: in parks, homes, schools, malls, and… in art! In her own introductory text, Xu Minghui mentions Claude Monet who inspired her immensely – Monet was a flower lover par excellence! John Constable, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol (amongst others) have all used flowers to capture the glory of nature but also the changing spirit of human life and to ask viewers to slow down and observe the intricacies of nature – and life! – under new artistic lenses. The American female artist O’Keeffe justified her interests in flowers as follows: “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment, I want to give that world to someone else”. In a similar vein, Xu Minghui is giving us her world for the moment… while making in-/direct references to some of the aforementioned artists in her depiction of flowers. A bit of Monet here, a bit of Warhol there.
《春江话语》
60x60cm，2024
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Flowers as reminders of our complex histories
Every single flower in Xu Minghui’s art pieces represents well some of the diversity of the floral world. They also remind us of both our global and local connections and complex histories. While looking at the art, reflect on these questions: Where do all these varieties of flowers originate from? Since when have they been available in China and different parts of the world? When were they named as they are known today (names of flowers were unstable across the world until at least the 19th century when they were standardized)? What have been their functions and symbolic values in different eras and regions of the world? When were they favoured and/or rejected and by whom and why?
《温馨的花朵》
60x60cm，2024
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Although flowers appear to be ‘universal’, our relations to them differ in and within different cultures. For example, we know that the Catholic church was not too eager to include flowers in its celebrations at first since they appeared to be too ‘pagan’ as a worshipping practice. Later on, complex floral decoration became widespread in churches and cemeteries. From the Renaissance (14th-17th centuries), the diversity of flowers increased in Europe thanks to intercontinental travel and intercultural encounters. As such many plants and flowers were brought back from the Americas, which people started to collect and exchange (e.g., artichoke vs. peonies bulbs). Owning a garden also became a symbol of power and authority. The famous French writer Jean de La Bruyère (1645-1696) even included a chapter about a wealthy tulip collector in his book titled Characters, where the writer made fun of how the collector was a victim of fashion and of his extravagant passion for the flower. For a long time, exchanging bulbs and flower petals was an integral part of international diplomacy. In the 17th century, tulipomania hit Europe (tulips were imported from Turkey at the time) and the very first global economic ‘crash’ occurred because of speculation around the price of the flower. At the time, it was in fact cheaper to ask a good artist to paint the flower than to purchase a ‘real’ one. Tulips were a sign of socio-economic distinction while they can be purchased for a decent price today. The same goes for the rose. Today, Kenya and Ethiopia are some of the top producers and exporters of roses in the world. The main production of the flower shifted from Europe to Africa from the 1970s onwards.
《山花也浪漫》
60x60cm，2024
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《芳香袭人》
60x60cm，2024
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Flowers are ‘our world for the moment’
We know that humans have been drawn to flowers for all kinds of reasons: aesthetics, business, fashion, diplomacy, medicine, nutrition… For instance, chamomile, saffron and roses have been used in some traditional medicines for treating diseases. It is also important to remember that flowers are imbued with cultural, economic, interpersonal and religious significance.
In Victorian England (approximately 1820-1914), floriography, the practice of attributing meanings to flowers, was very much in vogue to convey special messages and emotions tactfully. Many would agree that flowers possess a language that helps us express our feelings and send specific messages. For example, they are used from birth to death to celebrate and remember people who are dear to us.
《紫气东来》
60x60cm，2024
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At times flowers can have different meanings and bring back special memories in people from different parts of the world. In China, for instance, the Chrysanthemum (菊花), with about 20,000 different varieties, can symbolize longevity, strength and a noble spirit. It can be used for example to celebrate birthdays and to ‘ward off’ evil spirits to households. In Chinese art, this flower has been highly regarded as a symbol of elegance, inspiration and wisdom. In European languages, the word Chrysanthemum contains a reference to gold (see the Greek word Chrysos). In general, the flower symbolizes devoted love, happiness, longevity and loyalty in the Western hemisphere. However, white chrysanthemums are reserved mostly for conveying condolences when someone has passed away. A quintessential symbol of the arrival of Spring, the peony (牡丹, the ‘king of flowers’ for the Chinese, with 33 officially recognized species) symbolizes elegance, honour and prosperity and is found in homes, shops and at celebrations. The peony is associated with affection, love and beauty in Chinese art. Although peonies don’t have so strong symbolism in the ‘West’, it is often given to couples for their twelfth wedding anniversary as a symbol of joyful relationship and fortune. Interestingly, back in the aforementioned Victorian age, it was considered unlucky to pick peonies as this could bring upon a curse.
《春日的傍晚》
60x60cm，2024
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Celebrating diversity, life and love
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them”.
Henri Matisse
Since 1911, the 775,000 square-meter Aalsameer Flower Auction Houses in the Netherlands (an area equivalent to 200 football fields) have put on show about 44 million flowers every day. 60 percent of the global trade in flowers flows through these Dutch auctions. A visit to Aalsameer is an unforgettable multicoloured place that fills us with sensationally sensory-friendly experiences. You can easily imagine the marvelous and diverse colours, fragrances and even sounds!
《春天花儿开》
60x60cm，2024
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Although the comparison might appear a little far-fetched, with her bright colours and different forms, Xu Minghui’s art resembles a ‘mini-Aalsameer’ that urges to smell and experience her beautiful flowers. The artist also reminds us somehow that, in difficult environmental times like ours, there is a need to both protect and cherish the remarkable biodiversity that nature has to offer. Flowers represent hope. Although they die, they always come back to life. Looking at flowers, we know that tomorrow will always return...
It is no surprise that many phrases in English make direct references to flowers to describe positivity, optimism and joy. For instance, stop and smell the roses means pause and take the time to enjoy and appreciate the present moment.
Spring 2024 is here. Stop and smell Xu Minghui’s Herbarium of life and love! And spread the joy around you!
《蓝色妖姬》
60x60cm，2024
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心随花开／徐明慧
三月的春天，春暖花开，姹紫嫣红。各种颜色的奇花异草色彩浪漫，优美典雅，显得格外明艳动人，令人陶醉。在繁花似锦的世界里，这些美丽的花儿用绚烂和芬芳，诠释着生命的美好和奇迹。
花儿与生俱来的美丽和个性，只有用心去观察去感悟才能真正发现它们内在的美丽和神奇。 在大学一年级学习《装饰花卉》课程的时候我对花儿就有了一知半解的认知。早年的水粉画、水彩画静物写生作品花儿又是我比较喜欢多用的素材。随着对花儿的喜好和认知的提高，从2006年开始我创作了一批干花儿系列作品，2013年以后花卉创作基本上成为我绘画的重要题材。
《喜庆的日子》
53x45cm，2020
纸本水彩
《盛夏》
53x45cm，2021
纸本水彩
花开是诗，花落是情。花儿的生命虽然短暂，却给人们留下了无限美好的记忆和感动。
2010年5月的一天，我来到慕名已久的法国吉维尼小镇的莫奈花园，当我走进花园里的一刹那就被花海般的世界震撼到了……在温暖的阳光下，各种花儿竞相绽放，绚丽多彩如诗如画，宛如一道道彩虹，横卧在绿色的海洋中，花香四溢，让人心醉神迷，那满园春色的花海仿佛是生命的赞歌、是心灵的栖息地。我沉醉在这片花海里许久许久，如同心灵得到了洗礼。兴奋、冲动、甚至有些痴狂，我恨不得把整个花园里的花都拍了带回家。此行的莫奈花园深深地触动到了我心灵的深处，让我一生都记忆犹新。从那之后花儿便成为我绘画创作的主要素材，不管走到哪里我都会用相机或手机记录着世界各地的花花草草。2016年5月，我带着事先准备好的写生工具再次来到莫奈花园，当我得知花园里禁止写生的信息后，请求管理人员关照匆匆画了两张值得纪念的水彩画《莫奈花园》和《日本桥》。之后，我几乎每年都要去一次莫奈花园故地重游，我流连忘返于花园里的角角落落，欣赏着久违了的花花草草。我借此感受春天般的美好和丰盈，享受着花开时的动人和美丽，让心灵沐浴在这花香中，品味着生活的甜美和温馨。
《雨中的浪漫》
37x438cm，2018
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《清馨》
37x438cm，2018
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心随花开，让心灵与花儿对话，让花儿与清风共舞。
因为爱花儿，我借花画语诉说情怀，借绘画本身把我内心对花儿最美好的愿望锁定在我的画面里。我尝试着用我自己的方式表达对花儿的情感和情绪。我不断地追求在绘画语言上的精简和形式美的探索，不刻意强调画面的立体与空间，而是通过高纯度色彩间的构成关系来营造花儿与花儿竞相斗艳的强烈视觉效果，尽可能地将花儿的美丽与生命力展现得淋漓尽致。强烈的色彩对比是我对花儿的感悟和发自内心的真实情感和情绪表述。
《太阳花》
41x31cm，2018
纸本水彩
心中有花儿，花儿自开。
期待大家在我用心营造的花海中，能感受到我心灵深处对花儿的诠释和我在画花儿时愉悦的心情，以及我在享受画花儿过程中的松弛和肆意。
愿我们的内心如同这些美丽的花儿一样，永远绽放着灿烂的光芒。
花儿不会一直开，但一直会有花儿开。
2024年2月16日于杭州
《春天的早晨》
41x31cm，2018
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《栩栩如生》
41x31cm，2018
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《暖阳阳》
31x41cm，2018
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《繁花盛开》
31x41cm，2018
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《盛开的鲜》
31x41cm，2017
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《神秘花园》
27x19cm，2022
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《境花缘》
27x19cm，2022
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《迎春花开》
19x27cm，2022
纸本水彩
《花红柳绿》
19x27cm，2022
纸本水彩
徐明慧
Born in Dalian, China in 1963;
Graduated from Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (China Academy of Fine Arts) in 1988 and stayed on campus ;
Since 1988, he has been teaching at Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts Affiliated Middle School (now China Academy of Fine Arts Affiliated Middle School);
Graduated from the Oil Painting Training Class of China Academy of Fine Arts in 1994;
Since 2001, I have been teaching in the Department of Visual Communication Design at the School of Design and Art, China Academy of Fine Arts;
In 2003, went to Paris International Art City in France for training and European cultural and artistic exploration;
In 2010, I went to Japan to participate in a short-term training program on traditional culture and art, as well as a study tour of Japanese culture and art
2020 Curatorial Exhibition of "Zhejiang Province Centennial Watercolor Painting Exhibition"
Since 2001, I have traveled multiple times to countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Netherlands, United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, etc. for art inspections, cultural exchanges, exhibitions, and life drawing activities.
Published: "Printmaking. Design Major. Color", "Color Still Life", "Water Powder Still Life", "Introduction to Color Techniques", "Color. Textbook Series for Higher Art Institutions", "Xu Minghui Color Still Life", "Xu Minghui Water Powder Painting Collection", "Xu Minghui's Works. Contemporary Water Powder Painter Teaching. Classic Model Painting", "Selected Works of Students from Central Academy of Fine Arts and China Academy of Fine Arts. Color" Xu Minghui's Color Still Life Classroom, etc.
Member of the Chinese Artists Association;
Secretary General of the Chinese Watercolor Painting Research Center at the Chinese
Academy of Fine Arts;
Vice Chairman of Zhejiang Watercolor Painters Association;