Description 秋林策杖 Scholar Strolling in the Autumn Mountains
釋文：秋林蕭森，秋山澹盪。雲靄晶然，恣我遊索。
款識：壬子春日畫於白雲堂黃君璧。
鈐印：黃君璧（白文）、君翁（朱文）、白雲堂（白文）
Signed Huang Chun-Pi in Chinese
With three seals of the artist
「渡海三家」之一的黃君璧，向以畫雲水瀑布享譽畫壇，他以自創的「雲水二十法」所描繪壯闊的瀑布景色，早已和其形象融合在一起且深植人心！然而，黃君璧除了瀑布寫生，還有很大一部分繪畫乃是從摹古變化而來，而且此一歷程從早年到晚年無有間斷，如本件作於75歲的《秋林策杖》便是其中典型的例子。
此件畫作，右下角近景為臨水的坡岸和高聳叢樹，位居畫面中央的河谷呈Z字形深入，切割左右兩側山巒形成深遠的空間；而遠山則是雲嵐浮動，有瀑布自谷間直瀉而下，下方間露村墅，全畫罩染淡青色的岩塊和以赭紅點染的樹葉，呈現一片秋意深濃蕭瑟的景象，只見一策杖老人沿著小徑往幽深的山谷走去，一派悠游、安閒自在的神態，正如題詩：「秋林蕭森，秋山澹盪。雲靄晶然，恣我遊索。」所呈現的畫意。此幅畫無論是從「策杖」的畫題、景物不斷往畫面上方疊加的手法、清雅的筆墨與賦色，甚至是畫軸偏向狹長的形制，皆處處可見明代蘇州吳派沈周、文徵明的影子。黃君璧認為「學國畫，不能不自臨摹始，唯得古人奧妙之後，始能創出高超之佳作。」從這件畫作，可以看到他即使到了晚年，仍舊身體力行、持續不輟地師法古人之長，將其融鑄成為自我一家的面貌。
黃君璧一生中，曾經多次以「策杖」為題材創作，其中最著名的畫例即是他在1955年以元人王蒙「牛毛皴」風格所作的《策杖尋幽》，該畫乃是為了慶祝黃君璧與張大千、溥心畲闊別多年之後，於日本東京再次重逢的喜悅，畫上並留有三人題跋，一同見證彼此深厚綿長的友誼。而對照之下，本幅《秋林策杖》並無受贈人的名字，從題詩「恣我遊索」之內容可以看出，黃君璧創作此畫應當是為了自娛，反映出一位文人畫家怡然自得的心境，在略帶涼意的秋天，悠閒漫步山林，沉浸在自我享樂的世界。
Huang Chun-Pi was renowned for his waterfall and clouds subjects. Waterfall and mist scenery created through the "12 ways to portray mists and clouds", invented by Huang, is familiar to the modern viewers. However, apart from waterfall paintings, there is a certain number of paintings derived from ancient scrolls. This particular style of paintings spread throughout his career. This painting, made by the 75-year-old artist, is a typical example.
A shore with high-rise trees is placed at the lower right foreground. A river meanders at the center, dividing the hills on the sides, creating depth in the painting. A distant mountain rises and a waterfall pouring down from above, forming clouds and mists that lead to the village below. The tone of the whole painting is in light green with slight dots of ochre-red for the leaves, representing an autumn scene. An old scholar with a walking crane was strolling towards the valley in a serene complexion. An inscription describes an autumn scene that is free to stroll around. The theme of a scholar holding a crane, a vertical structure of objects, light ink and colours and an elongated structure could be traced back to The Wu School of Suzhou and Wen Zheng-Ming in the Ming dynasty. Huang Chun-Pi believed that one has to learn paintings through imitating old masters. This work is an evidence of his conviction which lasts through till his old age.
A scholar with a crane is a common theme of Huang Chun-Pi. A famous example would be Scholar Strolling in the Woods, after Wang Meng in 1955. This work is a celebration of the reunion with Zhang Da-Qian and Pu Hsin-Yu in Tokyo, Japan. The painting was inscribed by the three artists as a remark of their friendship. This painting has no intended receiver and is inscribed with a poem, which hints that the painting may be kept by Huang Chun-Pi as one drawn at leisure. This further extends to a depiction of his psychological state of a calm character in an autumn scene of his own secluded world.
Dimensions 102 x 39 cm
Artist or Maker HUANG CHUN-PI (Taiwanese, 1898-1991)
Medium 水墨 設色 紙本 鏡框 Ink and colour on paper, framed
Date 1972
Provenance 私人收藏，台灣 Private collection, Taiwan
