2016年：许梦丰获颁新加坡文化奖

Photo by the Straits Times

2016年10月4日 星期二联合早报黄向京报道：

许梦丰　诗书画皆有情

今年出炉的文化奖得主许梦丰（64岁），是新加坡非常少见融诗书画于一体的艺术家，皆自学成家，在艺文圈中，旧学之好是公认的。

他接受《联合早报》专访时说，诗书画是中国历代文人尤其是明代文人的特征，如今现代社会人浮心躁，比较少见。凡提到心喜的诗人，他马上吟咏几首，谈起书画种种，也滔滔不绝。

得奖对许梦丰来说是“艺术界给予的肯定，也是鼓励”。他认为，成就不是个人得来的，是父母与师长、社会上的朋友与各阶层人士的鼓励造就而成。他特别提及啸涛篆刻书画会的同伴——李福茂与陈建坡，艺术路上彼此鼓励赞美，一同成长。

也是文化奖得主的陈建坡受访时说：“老友梦丰不仅诗书画皆佳，书法传授也自成一套，年轻一代书法写得好的，出自他的门下。作为啸涛篆刻书画会中坚分子，梦丰对画会影响很大，因为他在各方面都很认真，画会很多成员对他很敬仰。”

好与古人为师为友

许梦丰单身，花鸟为伴，37岁从中国银行辞掉文书部经理，全心作诗书画，平时甚少卖画，以教画维生。陈建坡将他比喻为“现代林逋”（宋代隐士），恬淡好古，与世无争，梅妻鹤子。

许梦丰也是新加坡书法家协会高级评议员、狮城书法篆刻会名誉理事、双林寺艺术顾问和艺岭书画会顾问，经常在国内外获书画奖，常作书法示范与推广古诗艺术。

许梦丰好与古人为师为友，喜欢的书法家有东晋的“二王”（王羲之和王献之父子）、唐代的褚遂良、宋代的米芾、苏东坡和元代的赵孟頫。他至今写了三四百首诗，1998年出版《梦轩笔荟》诗集，偏爱的诗人有唐代的杜甫、李商隐、白居易、宋代的苏东坡、杨万里。

画家的艺术启蒙为母亲及中学华文老师陈兴，与已故书法家陈人浩、潘受亦师亦友。潘受生前曾在许梦丰一幅八哥与九重葛画题上赠诗“三绝期君续郑虔（唐代著名诗书画家），诗书画蔚梦丰梦”。许梦丰说：“诗书画是一个整体，三者结合最好，从一张画里通过诗文能看到艺术家内心的表达。”

许梦丰去年为庆祝新加坡金禧50周年画了一幅彩墨画，取材路边经常看到的大红色九重葛（也称“宝巾”），老枝杆延伸出的长条在风中摇曳，风姿迷人。这种容易生长，愈炎热愈怒放的花种，令画家倾倒，在画上书写自作诗“欣欣五十年，此木蕃愈美，获育有三才，昌荣逾百纪”。

倾心工笔画

另一幅竹林间荷塘白鹭的工笔画，荷花用没骨法画成，叶子染色三四遍，巧妙留白，展现工笔画的细致精美，色感层次丰富，构图布局清雅。写意画做不到工笔画的细致与细腻，令许梦丰倾心工笔画。画家在画上题自作诗“白鹭频来去，曾无漾水痕，老荷迎夕照，摇曳任风喧”，另一幅荷塘白鹭题上“鹭鸶闲散轻消长，一律荣枯冷眼看”，乃艺术家性情写照。

许梦丰自小养鸟种花，在马林百列16楼组屋住家“说梦轩”不远的寺庙种有荷花30几盆，对花的感情比一般文人多了农夫耕耘的深情。他是有名的“花痴”，几乎每年春天都飞去中国看牡丹花。他什么花都画，但荷花画多，胡姬较少，不过特地为散发幽香的黑胡姬（画家昵称“黑妹”）作诗。

他笔下花鸟题材出自本土，比如八哥或孔雀与九重葛、火鸡与牵牛花、白鹦鹉与鸡蛋花的组合新颖，也从身边周遭捕捉到马来家庭聚集马林百列海滩野餐捉鱼的消闲之情，用水墨点染出勿洛黄昏后的天空云色变化无穷。

每隔10年才办一次个展

工笔画费神费力，许梦丰作画速度极慢，一张四尺工笔画《蓝天下的快乐》，可以画上几个月。他看到寺庙种的一棵鸡蛋花在蓝天白云下绽放花朵，赞叹不已，以一只白鹦鹉和一棵盛开的鸡蛋花树为主体，将背景一层层染成宝蓝色。

一年最多只能画四五张大画的许梦丰，几乎每隔10年才办得成一次个展。他在1998年办人生第一个个展，2008年办第二次（出版《梦轩艺荟》），第三次将在10月底于富丽敦酒店的“那薇画廊”举行。

这次个展“惜花·赏画”展出五六十幅近期作品，工笔画占了大半，有花鸟、扇面镜片、人物、书法系列。其工笔画深受宋画影响，主要融合没骨、双钩、撞粉等传统技法。宋代工笔画除了金碧辉煌、构图饱满，也因注重写生，以工笔画为审美趣味，显得气韵生动和耐人玩赏，免于匠气。许梦丰以为现代人急于求成，按捺不住心境，没有耐心与诚意，缺乏沉淀的心情，画工笔的愈发少见了。

从前专攻工笔画时，朋友以为落伍，劝许梦丰不要画，搞些新潮的玩意儿，但他坚持一己之爱，不管他人目光，认真且深情地去画。终其一生，他为画画而画画，为写诗而写诗，为写书法而写书法，并引宋代黄庭坚《幽芳亭》作为自励的座右铭：“兰甚似乎君子，生于深山丛薄之中，不为无人而不芳。雪霜凌厉而见杀，来岁不改其性也。是所谓遯世无闷，不见是而无闷者也。兰虽含香体洁，平居与萧艾不殊。清风过之，其香蔼然”。

最近不再收新学生，拨出更多时间创作的许梦丰透露，最大的心愿是未来几年完成一幅12尺乘1尺的白描长卷，描绘每年一度的大宝森节游行，印度服饰金银首饰香炉入画，加上超过百人人物群像，以传达该社群对神明的虔诚。

Artist Koh Mun Hong
Reported by the Straits Times on 4 Oct 2016

It was the death of a beloved teacher that set Koh Mun Hong's mind on becoming a full-time artist.

He recalls clearly the moment in 1976, at the funeral of Mr Chen Jen Hao, a former principal of Dunman Government Chinese Middle School (now Dunman High School), where he was a student.

He had gone to pay his respects, as did his former art teacher at the school, pioneer Singapore artist Liu Kang.

He says in Mandarin: "Liu Kang took my hands in his and told me, 'If you want to be an artist, you should do it while you are still young. Don't wait.'"

The late Mr Chen, who studied art in Shanghai and Paris, was skilled in Chinese calligraphy and an inspiration to younger artists. But instead of becoming one himself, he spent much of his life as an educator.

Koh says: "I had wanted to be an artist since I was young, but I made up my mind then to do it."

The youngest of six children born to a small-time businessman and a housewife says his mother was the one who supported his interest in art and nature. She encouraged him to draw and would scrounge for empty tin cans so he could grow the wild plants and flowers he brought home.

His first brush with Chinese calligraphy was in secondary school as a member of the calligraphy club. His imagination was immediately seized, he says, by the "magical feeling" of wielding a brush and using it to express beauty.

After finishing national service, he worked as an administrative executive at a bank in the day and pursued calligraphy at night, teaching himself by reading books.

He considered enrolling in an art school, but decided that he preferred the freedom of learning on his own to following a structured curriculum.

He credits the late calligrapher Pan Shou, whom he met through a mutual friend, as an important mentor.

He says: "I learnt a lot by watching him write Chinese calligraphy and from our conversations about poetry. His poems have such a dignified air, they leave you deeply inspired."

It was not until 1989, however, when he had enough savings, that he left his job as a bank administrative manager to become a full-time artist.

The bachelor says: "I set myself a deadline to quit by 1989, when I was 38 years old and still had the energy to devote myself to art."

He adds: "Four years before I was going to leave, I told my boss and colleagues about my plan, but they thought I was joking. When they finally realised I was serious, they sat me down and did the sums to show me why I should not give up my job."

To supplement his income, he teaches at a community centre, as well as at his Housing Board flat in Marine Parade.

He also sells his calligraphy and paintings through group exhibitions organised by the Siaw-Tao Chinese Seal-Carving, Calligraphy and Painting Society, which he is a member of.

He says he is happy to be conferred the Cultural Medallion award and receive recognition for his hard work and contribution to the arts. He has not yet, however, made plans on how he might use the $80,000 fund he has access to.

For him, a life lived without regrets, in pursuit of his love of art, has been a rich one.

He says he was so inspired to see the lovely moonlight scene described by Tang poet Du Fu in a poem that he once woke up at 4am to try and catch the view.

"What a beautiful sight it was," he says, adding: "I believe that if I enjoy something, but I don't do it, I will have regrets."