曾锦德的少年时期与艺术特质
Formative Years and Artistic Traits of Zeng Jinde
口述者：杨胜
| 采访者：曾路
| 时间：2015年11月9日
| 地点：厦门
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摘要：
曾锦德自少年起博览群书，对历史与社会问题有深入思考，艺术创作注重意境与内在精神追求而非表面技巧。他尊重师长，关怀同学，重视独立思考与道义，对艺术与人生有深刻理解。
关键词：曾锦德；人格特质；师生关系；艺术意境；德化
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一、学术兴趣与艺术特质
锦德前期书读得多，看历史的，对一些社会现象去动脑筋和分析。他想的不是你读了一些诗词的问题，他对整个社会，这方面都很关注的。他的画比较注意意境，有一些同学就画得漂亮，他不求这个，他主要是求内在的东西。这是他和一些同学不一样的地方。
他们同班的这些同学，有的画得不错，很漂亮，但是看完就完了。这个画最简单的就是画得像，他不求这个，他是求里面的内在，既意，他很重视很注意这个问题。张老师在教同学也是比较注意立意，画一张画，应该是怎么样。这点他受张老师的影响还是相当厉害的。
那时候我们很多同学学的时候不是这样的，他是先画一棵树，一朵云它怎么漂亮。但是像锦德就不一样，我画一朵云我什么意思，我想寄一个什么意思，这是他和同学最不一样的。他和我聊得最多的还不是画，是历史问题。他最喜欢历史，特别是美学辩证。他有很多自己的一些见解，不会老师说什么，他就怎么样。社会吹什么风他就怎么样，这点跟别的同学不一样，所以有些人就说他很怪。
我感觉他最大的不同就是，他感觉思想比下笔还要重要。我看他们有的同学，大家追求的东西都在努力，也都在画，他画就和他们不一样。所以他画出来的画你能理解，你就能看到他的东西。你不能理解，你就感觉，他怎么画成这个样子。差别就是这样了。就好象我们那些印象派，那几个大师一样的。大家同样都在画，表现出来的就是不同。有一些就是抽象的，有一些就是两个人在这边，同样是一个杯在这里，你的感觉和我的感觉就是不一样。
同学可能说画一个秋天，大家都秋天的颜色，灿烂怎么的，都是这个概念，但是他的理解就不是光是这样的一个呈现。我看到他这些画都有一些和同学不一样的地方，这点就是他最大的特点，也是大家对他最大的误会。
二、家庭与入学印象
这和从小也有关系，我招生的时候，他就走进来，他爸爸带他进来，有一个距离，第一感觉就不一样了。他父亲个子也不是很高的，也是这样瘦瘦的。那时候口试，我印象比较深，问他：“你为什么要想学，你为什么喜欢画画？”我回忆起来，最印象深刻的是他爸爸带他来，小小的。第一个感觉很重要的。他一辈子都是那样，学艺术同别的同学还是不同，灵性很重要，没有那个灵性你怎么学都一样。
三、师生关系与生活日常
师母待我们就是像自己的孩子一样。就像我和张老师一样的，都是像一家人的那种。也骂你，也疼你，就是这样的，其实已经超过那种师生的关系了，已经有一种慈父的感觉了。
我15岁我和锦德差不多那个年龄，我到八卦楼来。八卦楼那四个角张老师都住过，我都是和他住四个角这样住的。当时我到学校的时候，晚上下自修以后就到张老师那边。当时印象最深，他每个晚上在那边背唐诗，背完了就是写字。因为张老师要求这样，早上写小楷，晚上写大字，然后临摹画。当时张老师很强调石门颂。
张老师的画室和我两个人就是这样，要么他画要么我画，我画他在旁边告诉我要怎么样。锦德有时候也是在那边，也有画，大部分都是晚上。张老师当时很简朴的，他们江苏有一个叫五花肉，炖一锅拿起来就是这样吃，以前那个五花肉，有了大家才是高兴的，瘦肉都不吃的。当时锦德不怎么喝酒的，很少，基本上都不喝酒的。我也是一点酒都不喝的。锦德也是这样的。张老师每天晚上就是要一杯，也不多，他都是这样的。
锦德有一段时间几乎每个晚上都去到张老师那边，都是晚饭以后就过来。当时锦德不像后来，那时候话很少，是听张老师讲，他就听。有时候我们三个人，那时候毕竟年纪小，不一样。他对张老师主要就是一种恩情，他这个人很重义气，这点受张老师影响很大的。他很有恩情，张老师就是很看中他这点，他说看他很纯真，他对人就是这样的。记得我们当时是实习，他都很关照我们的。都有一种感情，那种感情不是一般的，有一些同学那种也不错，但是不一样。感觉上就是不同。
四、艺术学习与创作态度
在德化后期我是没有接触，我去香港了。但是我听他们有时候讲，我就感觉到好些同学根本没有沟通，不是真正理解他，所以就觉得他怎么这么怪，很可惜。我感觉他不是可惜的问题，他就是那种人，你怎么能说什么可惜不可惜。后来我来他们说他怎么样，我说他如果是这样就不是曾锦德。他就是有和别人比较不一样的地方，同时也是很重人情的。
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Oral Record on the Early Artistic Development of Zeng Jinde (Preserving Spoken Style)
Text / Yang Sheng
(Teacher at Fujian Arts & Crafts School; President of Hong Kong Fujian-Taiwan-Guangdong Calligraphy and Painting Association)
Narrator: Yang Sheng
Interviewer: Zeng Lu
Date: November 9, 2015
Location: WeChat Voice
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I. Academic Interests and Thought Traits
I feel that in his early years, Jinde read a lot, he studied history, and he liked to think and analyze social phenomena. He wasn’t just concerned with reading poems. He cared about society as a whole, about these things. His painting focuses more on the artistic conception. Some classmates just painted beautifully, but he didn’t aim for that; what he pursued was the inner essence. That’s what made him different from some of his classmates.
Some of his classmates in the same class painted quite well, very beautiful, but once you looked at it, it was over. The simplest thing in painting is to make it look like something, but he wasn’t after that. He was after the inner meaning, the “idea” behind it. He really paid attention to this. Teacher Zhang also emphasized intention in teaching—how a painting should be. Jinde was deeply influenced by that.
At that time, most of us were not like that. We would first paint a tree, a cloud—how pretty it is. But Jinde was different. If I paint a cloud, what do I mean? What do I want to convey? That’s the difference between him and other classmates.
When we talked, it wasn’t mostly about painting—it was about history. He loved history, especially aesthetic dialectics. He had many personal insights and wouldn’t just follow whatever the teacher said. Whatever trend society was following, he wouldn’t blindly follow it. This made him different from other students, and some people thought he was strange.
I feel his biggest difference is that he thinks ideas are more important than putting brush to paper. I saw other students, all working hard, all painting, but his painting was different. When you understand his painting, you can see what’s inside. If you don’t, you just wonder, “How did he paint it like this?” That’s the difference. It’s like those Impressionist masters. Everyone paints, but the results are different. Some are abstract, some are not—two people painting the same cup will feel different.
Some classmates might say, “Let’s paint autumn,” everyone paints autumn colors, bright and splendid—that’s the concept. But his understanding wasn’t just about showing colors. I saw his paintings always had something different from his classmates. That’s his biggest feature, and also the biggest misunderstanding about him.
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II. Family and First Impression at Enrollment
This also relates to his childhood. When I recruited students, he came in with his father. There was a distance—it felt different at first sight. His father wasn’t very tall, thin like that. During the oral interview, I remember asking, “Why do you want to study? Why do you like painting?” The most memorable thing was his father bringing him in, such a small boy. First impressions are very important.
All his life, studying art was different from other students. Spirituality is very important—without it, no matter how you study, it’s different.
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III. Teacher-Student Relationship and Daily Life
His teacher’s wife treated us like her own children. Just like Teacher Zhang and I, it felt like being part of a family. She would scold you, but also care for you—it already went beyond a teacher-student relationship, like a kind father.
I was about 15, roughly the same age as Jinde. When I came to the Bagua Building, Teacher Zhang had lived in all four corners; I stayed in the same corner as him. After self-study at night, I would go to Teacher Zhang’s place. What impressed me most was that every night he would memorize texts, then write. Teacher Zhang required it: write small characters in the morning, large characters at night, then copy paintings. He emphasized the Shimen Inscription a lot.
The studio with Teacher Zhang was just the two of us. Either he painted or I painted, and I would get instructions on how to do it. Jinde was sometimes there too, mostly in the evenings. Teacher Zhang lived simply. They had a dish from Jiangsu called “five-flower pork”—just boiled together, and everyone was happy when it was ready; the lean meat wasn’t eaten. Jinde rarely drank, basically not at all. I didn’t drink either.
For a while, Jinde went to Teacher Zhang’s place almost every night after dinner. At that time, he didn’t talk much, just listened to Teacher Zhang. Sometimes the three of us were together, and because of our ages, things were different. He felt deep gratitude toward Teacher Zhang. He’s a loyal person, influenced greatly by Teacher Zhang. Teacher Zhang valued that—seeing his pure heart, his way of treating people.
I remember during our internship he took good care of us. There was a feeling, a kind of bond—not like other classmates, who were also good, but different. It just felt different.
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IV. Artistic Learning and Creative Attitude
I didn’t interact with him much in later Dehua years, I had gone to Hong Kong. But I heard from others sometimes that many classmates didn’t really communicate with him, didn’t truly understand him, so they thought he was strange. That’s a pity—but I feel it’s not a matter of pity. He’s just that kind of person—you can’t call it “pity” or “not pity.” Later, when I was told about him, I said, “If he were like that, he wouldn’t be Zeng Jinde.” He’s different from others, and at the same time, very loyal.
He worked on ceramics as well—there were some things—but not much survived. Some of the ceramics were probably lost.
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