王秋童，作为现代都市水墨画的探索者，他的水墨画系列作品反映了现代都市的绚烂与时尚，极富诗情意韵、幽雅和谐。中国画强调气韵生动，以形写神及水墨的笔趣墨韵、单纯、雅致、古朴、飘逸所蕴涵着的特有文化属性。而他正是以中国文化精神的笔墨来表现凝固的传统建筑与都市风情，以独特的方式展示出了都市的文化背景。他立意深邃，章法独特，用笔大胆，形势入形：水墨画的酣畅淋漓、潇洒神秘、一气呵成的律动感;莹润含蓄的墨韵以平面分割的西方现代构成主义的艺术形式表现的比例美感;以水墨画墨分五色的层次表现黑白灰的节奏及笔墨韵味;以水墨画的写意之趣表现对客观世界的印象，展现出东方平面化的美感形态;对繁多复杂的形态进行归纳与简约，保持了作品结构与形象的概括性;这些都画出了他的心中之象，意中之情。

　　王秋童的都市水墨画之路从1987年开始，至今已近20个春秋。连他的一些朋友都直言不讳，水墨都市其实是一条“自找苦吃”的艰难之路。但他认为，中国经历了一系列从农村到城市化再到都市化的转变过程，中国画家无论如何也绕不开这个现实。绘画也应像意识形态一样，直面工业文明的自然观和审美意识的变革。因此，水墨都市画的前景非常好，将来必定是重要的发展的一个方面。这也与当代中国水墨画的发展不谋而合。王秋童已不知多少次，在晚靄晨雾中、在阴晴风雨中、在夜色沉沉、月色朦胧中，登上太平山观察、体味眼前这绝世繁华璀璨的神奇景观。

　　一方水土，造就一方人才，高楼林立的香港造就了王秋童。在艺术家身上，艺术境界和人生境界向来都是相为印证的。在王秋童水墨画中追求凸现的当今都市的壮美精神，正是他人格精神的写照。他的画就像他的为人：真诚、朴实、平易、宽厚、坚毅、善良、不慕浮华、不喜张扬。在他身上，真挚的感情主宰着通达的理性，内在的性情包孕着拼搏和顽强，脚踏实地的进取常凭着对悠久的历史的感怀。应该说，他这种主体人格的理想和自由精神，是通过大都市的形象感受来呈现的。他的人生感喟是通过气势磅礴、壮丽无比的大都市来彰显的。所以他在都市水墨系列创作中追求大美、壮美!他把物象转化为心象，心象迹化为形式，在形式中注入了生命，变成生命的回声。他的每幅画都是一个新生命的诞生，与“道法自然”、“天人合一”有了机缘，真正开启了艺术的天机，与大中国、大画风有了某种延续性的联结，这也是对传统文化精神的真正继承。

　　Traditional Brushwork, Modern Spirit

　　Prof. Xiao Feng (The 9th President of China Academy of Art)

　　As a pioneer of modern urban ink painting, Wong Chau Tung is known for his portrayal of the colourful and fashionable modern city with poetic charm and elegance. Chinese painting emphasises‘spiritual resonance and lifelike motion’, the expression of spirit through form, and the unique cultural attributes of simplicity and elegance.This is exactly what Wong adopts to depict traditional architecture and city culture. His paintings feature many unique characteristics: profound conception, unique composition,bold brushwork,smooth rhythm; the beauty of proportion presented by the constructivistapproach of plane segmentation;the charm expressed through the five shades of ink;the impression of the objective world through freehand brushwork, showing the oriental aesthetics of the plane;and the generalisation and simplification of many complex shapes and patterns to maintain the generality of the structure and image.All these help show viewersthe scenery and sentiment in him.

　　It has been almost 20 years since Wong started exploring urban ink painting in 1987, which, even some of his friendsfrankly said, is ‘choosing the hard way’. But Wong believes that in the urbanisation of an agricultural society, it is impossible for Chinese painters to ignore the change of the world. Painting, like ideology, should also face the transformation of the aesthetics and the view of nature in today’s industrialised society. Thus, the prospect of urban ink painting is rather bright. This also echoes the development path of contemporary Chinese ink painting. Countless times, Wong has climbedup the Victoria Peak to watch the bustling city unfolding in front of him—in dawn or dusk, in wind or rain, in the gloom of the night or under the low-lit moon.

　　As the Chinese saying goes, ‘The unique features of a local environment always give special characteristics to its inhabitants.’ It is Hong Kong that makes Wong Chau Tung who he is now. His artistic attainments and life experiences confirm each other. The magnificence highlighted in Wong’s ink paintings is an embodiment of his spirit. Like himself, Wong’s paintings are sincere, simple, plain, generous, firm, quiet and modest. In him, sinceritydeterminesreason, humility implies hard work and tenacity, and forward-lookingness comes from his deep reflection on history. In a way, his idealsare presented through the image of metropolises. His feelings of life are shown clearlyby the magnificent cityscape. That is why he always pursues the ‘Great Beauty’ in his urban ink creation. By converting images into mental imagery, he brings life into form. Each of his paintings is like the birth of a baby, which connects with the philosophies of ‘following nature’ and ‘oneness of man and nature’. His works reveal the secret of art, and have some kind of continuous link with‘Great China’ and ‘Great Style’, which trulyinherits the spirit of traditional culture.