抗日藏书票“花落”余英溪畔
2017-09-07王福田
王福田
提起陳香梅女士,大家首先想到的是一连串闪亮的头衔:望族名媛、飞虎将军遗孀、华府资深顾问、银行董事、中美破冰外交家……
如今,这位世界知名人物与德清结下了情缘。6月17日下午,陈香梅签名藏书票捐赠仪式在德清举行,这枚珍贵的礼物辗转落户德清余英溪畔的陆放艺术馆,成为该馆“镇馆之宝”。
版画家陆放精心制作
陈香梅签名的藏书票是由著名版画家陆放雕刻印制的。谈起这枚藏书票,陆放打开了话匣子,他说:我从小就喜欢画飞机。1944年,我只有12岁的时候,就听大人讲起过飞虎队的英勇事迹。长大后才知道,陈纳德是大名鼎鼎的飞虎队指挥官,他驾机在中国上空同日军作战,是中国人心目中的英雄。正是飞虎队的出击,打击了日本鬼子猖狂轰炸中国后方的嚣张气焰。2015年,在纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利70周年系列活动中,我决定创作两枚藏书票,作为自己参与纪念的力量。一枚是“不能忘却的纪念”,一枚是陈香梅藏书票。后来,在上海“2015陆家嘴梅园杯上海藏书票邀请展”上,这两枚藏书票获得金奖。
为什么要为陈香梅定制藏书票?“一方面是因为陈香梅是陈纳德将军的夫人。”陆放先生说,“另一方面陈香梅在美国政界和商界叱咤风云。从肯尼迪开始,约翰逊、尼克松、福特、卡特、里根、布什、克林顿,8位美国总统聘陈香梅为联邦政府顾问,跻身全美70位最有影响的人物行列。所以,我非常敬重她。”
“陈香梅的藏书票,构图是以飞虎队鲨鱼形的飞机为核心,两枚银杏叶寓意中美友谊和两人爱情留存千古。”陆先生介绍说。
签名藏书票一波三折
这两枚纪念抗日战争胜利70周年的藏书票,是陆放在疗养期间创作出来的。他说:为了赶制作品,经常要加班加点。疗养期间,许多护士都劝他注意休息,每次查房都受到护士的责怪:已经是晚上10点钟多了,为什么还不休息?由于疗养院的灯光不够亮,为了避免雕刻纤细纹路时出现笔误,陆放专门配备了一盏强光灯。
一番辛苦,一片心血。两枚藏书票终于在2015年9月3日纪念日前完工,其中陈香梅藏书票要送到美国去。“考虑到陈香梅女士已经是90岁的高龄,我四哥陆宜每年春节都要往返于上海、华盛顿,四哥的女儿在中国驻美大使馆工作。于是,2015年12月10日,四哥陆宜赴美国,与陈香梅女士见面。转交了我为陈香梅女士所作藏书票,并请求带回一张签名的藏书票。”陆放简要讲述了第一次的交往情况。
没想到,从太平洋彼岸带来的陈香梅签名藏书票,在大家传看中被茶水弄脏了。没办法,只得再邮寄到驻美大使馆,请求陈香梅再次签名。可惜的是,陈香梅第二次是用圆珠笔签名的,不久,笔迹就褪色了。
无奈,第三次又给驻美大使馆寄去一张藏书票。深深感到签名藏书票的珍贵,陆宜决定春节后从美国亲自带回来。
“这次捐赠给德清的,还是陈香梅第一次签名的那张藏书票。尽管被茶水弄脏了,但是通过清洗干净,然后经过拓裱,完好如初。因为是第一次签名,所以特别感到珍贵。”
捐赠仪式结束后,陆放说:陈香梅是世界著名的华人领袖以及中美民间大使,邓小平也赞叹说“美国有一百位参议员,但只有一个陈香梅”。这位高龄老人对这枚藏书票极为夸赞,称之为2015年“最佳的礼物”,并且说:看见此物,仿佛又回到了少女时代,非常激动!非常荣耀!非常幸福!闻知德清建立了陆放艺术馆后,陈香梅女士同意并委托我将藏书票赠与德清。
陆放还说:最近给台湾的余光中也雕刻了一枚藏书票,已经送到台湾一个朋友手中,希望余光中先生身体早日痊愈后也能签名,然后捐赠给德清。
如果把作品比喻成艺术家心爱的女儿,那么,陆放把创作的一系列作品捐赠给德清,无疑“如同把女儿嫁到了德清”。
On the afternoon of June 2017, a ceremony was held at Lu Fang Art Museum in Deqing in commemoration of a bookplate autographed by Anna Chen Chennault (born June 23, 1925, also known as Chen Xiangmei). The ex libris was designed and engraved by Lu Fang, a well known printmaker whose art museum is located in Deqing, a county not far from Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province in eastern China.
“It was in 1944 that I first learned about Flying Tigers,” recalled the artist. “I was 12 years old back then. After I grew up, I got to know that Claire Lee Chennault was the commander of the Flying Tigers which heroically battled the Japanese Air Force in China. Flying Tigers are heroes in the heart of Chinese people. ”
He decided to make two bookplates in 2015 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of Chinas resistance war against Japanese aggression. He wanted to make his personal contribution to the celebration of the historic event. One ex libris he named “For Everlasting Memory” and another was dedicated to Anna Chen Chennault. The two bookplates won a top award at a bookplate exhibition in Shanghai in 2015.
“Why did I want to create an ex libris for Anna Chen Chennault? She was Claire Lee Chennaults wife. And she served as a policy advisor to eight American Presidents from the 1960s on. She is one of the 70 most influential people in the USA. I have respect for her,” Lu Fang explained his motivation.
He made the two bookplates in hospital. The nurses in the ward cautioned him many times and asked him to rest more. The printmaker brought a strong table lamp into the ward and worked.
Lu Yi, the artists elder brother, goes to Washington every year to visit his daughter who works at Chinas embassy there. So the printmaker asked his elder brother to get Anna Chen Chennaults signature on the artwork. The ex libris was brought back with the precious signature. But it got stained when a cup of tea was accidentally knocked down and some tea water splashed. So a new copy was sent over to Washington again. But the new signature was written with a ball pen and the signature faded pretty soon. Lu Fang sent the third copy of the ex libris to the embassy to get a new signature. Lu Yi brought the bookplate back personally after the Spring Festival.
Eventually the first copy of the ex libris was placed in the collection of Lu Fang Art Museum. Anna Chen Chennault said she was happy and excited to receive the gift. She said it was the best gift she had received in 2015.