齐凤阁为画家魏谦写的评论文章：魏谦和他的铜版画

沙 漠 中 的 勇 士
——读魏 谦教授的铜版画新作《胡杨林》
齐凤阁
无疑，魏　谦的铜版画以理性追求见长，其《永恒》、《根源的洞察》、《人与大地》几套组画，以大宇宙、大文化的广角观照，内蕴着丰富的精神含量与深刻的哲理思考，从而奠定了他在新时期铜版画史上的地位。然而，他那具有另一审美取向的西部风情系列，则体现出画家边疆十五年深厚的生活底蕴与几经严格训练的扎实功底，同样具有感人的魅力。尤其作品《胡杨林》，堪称风情版画的精品，其技巧之精湛，其技巧之精湛，制作之讲究，意境之幽静，令人叹为观止。
胡扬是中亚、北非及我国新疆一带沙漠中的优良树种，由于其耐干旱、抗风沙，能在恶劣的自然环境中顽强地生长，被誉为“沙漠中的勇士”。此画以准确、生动的线条，细腻丰富的笔调，把其貌不扬，但倔强顽强的胡杨林刻画得潇潇洒洒，充满生机。这是对生命的礼赞，对勇士的讴歌，令人想起古人警句“志士不志在沟壑，勇士不志丧其元”。(《孟子·腠文元下》)如果把胡杨比喻为扎根边疆的英雄儿男，那么背靠胡杨、凝神遐想的哈萨克牧羊女则有几分边疆巾帼的姿色，那在晨曦中闪光的明眸，蕴含着对未来、美好的企盼，那漂亮、现代的服饰体现着摆脱愚昧落后的追求。不是我在无端地发挥着朴实的画面，分明是这清新背后的风情版画中，也透溢出画家淳朴的理性素养。
《胡杨林》的气氛静谧、幽深，具有牧歌般的情调。曙色朦胧，洋溢着晨曦的温馨，草地迷茫，散发着奶茶的醇香，静静吃草的群羊在忘情地享受大自然的恩赐，平静的水面映出胡杨婀娜的身影，那明快无边衬托的凝重树干犹如根根琴弦，但这是凝固的音乐，无声的诗篇。静寂中律动着冥想，沉郁中蕴育着超然。这幅画不一定使你感奋，但却会使你由烦躁归于平静，由功利归于淡泊，忘掉尘世的喧嚣，在审美观照中，使精神系列陶冶，心灵受到净化，站在这幅画面前，你会感受到大自然无穷的魅力，感受到画家对自然的眷恋与纯情。从而唤起对祖国、对生活的挚爱。
此画的成功，还表现在对铜版画艺术语言的锤炼上。画家以他熟练的蚀刻技巧，一丝不苟地制作态度和勇于探索的创新精神，使得画面饶有新意，不落成套，层次丰富，耐人寻味，既可远视，又可近看，精细之处，需用扩大镜看其效果。作品以线为主刻划宏观景致，以软底子腊作防腐剂，用揉皱的纸作出树干的龟裂肌理，牧羊女的长裙则用花边布料压制而成，再进行反复腐蚀，全画经过几十道工序方能完成，技法难度之大，可以想见。
铜版画在欧洲已有六百年的历史，但在我国还是年轻的画种，且因材料昂贵，工艺复杂，一直步履维艰，发展缓慢。然而，魏　谦教授却以顽强的毅力苦耕在这片荒漠的土地上，十余年间创作的铜版画六十余幅，其在艰苦环境中拼搏的精神，其无欲无悔，甘于寂寞的个性素质，真像那沙漠的勇士——胡杨林。
齐凤阁　深圳大学艺术学院院长　教授　美术史论家

WARRIOR IN THE DESERT
On Professor Wei Qian's New Copper Etching A Forest of
Diversiform-Leaved Poplar
By Professor Qi Fenggge
The keynote of Wei Qian's copper plate etching is
rationality. His sets Eternity, Observation of the
Origin of Culture and Man and the Land are filled with
rich spiritual content and profound philosophical
concept; they observe the world from a wide cosmic and
cultural angle. This distinct style has secured Wei Qian
an important position in the history of present-day
copper plate etching. His western features of unique
aesthetic standard demonstrate his 15 years of
experience, his excellent skills and his charm. His new
works, A Forest of Diversiform-Leaved Poplar, with its
technique, making, and content, is a masterpiece of its
genre.
Diversiform-leaved poplar is a type of tree that grows
in Asia Minor, North Africa, and Xinjiang's deserts.
Nicknamed "warrior of the desert", diversiform-leaved
poplar is especially known for its ability to withstand
drought, wind and sand. The print shows the stubbornness
of the tree with precise, vivid lines that make the ugly
tree seem full of life. It is a hymn about life, a
praise to warriors, reminding people of Mencius' words
"People with ambition do not concentrate on their
immediate interest". If the diversiform-leaved poplar is
the hero at the front, then the staring Kazak shepherd
girl leaning against the tree is the heroine. Her bright
eyes at dawn express her hope for a better future and
her beautiful contemporary dress displays a wish to
eradicate ignorance and backwardness.
In diversiform-leaved poplar, a pastoral sense of
profound tranquility prevails. In the gloom of daybreak,
the warmth of the early sun can be felt. The fragrance
of tea with milk lingers in the air. Flocks of sheep are
also grazing quietly, as if enjoying the beauty of
nature. The reflection in the water of the graceful
poplar tree, with its trunk, resembles the strings of an
instrument. It is music frozen, poetry without sound,
meditation in the silence, transcendence in sombreness.
The print will calm your restless soul, making you
forget the clamour of the world and your desire for
wealth and fame. The boundless charm of nature will
purify you and help you understand the artist's feeling
of intimacy towards nature. And then your love for your
country and life will be aroused.
The success of the works is also demonstrated by the
mastery of artistic idioms in etching. The artist made
his works fresh and unique by his skillful technique in
etching, painstaking attitude and his spirit in of
exploration. The print is rich in arrangement of
expressions and therefore can be viewed from afar as
well as from close up. The perspective of the picture is
dominated by engraved lined. A soft wax base is used as
a corrosion resistant material. The cracked texture of
the tree trunk is made of wrinkled paper and the long
skirt of the shepherd girl is made of laced printed