现代水墨画孕育于五十年代初的台湾，发展于六十年代的台湾及香港。经香港大学校外进修部的吕寿昆先生及中文大学艺术系的刘国松先生的大力推动，在探讨现代水墨画的路途上，形成了两大派系，无论在画理或技法上都有所不同;在理论上：对中国传统「笔墨」的见解，有狭义与广义之分;在技法上：一派沿着传统皴法加以设计观念，力求新的发展，另一派主皴法的革新，由肌理(皴)的创新入手，建立个人风格。香港的现代水墨画在两个主流画派的推动下，曾有个相当蓬勃兴旺的发展;七十年代时的香港大会堂展览厅，几乎每个月都有一次以上的现代水墨画展，“香港特区政府”艺术馆每两年一届的当代艺术双年展，都有大量的现代水墨画参展，选出具有一定代表性的现代水墨画作品。很可惜的是，随着九七年限的迫近，大量的现代水墨画家相继移居海外，香港现代水墨画坛，又好像沉寂起来。相反，中国大陆的美术界，经刘国松先生回国讲学，作品巡回展览后，好像春雷惊破，唤醒国内一羣要在画理及技法上找寻出路的画家，纷纷投身于现代水墨画的创作;他们的作品在国内尚未被普遍地肯定及接受，但在香港及台湾的商业画廊里，却有很大的市场。

　　总括来说，现代水墨画已渐渐成为中国绘画的主流。现代水墨画家，由台、港而发展至整个中国，继而蔓延至与中国文化有连系的国家，如日本、韩国、星加坡、马来西亚等地，显示出东方画系的继续发展。

　　刘国松先生曾在很多研讨会、讲座中提出：「在二十世纪末之前，中国水墨画将会进入世界艺坛;并出现伟大的现代水墨画大师。」「从事现代水墨画创作的人，要有信心，乘搭由中国艺坛开出的第一班「廿世纪船」，做现代水墨画的领航员在世界艺术史上留下明亮的航标。」

　　我个人从事现代水墨创作，始于一九七八年，一向以来，总是漫不经心。近年来，偶有联合展览或海外邀约展出，才抽闲画上写两三张;十多年来，还能创作不缀，未敢稍停。「赶上第一班船」的理论一直莹绕在脑海中;去年。本人毅然辞去在小学教学的繁重行政工作，专注于绘画，虽然未敢奢望做领航员，但望能做一个船上乘客，不致辜负师友们的期望，对自己的终身兴趣……绘画,也付出一定的时间与精神，现将这段起步的过程，选出部分作品，作为凡艺术生命的第一次「个人画展」。

　　我的首次水墨画个展，选用了四个我爱画的山水境界做主题：云、霞、峰、涧。云霞飘渺，羣峰隐现;急涧飞瀑，流水淙淙，是现实也是梦幻，是绘画也是心性。一向以来，本人都对幽寂空灵的环境有特殊偏好，这点也许是在少年时代已养成的。那时，总喜欢独自溜到人迹罕至的山林溪涧中捉「绳虎」，听虫声、风声、揽云踏雾，独坐冥想。年纪渐重，看的事物、景物多了，反而愈喜庆这种境界;我画面上的描绘，在现实生活体验中，并不存在，只是「造境」。这是创造的境界，是我思想上解散烦嚣闷气的出路。这些境界，很多时是要靠在纸面上先拓印上无意识的效果所引发，从拓印痕迹走进自己空灵幻想的造境世界。画面上的颜色，除了跟随一段的美学规则外，很多时也参考了风景照片，但最重要的是当时的心境。

　　斗方画面，是我多年来所喜好的。这种画面及装裱，令我觉得更配合我的造境，更富现代气息。我会继续用这种规格去表达自我境界。

　　这画册上的作品，大多是近年的创作，印刊成书，祈望艺坛前辈的不吝赐教。

　　陈成球

　　Preface-for my first One-man Show

　　Modern ink painting originated in Taiwan in 1950s and developed in Taiwan and Hong Kong in 1960s. Under the earnest promotion of Mr Lui Shou-kwan of the Department of Extramural Studies, HKCU and Mr Liu Kuo-sung of the Department of Fine Art, HKCU, two major schools have been formed to explore modern ink painting. They hold different opinions onboth theories and techniques. In the case of theory, there are narrow and broad senses about the Chinese traditional uses of the brush and ink. With regard to techniques, one school designs new ideas along with the traditional ‘cun’ to explore new areas while the other school strongly claims revolution on ‘cun’. (cun – stroke of papinting technique to add surface on hills or rocks.) The latter also emphasizes building up personal style through innovation of texture. Chinese ink painting in Hong Kong, under the promotion of these two major schools, once had a very flourishing development. There was more than one modern ink painting exhibition in Hong Kong City Hall almost every month during 1970s. A great number of ink painting entries has also been found among the Bi-annual Exhibition held in Hong Kong Art Museum. However, it really is a pity that, with the approach of 1997, activities on Hong Kong Chinese ink painting have become greatly reduced due to the incessant emigration of modern ink painting artists. On the other hand, as a result of lectures and circuit exhibitions held by Mr Liu Kuo-sung in mainland China, the artists there have been awaken. They all devote to the creation on modern ink painting, attempting to get an outlet for their theories and techniques. Even though their works are not yet popular in mainland China, an active market has recently been formed in the commercial art galleries in both Hong Kong and Taiwan.

　　In brief, modern ink painting has gradually become the main stream in Chinese painting and modern Chinese ink painting artists have emerged in Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China as well as countries which are related to China in culture like Japan, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, thus indicating the continuous development of oriental painting.

　　In numerous seminars and lectures, Mr Liun Kuo-sung claimed, “Before the turn of this century, Chinese ink painting will have a place in world art and great masters in modern ink painting will emerge.” “People dedicated to the career of modern ink painting must have faith in being the first passengers of the 20th Century Voyage from China as well as pilots in modern ink painting in order to act as bright guiding lighthouses in the history of world art.”

　　Personally, I started my career in the creation of modern Chinese ink painting in 1978. I have not been serious about it and made only one or two paintings occasionally for local joint exhibitions or invitations from overseas. Nevertheless, I have kept on painting for more than ten years because the idea of ‘taking the first voyage’ has been urging me to work. Last year I firmly resigned from the primary school executive workload in order to concentrate on painting. I do not mean I would be a pilot which may be too high an expectation of me. However, I have resolved to be a passenger in the voyage. In so doing, not only can I meet the expectations of my instructors and friends, but I can also devote some time and mind to my everlasting interest – painting. I have now selected some works of my starting stage to be my first one-man show in my art career.

　　In my first one-man show, I have selected four landscape features I lilke to be main themes: clouds, mists, peaks and waterfalls, Mountain peaks hiding and emerging among flowing clouds and mists, high springs, and flying waterfalls composing heavenly song – these are reality as well as dreams, paintings as well as the mind. So far I myself have had a particular liking for such tranquil and spiritual surroundings. This is perhaps a habit I formed in childhood. In those years, I used to visit the remote streamed bushes to catch insects, listen to their songs and rattling rhythms of trees, embrace the clouds and walk in mist and even sit there meditating all day. The older I grow and the more I experience, I like this plain lifestyle more. The paintings I made do not exist in real life; they are in fact imaginations. This is creation, an outlet for hectic and secular pressures. These paintings are often made by inscribing traces of unconscious effects on the paper, which lead me to the imaginary world of creation. The colors in the paintings, besides based on esthetic rules frequently come from landscaped pictures. The decisive factor, however, is the mood at the moment of creating the painting.

　　Painting on a square sheet has been my favorite these years. This shape and its framing together make me feel that this not only agrees well with my creation but gives my works a contemporary sense. I am sure I will continue to adopt this shape to bring out the effects of my creation.

　　Finally, the works in this volume are mostly recent creations. I sincerely hope that elders in art career will not hesitate to make constructive comments.

　　Chan Shing-kau

　　June 1991