| Abstract: | 存在主義(existentialism)的先驅，哲學家尼采(1844-1900)曾說：「一個人只要知道自己『為甚麼』活在世界上，那麼他幾乎可以忍受『任何』的困難。」本文將藉由「存在主義」的觀點和「發條玩具」的符號操作，來論述個人創作的理念；以「閱讀人生」的方式，來檢視人生不同境遇下的抉擇；以人生的大舞台，作為藝術創作的文本(text)；以虛構(fiction)的手法，運用想像力作為現實的潤滑劑。任何文本一經創作均不可能是「真人真事」，都必然會有書寫者本身的觀點詮釋和感受；而個人透過自身的經驗和對當代社會的觀察，將人生的文本作出個人觀點的詮釋，藉以傳達不同的訊息；以「舉重若輕」的方式，藉幽默或諷喻或同情的不同場域能量，轉化出五味人生的況味和傳達自身對存在意義的信念。 在結構上本文分為五個章節。第一章表述轉事膠彩創作和以玩具操作為主軸的研究動機與目的；以研究所時期(2010-2013)由偏重墨彩與線條至以膠彩技法為主的學習和實踐歷程為論述範圍；藉由文獻研究法、比較法、造型研究法、藝術社會學研究法作為理論的基礎。第二章則就影響創作的幾個面向分析童玩和存在主義與當代的關係，亦即藉由闡述辨明個人與例舉對象的關連：包括在中國繪畫中與「童玩」相關的作品、西方存在主義哲學的探討，以及透過前者的關係對話而來的創作歷程思考。第三章論述日本藝術家曾我蕭白、伊藤若沖、山本太郎作品中的元素，對個人創作帶來的影響；並對個人作品中運用的幾種象徵符號(發條、光環、“V”勝利手勢)、表現手法(拼貼、挪用、假藉)與傳統母題符碼的隱喻作深入剖析。第四章結合創作理念與實踐，透過創作本身分析各作品中的信念、訊息、能量場所在。第五章則將就全文做出總結，並對未來發展方向及自我期許作完整的表述。關鍵詞：存在主義、發條玩具
AbstractNietzsche once said that if one knows why one exists, one can bear any hardship. This explains why all people feel driven to find the meaning of their lives. In my work, I combine this existential searching for meaning with wind-up tin toys. Like wind-up toys, our time is limited, and because our time is limited we strive to find meaning in our lives. In some of my works, the wind-up toy is reminding us before hand of the value of making wise choices; in others, we see the result of the choices we make. Using life’s stage as a script for my creative expression, I create a fiction that, like a touch of sugar in a spoonful of medicine, makes the harshness of modern reality a bit easier to take. Any “script,” when it passes through the creative process, leaves the specifics of a given life and becomes a universal experience flavored by the artist’s personal experience. In my work, I use humor and irony and sympathy to “make life’s mountain into a molehill” – to address the joys and tragedies of everyman’s life and express my own beliefs about life and its meaning. This paper consists of five sections. In the first section, I will discuss the motivation and goals of my thesis, how I moved, over the course of my graduate studies (2010-2013) away from the traditional medium of ink wash and line to using gouache. I will also address my motivation in using wind-up tin toys as the primary icon in my work. Finally, I will describe the historical review and critical analysis methodologies I employed in doing the study. In the second section, I will examine the philosophical (existential) and artistic (traditional Chinese paintings depicting children’s toys) works that most influenced my creative process.In the third section, I will look at the Japanese artists Soga Shohaku, It? Jakuch? and Taro Yamamoto and the elements in their paintings that influence my work. I will also discuss the “V-for-victory” sign, windup key, and halo symbols that appear in my images, as well as methods I use to convey my message (employing a “mosaic” background, borrowing images from well-known artworks, and building images punning on traditional Chinese proverbs and popular expressions). In section four, I will delineate my creative philosophy by examining examples of my recent work, the concepts I employ and the messages my paintings carry. In the fifth and final section, I will bring my thesis to a conclusion by taking a broader view of my recent work and by looking ahead at the direction my growth is taking and how my art will develop.Keywords: existentialism, wind-up toys |
