黑光黑 ──談林葆靈作品 | Darkness Light Darkness ──Discussing the work of Lin Bao Ling
 |
↓ English version below |
文/鄭勝華
沒有天明，這裡的世界屬於徹底的永夜，所有事物都流著夜的汁液，但卻絕非死寂或無趣沉悶，漫漫燈火綿延出無盡之夜，慾望被提煉為光，直至白熱刺眼，並映照出暗中的暗黑處。時間消失，並陷入矇矓不清的陰陽界，它擺脫指針時間的控制，終歸於神聖時間，無時間的時間性；光，非照亮，而是生命的盛宴與歡暢，是過度耗費的暈眩，也是通向幽冥與潛意識的小徑。林葆靈透過繪畫，勾勒出這樣一個奇異的夜之國度，並同時設下一個觀者即將無法自拔的華麗陷阱，勾起我們飛蛾撲火的內在慾望，最終，這陷阱將引向虛空，歷史的間隙，與生命的喑啞深淵。
首先，不妨先從一個明確的線索開始出發…。
光之光：卡拉瓦喬與林葆靈
很明顯的，林葆靈的作品集中於「光」的描繪，甚至可以說，光幾乎已經成為他創作的鮮明標誌之一，不管是風景畫、幻想、靜物還是人物，落筆皆不斷地往光裡去，又不停地往暗中伸。從藝術史的脈絡來看，以光為主要描繪對象的，自然地會讓人聯想到卡拉瓦喬（Caravaggio, 1571-1610）的作品，確實，他們兩人筆下的光著實皆散發著強烈的張力，戲劇性的逆光變化。
但是，從光的性質與手法來看，兩者完全不同。卡拉瓦喬透過光將歷史與宗教的決定性瞬間還原於繪畫，藝術所凝結的瞬間直達永恆與整體，因此卡拉瓦喬之光乃是時間厚度與堅定信念的激昂與超越；林葆靈的光則是於現世與夢幻交錯間暴量閃現的，傾刻之間，驟升至最大量，將暗黑國度從俗世場景華麗地翻騰為夢中天堂，但這一切卻同時可能在下一秒突然熄滅，灰飛煙滅。如果說，卡拉瓦喬的光是宏偉、雄渾又浪漫的日光的話，那麼林葆靈的光則是夜光，耽溺於無邊無際的，似夢如幻的暗黑之光。
因此，進一步就光本身而言，卡拉瓦喬的光是「神之光」，為畫的基調，佔滿整個內容，在可見的前提下，才有了不可見。林葆靈的光則是「物之光」，非自然之光，甚至是詭異之光，無法撐起巨大的暗夜，僅能局部逆襲，因此昏暗不明與無盡的暗黑是其基調，在不可見的前提下，才有了可見。
不過，如果就強光本身的意圖與背後的根本動力來說的話，兩者卻有相似處：皆涉及藝術所蘊含的強勁力量，一股非人稱的原力。
卡拉瓦喬的光雖帶來上帝的恩寵，卻同時彰顯了恐怖的暴力與死亡的陰影，因此他的光不是單向的，在最強的光背後，是塵世壟罩的陰影，那裡有一位飽受悲劇命運磨難的現世酒神，以生命的恣意橫行體現暴力，卻又指出人類不可見的命運深淵；而林葆靈的光則與形象的破壞有關，製造混沌，在不確定與流動的邊界浮現，因著光與影的臨界模糊，將清晰無比的繁華現世賦予虛幻的色彩，轉換了形象原有的意義。兩者皆挾帶著某種浪漫情懷與顛覆意圖，因此強光的根本作用不僅在於強調聚焦之處的場景與當下性，更重要的還在於，唯有強光才能引來最深的黑暗，在陰暗的藝術運動深淵處，有著更大的人類景像，以及更本源、野蠻的驅動力。
因此，兩人的光皆同樣來自人類潛在而不自覺的原生力量，涉及某種雄渾的自主權力，通向煉金術士口中的「墨丘利」（Mercurius）之神，精神本源，祂具有昇華與墮落合一的雙重面貌。在這股創造與毀滅的力量之下，所有卡拉瓦喬的光醞釀了後來巴洛克（Baroque）藝術不斷交錯、扭曲與昇華的動力，而林葆靈的光則在破壞、消解與流逝中帶來現實的華美與虛幻之間的辯證關係，引爆既有堅固現實的偏移與問題化。如果林葆靈的作品中有任何具體的形象的話，皆是在流淌的多重交錯的不定形痕跡下偶然成形的，例如《Nocturne Series》（2003-2015）系列作品，似乎無意造就，就像是純然不慎打翻的墨水一樣，然而這個失誤卻意外帶來驚奇的形象，並且發出璀璨無比的光芒。因此，作品形象本身來自於一種偶然與模稜兩可。不過，正是模糊不明的曖昧性，才讓我們得以更進一步地朝表象的深處前進，並開始正視形象本身可能就是問題的起源。
暗黑－藝域
或許，林葆靈可能觸及現代時期以來的頹廢美感，或者更遠，源自惡的力量。這是波特萊爾（Charles Baudelaire, 1821-1867）憂鬱美學的進階版，更精緻、漂亮，也更為恐怖，以致於當觀者凝視著無法抑制的消逝與崩解時，不僅不再感到害怕或恐懼，甚至迎向它，歡喜地將它視為終日慾望著的，美的化身。波特萊爾的憂鬱來自巴黎，現代化的首都，同時也來自十九世紀末一種獨特的時代更替情境下的陷落，揭示了龐大體制與價值系統逐漸崩潰所引發的不安與迷失氛圍，催生了二十世紀初的否定與廢墟美學。
就二十世紀初幾波前衛藝術運動所潛藏的廢墟美學而言，林葆靈的作品並未成為某種廢墟狀態，這並非因其繪畫形象在高反差的光影之間顯得更為銳利的關係，而在於就表現手法來看，林葆靈並未陷入離散與消解；相反的，他努力地編織眩目形象，因此僅管它們幾乎是在不確定的流動中被形成的，但是這份偶然卻是極為熟練的運作結果，所以與其說林葆靈的作品陷入一種無法自拔的崩解與失控中，倒不如說崩解是精心策劃的自然結果，企圖呼應極端的理性啟動衰敗與瘋狂的警笛。
事實上，崩解無法由個人發動，歷史早已在人身上安置了一處廢墟，藝術不過是使它出土。
這股美學運動並未隨著戰後的經濟復甦與社會穩定而全面消失，如果它帶來什麼樣積極意涵的話，那便是讓我們真正地了解：「在所有的光背後，都會有一道陰影存在。」更值得關注的是，那陰影雖不斷被壓抑、被消音，但才是歷史的核心。如果現代化與工具理性就是那道光，那麼在朝向未來與夢想往前投射的同時，我們也就必然成了陰影。僅管時空更迭，但現代化的腳步從未曾停止：世界各地城市持續地擴大、蔓延與侵越；現代巴別塔（Babel）愈見龐大、高聳；勞動與移工遷徙的路線與範圍更加遙遠。人，被撕裂地更為嚴重與扭曲，因此波特萊爾所遺留下來的藝術命題尚未過時，林葆靈將它從巴黎延伸到台北、紐約等城市，以及更多不知名的空間，例如《Night Fantasia》（2014-5）或《Palace of Light and Shadow》（2013-5），無處不在的幽冥之境繼續複現，從未醒來，還是應該說從未睡去？持存，在恍惚之間，既是無盡的夜，又是不止的日，彷彿這是永恆，又是瞬間。
然而，這奇異國度卻是現代人所欲詩意地棲居之地，如果「我，就是自己的藏身處」，那麼在出生之前，陰影已在那兒等候。
忽然之間，法國詩人包斯奎（Joë Bousquet, 1897-1950）那句怪異的詩句或許終可得到理解。他說：
我的傷口先於我而存在，
我生來是為了肉身化它…
是的，每個人身上至少都帶著一道獨自發脹的傷口，在自我確認之前便已存在，或者說，直到發現它之前，我們還不曾真正存在過。「我」以為的自己，終究是透過傷口來證成的，在此之前，主體不過是個假相。而林葆靈的作品，逼迫我們看見那道傷口，直視己身所從出的暗黑之域。
最終的絕對凝視，飛蛾，撲向了光，在最隱密的傷口裡，在光影的恍惚迷離之間，在形體的破壞、流動與聚合的偶然間，以焚燒的慾望顫抖。
--------------------------------
鄭勝華
---
Darkness Light Darkness ──Discussing the work of Lin Bao Ling
By Cheng Sheng Hua
There will be no dawn, our world belongs completely to the eternal night. Everything takes on the essence of the darkness, whilst never becoming lifeless or dreary. Slowly, the eternal night is lit up by the light of our desires. So bright it hurts the eyes, the light even reaches the darkest places. Time starts to disappear as it falls into the unclear zone between the mortal and the underworld. It frees itself from the control of the hands of the clock and returns to sacred time, a time without any of its properties. The lights are not for lighting, rather, a celebration of life. In the dizzying splendor, a small path leads between the underworld to sub-consciousness. The paintings of Lin Bao Ling outline fantastical landscapes of the night like such. He sets a beautiful trap that no audience can help but to fall into. It evokes the fatal attraction of our desires. In the end, this trap will lead to emptiness, the gaps in history and the bleak abyss of life.
Firstly, there would be no harm in starting with a clear thread to the story...
The Light of Light: Caravaggio and Lin Bao Ling
Obviously, Lin Bao Ling’s works focus on the portrayal of “light”. One could even say that light has almost become one of the hallmarks of his work. Be it landscapes, fantasy, still-life or portraits, Lin never ceases to strive out of the light and toward darkness. Part of the fabric of art history, we naturally think of the work of Caravaggio when light is taken as the main subject of a composition. Indeed, the use of light by both artists draws on tension and dramatic variation of back-lighting.
However, when examining the properties of light and the techniques used to present it, the two artists are completely different. Caravaggio presented light through the decisive moments of history and religion. The moment that art forms, it reaches eternity and entirety. Therefore, the light that Caravaggio presents is the impassioned transcendence of unwavering faith and the thickness of time. As for Lin Bao Ling, his presentation of light flashes between our interwoven realities and fantasies. All of a sudden, the light reaches its greatest capacity, transforming a land of darkness from banality into a heaven of our dreams. It can, however, at any moment disappear. If one were to say that Caravaggio’s light is the magnificent, powerful yet romantic light of the daytime, then Lin Bao Ling’s light is that of the night. It indulges in the endless dream-like light of darkness.
To take things a step further and look at the light itself, Caravaggio’s light is the “light of God”. It lays the foundation of the painting and fills up the scene. Things exist which cannot be seen, but only under the premise that some things can be seen. As for Lin Bao Ling, his light is the “light of objects”. It is not natural, yet neither is it strange. It cannot hold up the great dark night, so it can only counter attack sporadically. Thus, the foundation of Lin’s works is the dimness and endless darkness. Things exist which can be seen, but only under the premise that some things cannot be seen.
However, to speak strictly on the purpose of using strong light and the fundamental motivations for doing so, Caravaggio and Lin Bao Ling share similarities. The work of both contains the powerful energy of art- an energy from an impersonal source.
Although Caravaggio’s light brings God’s grace, it manifests a horrific violence and the shadow of death. Therefore, his light does not have a single direction. Behind the strong light, there is the shadow of the mortal world. There is a living God of Wine who has suffered through many tragedies in life. He shows violence through the recklessness of life, yet points out the unforeseeable abyss of mankind’s destiny. Meanwhile, Lin Bao Ling's use of light is related to the destruction of images. It creates confusion, surfacing between uncertainty and mobility. The unclear borders between light and shadow give fantastical colors to the clear modern world whilst, in turn, changing the original meaning of the images. Both manifest a somewhat romantic and unconventional intent. Therefore, the purpose of the strong light is not only to emphasize the focus and immediacy of the setting, but more importantly, only with the strongest light can the deepest darkness be brought forth. In the dark abyss of the art, there is a greater image of humans and their primal and barbaric motivations.
The light of each artist originates from humanity's potential power, a power that we are not aware of and one which involves the question of sovereignty. Through the spirit of the alchemist, Mercurius, the very source of spirit itself possesses the double identity of elevation and degeneration. Under this creative and destructive power, all of Caravaggio’s lights incubated the intertwined, twisted and elevated motivation behind the later Baroque art. As for Lin Bao Ling, the light he presents brings forth the dialectical relationship between the beauty of reality and fantasy through destruction, dissolution and disappearance. It evokes the existing deviation issues of reality. If Lin’s works have any concrete image, then they were all formed accidentally under mobile and intertwined shapeless vestiges. The《Nocturne Series》(2003-2015), for example, looks like a purely accidental splash of ink. Yet, this mistake accidentally brings about a surprising image that shines radiantly. Therefore, the image of the work comes from accident and ambiguity. However, it is precisely this ambiguity that makes us delve further into the deepest layers of the façade. Only then can we begin to seriously face the fact that the image itself might just be the origin of the problem.
Darkness - Art
It is also possible that Lin Bao Ling touched on the decadent aesthetics of the contemporary period, or further still, the power of evil. This is an intermediate version of Charles Baudelaire’s melancholic aesthetics, in which, we find refinery, beauty and horror. When the audience gazes upon uncontrollable disappearance and disintegration, they do not fear it anymore. Rather, they run towards it, seeing it as the ever desirable embodiment of beauty. Baudelaire’s melancholy came from Paris, a capital city in the process of modernization. This unique period at the end of the 19th century replaced the surrender to the conditions that had gone before, unveiling anxiety and loss evoked by dissolution of the enormous system and values. In this period was born the 20th century’s aesthetics of denial and ruin.
In terms of the aesthetic of ruins hidden in the waves of avant-garde art movements at the beginning of the 20th century, Lin Bao Ling’s works have not yet reached such status. This is not because the image of his paintings seem sharp under the high contrasts of lights and shadows, it is rather a demonstration of Lin Bao Ling's skill which is yet to disperse or dissolve. Conversely, he has worked hard to create such dazzling images taking shape under the uncertainty of mobility. Such a chance encounter is actually the result of well-practiced operation. Therefore, the disintegration present in Lin’s works is rather a natural result of careful planning, not some kind of uncontrollable disintegration. The works attempt to correspond with the alarm of decline and craziness activated by extreme rationality.
In fact, disintegration cannot be launched by individuals alone. History has set ruins on humanity long ago. Art is just a way to unearth it.
This aesthetic movement did not completely disappear after the post-war economic recovery and stabilization of society. If there is any active meaning, then it is to make us truly understand, “there is a shadow behind every light.” Something important to look at is that, although shadow has repeatedly been suppressed and muted, it is still at the core of the history. If modernization and instrumental reason were the light, then we will inevitably become the shadow when we cast the light forward and move toward the future and dreams. Though time passes by, modernization has never stopped: cities around the world keep growing, spreading and invading; the modern Babel seems to get bigger and taller; the path and range of labor and migrant work seems to be farther and farther. Humanity has been torn and twisted with a greater force, and due to this, Baudelaire’s themes are still relevant in art. Lin Bao Ling took it from Paris to cities such as Taipei and New York and many more unknown spaces. For example, 《Night Fantasia》（2014-5）or《Palace of Light and Shadow》（2013-5）repeatedly portrays the ubiquitous underworld. We never woke up from it. Or could it be said that we never slept? We are stuck in between reality and dreams. The scenes are both endless nights and endless days. It seems to be eternity and a moment at the same time.
Yet, this fantastical land is already where the modern dwell poetically. If “I am my own hiding place,” then shadow has already been waiting there since before my birth.
Suddenly, perhaps we can finally understand the French poet Joë Bousquet’s strange lines. He said:
My wound existed before me,
I was born to embody it...
Yes, everyone carries at least one wound that aches quietly on its own. The wound has existed before the confirmation of the self. Or we can say that we never really existed before finding the wound. The self that “I” thought I was, is ultimately realized through the wound. Before this, the subject is only a mirage. Through Lin Bao Ling’s works, we are forced to see that wound and look head-on into the dark realm into which we were born.
The final absolute gaze, we cannot stop but throw ourselves in. In the most hidden wound, between the flickering of light and shadow and the random chance of destruction, flowing and gathering of the form, we shudder with a burning desire.
-
Cheng Sheng Hua
Received an M.A. in Art Theory from National Kaohsiung Normal University and a Ph.D. in Art Studies (Art Criticism) from National Taiwan Normal University. He is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at National Kaohsiung Normal University.
He has received the Huang Junbi Ink Painting Scholarship, first prizes in the “Xinzhuang Art Exhibition” and the “Shih An Aesthetics Thesis Award,” as well as first place in the graduate division of the “Chu Teh-Chun 88 Retrospective Art Criticism Award” at National Taiwan Normal University. He was also selected for the “Digital Art Criticism Award” in 2005 and 2007.
His research fields include contemporary art theory, digital art, art criticism, critical theory, and analytic aesthetics.
He is the author of Manufacturing Art: On Goodman’s Philosophy of Art.
留言
張貼留言