相对于我写的其他的艺术评论，本文的重要性显而易见。

　　观看一幅绘画作品时，每个人都带着其固有的观念和想法，依此来进行判断。初看刘玉君的作品时的感觉似乎是不言而喻的。但是初次的印象和生活中其他事情一样，可能具有欺骗性，而他的作品正是如此：在其绘画表面的背后，以及观者最初产生的反应之外，隐藏有更为宽广的文化和心理上的意义。

　　假如没有深入的解读，这些作品已经能让观者产生反应了。即便是感受到了侮辱或是愤怒，刘玉君已经成功地让你感受到了某些东西。但如果你以为他的作品是有关性别主义者，甚至有憎恶女性的内容的话，那不仅是不恰当，而且是一个判断失误。在他的绘画里面，没有任何的反对女性主义者或是嘲笑女性的意思，画家只是用女性形象而非男性更好地表达他的意图。事实上人性才是其表达的主题，而不是什么性别问题。从上面与艺术家的访谈里可以看出，他的作品是关注社会和人们行为的，用他自己的话说“我的作品不是美不美的问题，实际上他们与美本身没有关系”。

　　从我个人来讲，他的这句话着实让我感到意外，并因此彻底改变了对其作品的理解。最初我对其作品的评论是探究“美”的这个层面的探询美的定义，以及理想中的美的比较等等。而现在则导致出了一个完全不同的话题，与最初的理解大相径庭。出于兴趣的缘故，也是想看看固有观念是如何导致错误的判断，我在本文的注释里加上最初的研究文字，而它应该是和主体评论分开参阅，或许看上去它和探讨的主题无关。这里需要强调的是：假如没有适当的文字解读，我们可能从艺术家和其作品中获取的是错误的概念，扭曲了艺术家想要表达的真实意图，但这不能错怪艺术家本人，错误出在我们自己的身上。

　　注视着他的作品，一种特有的感觉会从那单色的人物形象上萌发出来。类似摄影的画面，黑和白产生的对比，以及其间相应的阴影和色调产生出更为强烈的深度感和情绪;省去了颜色的对比反而使其蓄含的力量更显微妙和安静。多样化的构图方式为人物之间的关系提供了多样的诠释空间：各个形体相互位置的空间安排，细节的描绘------眼睛、嘴、发迹和轮廓等等，都使其具有强烈的意味。白色高光凸显出人物的眼睛和嘴唇，将身体的线条清晰地展示出来，制造出一种坚实感，并使其充盈着光的质感。人物或反复出现或交替出现，但其皮肤的柔软和光洁则形成了对比，刘玉君运用娴熟的绘画技巧将皮肤呈现的微妙关系准确地展示出来，其难度和效果足以证明艺术家控制其画笔的能力。

　　如果你的眼睛在其画面上流连片刻的话，你就会尝试去找寻某个似曾相识人的面孔，或是某个名人的脸，但很快就发现这样做是徒劳无功：这些美人不表示任何某个具体的人，任何与某人的相似都是故意制造的表象。此处的美被程式化了，人物的形象被故意扭曲，但依然保持其魅力。我感觉他所有的绘画和系列里面都有某种一致性它们并非关注艺术上的趣味性。我的意念很快就会接受这样一个事实：所有这些描绘出来的脸和人物都是“非真实的”。但即使这样，个性化的特征依然隐含在众多眼睛的深处。画布里盯望着你的是一种冷漠和厌弃的神情，仿佛我们作为观众到是在被观望，被审视着，而不是相反。

　　在这里，刘玉君将一种强烈的颓废感受，利用类似Art-deco(注释)的艺术手法，向我们呈现其作品人物的小资特质。虽然从生理上看她们都颇具魅力，但是这种美只是象皮肤一样的浅薄。偶尔我们会发现掺杂其间的某种嘲笑的面部，傲慢，甚至是残忍的表情。即便如此，她们依然颇具诱惑。我们想获取这些美人的青睐，但是终究明白她们的这种美是无法分享、无法企及且永远无法带走的。至此我们接近了艺术家的核心寓意：描述人性的自私、隐蔽/隐藏和怀疑。

　　面对上述这些人性品质，刘玉君利用他的蓝色“泼溅污迹”对其来进行针砭和批判。这个液体时而呈现出粘稠的似胶水状，时而又呈现出某种肌理和形状。有时它从人物的身体滴漏出来，而有时又像是被甩溅到画布上一样。就像艺术家自己说的“它是粘稠和不可名状的，人们对于不了解的事物有一种不安全的感觉。”

　　假如这个“泼溅污迹”没有出现在画布上面，我们作为观者依旧会对其迷惑的系列怀有兴趣。但是艺术家通过这个不明液体将其作品引到另外一个不同的意义。本文的注释部分我加进了有关颜色心理暗示意义的解释。

　　总结一下这部分的评论，我们可以得出结论：刘玉君利用蓝颜色的“泼溅污迹”来质问那些人物的意识和心理形态，而这些人物正是社会的一个代表。第二部分的评论里将探讨一个有关“面子”概念的话题。

　　(评论的第一部分完)

　　Review

　　In this document more than any other did the importance of context become so apparent to me. When viewing a picture, each viewer will bring his own

　　pre-conceptions and ideas, and leaves with his own conclusions. The works of Liu Yu Jun initially appear to be quite self-evident, but first appearances, as with many things in life, can be deceiving, and that was certainly the case here:

　　for beyond the surface of the paintings and the initial reaction produced, there is a far greater context and psychological aspect that may not be evident or apparent.

　　Without context the pieces may still be effective in producing a response, and even if it is anger or insult, Liu Yu Jun will still have succeeded as he has reached you on some level, but it would be inappropriate and in mistake if you were to think that they contained any sexist or even misogynistic content, as that is simply not the case. There is nothing in the paintings that is in any way

　　anti-feminist or derisory to women, the artist simply choosing the female form above the male to better convey his intent. In fact it is humanity that is the subject matter, not any specific sex: from the interview held with the artist we can find that the purpose is more related to society and human behaviour, as he says himself:

　　“My paintings are not about beauty in fact they have nothing to do with beauty itself”.

　　Personally, this came as a surprise and altered my perception of the works completely. What initially was going to be a review related to beauty, what it is by definition, and a comparison of ideals, turned into something far different and far removed from first impressions. For the sake of interest, and to see how

　　pre-conceptions can so often prove wrong, I have included some preliminary studies in the appendix of this document, though they should be viewed apart from the main body of the text as they did not prove to be especially relevant. The important note to make is that without context we may often receive the wrong impression of an artist and his works, leave with a distorted mental image of his true intent, but that is not the artist’s fault or error, but our own.

　　To look at the paintings: there is a special effect created by the monochromatic palette employed for the figures. As with photography, the opposites of black and white and all the subsequent shades and tints between create a greater sense of depth and mood, the energy is more subtle and peaceful due to a lack of colour contrast. A greater definition between the figures is offered and through a diversity of design, the relative spacing of the forms, the details ~ eyes, mouth, hairline and profile etc, possess a strong definition. White highlights produce a bold physical presence on the eyes and lips of the figures, producing a sense of tangibility and also lustrous-ness. The skin, which occasionally is shared exchanged from figure to figure is smooth and soft in contrast, and here Liu Yu Jun succeeds in his painting technique, for the graduations are subtle yet precise, a difficult effect to successfully produce, and one showing the artist’s capability with his brush.

　　We catch a glimpse of recognition at some moment, finding, or trying to find a recognizable figure or personality, but this is a fruitless endeavor for there are none: these beauties are not specifically representative of any one person and any resemble is deliberately superficial. The beauty is stylised, features deliberately distorted yet still retaining attractiveness, for were there a conformity I feel the paintings and series would have less artistic interest ~ the mind quickly adapts to accept the faces and features portrayed as being ‘ un-real ’. Even then, personality still exists behind the eyes, a coldness and detachment that stares forth from the canvas, as if is we, the viewer, who is being watched, inspected, rather than vice-versa.

　　A sense of decadence is defined and evident, an art-deco affinity, that, as intended by Liu Yu Jun, of the bourgeois. Though the figures all possess a physical attractiveness, it becomes true that beauty is only skin deep ~ at times we find a mocking countenance, an aloofness, even a cruelty. Even then, perversely, this may prove alluring ~ we may seek to possess but ultimately are aware that this beauty is not to be shared, not to be touched, never to be taken. Now we approach the artist’s inner meaning … portraying a sense of selfishness, of the concealed, of the hidden, of the suspicious.

　　It is these above that Liu Yu Jun confronts by means of the blue ‘splash’. At times the liquid appears viscous, sticky and glue-like, at others more liquid in texture and form. Sometimes it drips from the figures, at others appears as literally thrown or spat upon the canvas. As the artist states:

　　“It is sticky and unidentified - people feel unsafe then confronted by anything unknown”.

　　Were the ‘splash’ not included in (or even on) the canvas, we the viewer would

　　still be left with an intriguing series, but the artists brings another dimension to the works completely by its inclusion. I have included a note on the psychology of

　　the colour use in the appendix of this document.

　　In conclusion to this part of the review, we can say that is through the ‘splash’ of blue paint that Liu Yu Jun is questioning the ideologies, the mentalities, of the

　　figures who are representative of society as a whole. The second part of the

　　review will be concerned with one special characteristic of this that concept of ’ face ‘ .

　　(end of part one of the review)

　　Alexander Crowe