为时代增辉，与世界同行

徐继宏

何水法喜欢穿大红色的衣服。用他自己的话说，红色象征着活力，红色代表着繁荣，红色蕴含着希望。

笔者与何水法相见时，今年72岁的他穿着依然是那样的红，说话依然是那樣的豪放和不拘。

今年是改革开放40周年。何水法说，作为改革开放的见证人、伟大时代的受益者、中华文化的传播者，有着更多的感悟、思考和期许。

不拘一格降人才

“我没读过大学，是1978年不拘一格降人才的政策，让我成为改革开放的直接受益者。可以说，没有改革开放，就没有我的今天。”作为改革开放的见证者，何水法开门见山地说。

从1978年到2018年，40年过去了，何水法还清晰地记得，是改革开放的春风，让他有幸成为改革开放后全国第一批国画系花鸟专业的研究生。

1978年，刚过而立之年的何水法遇到了改变人生命运的大好机遇——国家出台了一系列加紧人才选拔培养的政策，打破唯学历、唯资历的限制，唯才是举、唯才是用，不拘一格降人才。出于对绘画艺术的挚爱，这一年他选择了报考中国美术学院（前身为浙江美术学院）研究生。

为了复习迎考，他带上干粮，在位于杭州市大学路的浙江图书馆一待就是一整天。《中国美术史》中的内容当时是必考的，但书买不到，他就到图书馆去借阅。后来，他干脆开始动手抄书，抄了3天，只抄到一半。再后来，这种刻苦用功的劲头把图书馆管理员给打动了，剩下的部分，图书管理员允许他把书借回家去抄。就这样，用了一周的时间，他硬是把一本《中国美术史》给抄完了。后来，学校又临时通知要加考《西方美术史》，他又去图书馆抄书。前后一个多月时间，他基本上都是在图书馆度过的。

功夫不负有心人，由于准备充分，何水法如愿以偿。何水法说，不拘一格降人才的政策好，但还要有扎实的基本功和文化积淀才能支撑艺术的发展。比如，1975年和1977年中国有两次赴日本开书法展，他的作品都被选中。1975年的那一次，全国共入选67件作品，浙江入选6件，分别是陆维钊、吴茀之、诸乐三、陆抑非、骆恒光、何水法。第二次是1977年，全国共入选63件作品，浙江又有4件入选，分别是陆维钊、吴茀之、诸乐三、何水法。当时，国家对书画艺术十分重视，其作品两次入选书法展，对顺利考上中国美术学院研究生也发挥了很大的作用。

“尽管从小就习书画画，但系统学习中国画艺术，还是从读研究生开始的。”何水法说，是1978年改革开放好政策，让他走进了真正的艺术殿堂，也让他的艺术生涯从此丰富而多彩。

笔墨当随时代

艺术源自生活，笔墨当随时代。这是何水法常说的一句话。在他看来，艺术离开生活，就等于无源之水；笔墨离开时代，则将失去艺术的高度，因而变得贫乏从而失去蓬勃向上的精神和意义。

自幼就喜爱书法绘画的何水法，爱思考，喜创新，重探索。所以他的作品能够守正出奇、食古化今。从他屡屡创作的精品力作中，可以看到他的刻苦追求和坚定执着。

从1990年开始，何水法就开始尝试中国花鸟画技法和表现形式的创新。“搬掉大石头。从看一枝到看一片，这是我对花鸟画技法的一个突破。”何水法翻开了他的画册，指着作品《烂漫秋光》对笔者说，这幅画能独树一帜，避开古人“石头、花朵、枝叶”的传统构图方式，运用全景式构图，全画幅呈现花鸟画的张力和气势，画出了情感，画出了氛围，画出了中国花鸟画的时代气息和精神风貌。这个探索过程他用了足足7年时间。

牡丹花是何水法的最爱，也是他作品表现的主要内容。“牡丹花就像是我的‘老朋友，每年我都会去看她，用画笔与她对话。而且，‘老朋友每年都不一样，每年都有新的变化。”何水法说，艺术生涯的几十年，先后14次赴山东菏泽等牡丹花产地写生、绘画。

在艺术界，何水法还是出了名的爱管“闲事”之人，除了绘画，他十分关注民生民意民情。从2008年开始，两届浙江省政协常委、全国政协委员的履职经历中，他提交的提案就达50余件之多，平均一年5件。其中不乏诸如美术馆、博物馆免费开放，政府购买公共服务等关乎民生、民情、民意的优秀提案。

艺术家要有家国情怀。何水法说，2010年的《富春山居图》“合璧”就是出自他的提案。2010年是黄公望创作《富春山居图》660周年。作为文化艺术界的政协委员，何水法认为这是一个契机，也有特别的纪念意义，就大胆地提出《关于将〈富春山居图〉合二为一建议》的提案。没想到，在当年全国两会的记者招待会上，得到了社会各界的一致赞同和共鸣。最终，海峡两岸的《富春山居图》“合璧”展出，成为当年的文化盛事。“没有好时代，也就没有我这些好提案。”何水法至今仍记忆犹新。

让世界了解中国

艺术无国界，文化无疆域。文化是民族的，也是世界的。何水法说，优秀的传统文化是一个国家的底蕴、底气所在。中华优秀文化要世界共享，要立于世界之林，就必须“走出去”，更要“走进去”。

近年来，何水法对中国传统文化“走出去”有了更多的思考和感悟。如今，何水法的作品不仅走进了钓鱼台国宾馆、北京人民大会堂、中国国家博物馆，还走进了世界上多个国家的国家博物馆。中国花鸟画艺术也引起了一些国家政要和精英人士的喜爱和关注。英国主流媒体BBC也专门对何水法进行专题采访。

2013年，何水法在意大利西西里岛建立了何水法艺术中心，此后，波兰卢布林市也建立了何水法艺术中心。这些艺术中心开馆六七年来，先后接待了一批又一批中外艺术家朋友和市民观众。“一个中国画家的作品能够在异国他乡受到重视和喜爱，说明中国的传统文化艺术也就是世界传统文化艺术。文化互鉴，民心相通。从某种意义上讲，中外文化交流互鉴对于加强中国与世界的交流，起到了积极的推动作用。”

在何水法看来，中国画的笔墨精神就是新时代的中國文化精神。这些年，何水法除了赴国外办个展外，还把很大一部分时间用在了引进国外优秀文化艺术交流上。座落在杭州富阳的抱华楼是何水法的个人艺术馆，也是与国外优秀文化艺术交流的窗口。抱华楼建成后，已先后引进乌克兰油画展及玻璃艺术展，波兰版画、摄影及平面设计展以及美国、德国、日本等国的油画展等系列活动。

艺术家的宿命就是探寻和表达。何水法有一个心愿，就是等到80岁生日的时候，他要在联合国举办一场大型的中国花鸟画展览，这个展览的题目已经想好了，就是《丝路百花——100个国家国花画展》，内容就是100个国家的国花。

何水法说，他要通过100个国家的国花画展，让中华传统文化与世界接轨；他要用传统的中国绘画技法，向世界人民展现各美其美、美美与共的社会大同愿景。他希望用这盛开的百花，祈愿世界各国和平安定，如花绚烂。

He Shuifa：

Add Color and Glory to Our Era and World

By Xu Jihong

He Shuifa loves to dress himself in red. In his words， red symbolizes energy， prosperity， hope. When I met him for this interview， the 72-year-old artist was dressed in red， and he spoke ebulliently and freely. He said reform and opening up to the outside world， which started in China 40 years ago， changed his life completely. He is a witness to all the wonders and marvels that have emerged in China. He is a beneficiary of the great modernization drive， and he considers himself a promoter of Chinese culture at home and abroad. He has a solid understanding of the past and the present and has expectations for the future.

“I didnt have four-year undergraduate studies in college. The talent policy adopted in 1978 benefited me directly. Reform and opening up to the outside world made what I am，” declared He emotionally in this opening statement in the interview.

In 1978， he was 30. The national government issued a series of policies for finding talents and putting them into good places. That year， Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts， the predecessor of China Academy of Art today， was to enroll anyone who passed the entrance examination for graduate studies. He Shuifa qualified for taking the entrance examination even though he had no college degree. He started a crash course for himself. He spent days at Zhejiang Library boning up on . The book wasnt available anywhere else. Then he began to copy the book word by word. After three days， the librarian allowed him to check the book out so that he could transcribe it at home. After learning that the history of western art was to be part of the examination， he began to copy the book at the library. For about a month， he prepared himself for the examination.

Artistically， He Shuifa had overqualified. In 1975 and 1977， his calligraphies were selected for two exhibitions in Japan. The two exhibitions displayed his works side by side with works of artists and calligraphers of national renown. His virtuosity helped him pass the examination smoothly.

Though he had started learning calligraphy and painting since childhood years， it was the graduation course that gave him a systematic training in Chinese art. The reform and opening up to the outside world which started in 1978 have defined him and answered the three philosophical questions for him. He knows who he is， where he came from and where he will be.

If reform and opening up to the outside world changed He Shuifa， the artist has brought breakthrough innovation into flower-bird painting， a key subgenre in traditional Chinese art. In 1990 he started exploring possibilities in techniques and expressions of flower-bird painting. He opened an album and pointed to a painting of his titled “Autumnal Lights” and explained why it was a breakaway from tradition. The painting presents flowers in a panorama instead of a traditional format of stones， flowers， and branches. It took him a good seven years to find this perfect modern way to express the verve of today.

He Shuifa has a passion for painting peonies. The flower stands for his art， in a sense. “Peonies are my old friends. I travel every year to pay them a visit. They present differences year in year out and introduce new changes constantly，” said He. The artist was referring to his visit to Heze in Shandong Province and other places famed for peonies. In his career， he has visited Heze fourteen times.

Hes artworks are now in the collections of Diaoyutai State Guesthouse， the Great Hall of People， China National Museum as well as major museums overseas. BBC has interviewed the artist.

He Shuifa Art Center in both Sicily， Italy and Lublin， Poland is a place where art enthusiasts and artists visit and exchange ideas. He Shuifa is proud of the centers. “The centers mean that traditional Chinese culture and art communicate a universal beauty. In a sense， the centers play an active part in enhancing the bond between China and the rest of the world，” he said proudly.

In recent years， He Shuifa has worked to introduce international artists to China. He Shuifa Art Museum in Fuyang， Hangzhou has held quite a few art exhibitions featuring oil paintings， glass art， woodprints， photography， and graphic design by artists from Ukraine， Poland， the United States， Germany， and Japan.

An artist who is destined to explore and express， He Shuifa wishes to hold a solo show of flower-bird painting at the United Nations when he is 80 years old. He has already dreamed up a title for the would-be exhibition： 100 Flowers of Silk Road. He is going to paint and exhibit the national flowers of 100 countries.