早前，因為工作關係，我與常玉的一幅畫作獨處了一段短時光。那是一幅稍大於手掌的花朵作品，含蓄安靜地掛在牆上。
相比常玉的其他畫作，那幅作品的尺寸不大，卻仍然保留了適當的空間感。畫框內，花與水瓶的線條柔軟地伸展著，像一隻與世無爭的傭懶動物。
晚上，躺在沙發閱讀時，有時候我會想起常玉。在上世紀巴黎一間破敗小屋中，常玉的胸口擱著一本小書，舒適地躺在床上。那個晚上，他忘記關掉煤氣爐，在睡夢中，吸入過量煤氣逝世。臉孔兩旁呈粉紅色，我想像著。這是吸入煤氣而死的人的共同特徵。
今時今日，常玉的畫作是華人藝術家中拍賣價格最高的保持者。然而，他於1966年去世時，他的墓碑上甚至連名字都沒有。他的畫作被綑起，以幾百法瑯的便宜價格出售。貧窮孤獨的常玉，只留下一塊編號為TR/1296/1966的水泥板。
《SANYU 1895-1966 Chinese Painter of Montparnasse》是在日本出版第一本介紹常玉的畫冊。書以畫作主題作為分類，將他的作品分成〈裸女〉、〈靜物〉、〈動物與風景〉三大部份。
常玉自幼學習書法，並在家人的支持下發展對藝術愛好。1921年，他移居巴黎，在蒙帕納斯（Montparnasse）租住了一間小公寓，幾乎是立刻就融入了當地的藝術社群。
當時，巴黎是歐洲現代藝術的中心，位於塞納河左岸的蒙帕納斯更是成名或潦倒的藝術家流連的區域。常玉在這裡居住，與畢加索、Alberto Giacometti等藝術家成為朋友，終日流連咖啡館，或是在工作室中為裸女速寫作畫。他沒有因為自己來自異國而感到靦腆，反而輕盈地融入不同群體中。
他常與法國模特兒鬼混的事跡，被徐志摩寫成〈艷麗的肉〉一文，1927年出版於《巴黎的鱗爪》。徐志摩自己本身，也非常喜愛常玉融合了山水畫筆法的寫意女體畫。
《SANYU 1895-1966》的精裝封面使用了常玉愛用的粉紅色。書中收錄的第一幅作品，也是一盤粉紅色的菊花。這幅畫作品中，還使用了常玉另一種愛用的，被稱為Paris Green的鮮豔綠色顏料。這種反射著祖母綠光芒的顏料含有高度毒性，現在已經被禁用。這種有毒的顏料被用來鑑定一幅作品是否常玉真跡的重要方法。常玉的藝術生涯，也像Paris Green一樣美麗，但充滿危險。
常玉移居巴黎十年後，家裡的工廠倒閉，不得不嘗試自己養活自己。但其高傲的個性令他常與畫商有爭執。常玉甚至與畫商約法三章：1. 訂畫先付錢，2. 畫的時候不準看，3. 畫完拿走，不許提意見。
即使法國傳奇收藏家Pierre Roché非常欣賞常玉，合作數年後也草草結束。常玉日漸潦倒，不得不到仿古家俱廠繪畫彩漆屏風器物維生。
也許是這段經歷，他開始繪畫盆栽和器物。在一兩種顏色的色底上，一盆線條直接簡單的植物安靜地伸展著。
「歐洲繪畫好比一席豐盛的菜餚，」常玉於1946年受訪時說：「當中包含了許多燒烤、煎炸的食品以及各式肉類。我的作品則是蔬菜、水果及色拉，能幫助人們改變欣賞繪畫藝術的方法。」
即使愈來愈貧窮潦倒，常玉也沒有放棄畫畫。不夠資金購買畫材時，他甚至會使用廉價的裝修油漆來作畫。
人生晚期，常玉繪畫了一系列動物風景畫。在廣闊的世界中，一兩隻動物悠然自得地躺下。沒有怨懟，也沒有眷戀，只是單純地存在著。
1966年夏天，常玉畫下了最後一幅作品，命名為《孤獨的象》。那是一隻極小的象，在一望無垠的沙漠中奔馳。奔跑中，變得愈來愈小，彷彿馬上就要融化般。常玉用手指著這隻象，對朋友說：「這就是我。」
常玉告訴法國藝評家Pierre Joffroy：「一個人應該活得是自己，並且乾淨。」這種想法難以避免地摧毀了他的藝術家生涯，但也構成了他藝術的核心。
現在，我們能夠找到常玉的墳墓，是因為他終生好友美國名攝影師Robert Frank多年來的尋找。因為Frank，現代人才開始重新認識常玉這個已被世界遺忘的畫家。
想起常玉時，我經常想起他最後的一個晚上。他在床上躺下，胸口擱著一本書，幾乎可以說是愜意的。
1901年，西蒙‧佛洛伊德提出一個神秘的想法，我們不小心說錯話，或無心之失，其實不是真的無心。我們以為的失誤，其實是潛意識的曝光。
這個說法的可怕之處，在於失誤這件事並不存在。在最極端的情況下，如果我們不小心做錯一件事，導致自己失去生命的話，那代表著什麼呢？
對常玉來說，那個小失誤，代表著什麼呢？
A while ago, because of work, I got a chance to spend a short time alone with a painting by Sanyu. Hanging quietly on a wall, it is a painting of floral still life that has a size slightly larger than my palm.
Compared to Sanyu’s other works, the size of this painting is relatively small with a comfortable spatial layout. The flower stems stretch softly and delicately, just like a lazy animal, along the curves of the vase.
At times, when lying on the couch reading at night, I think of Sanyu. Thinking of him, lying comfortably in bed inside a small, shabby studio in Paris, with a book propped against his chest. It was an evening back in the last century that he forgot to turn off his gas stove and, unaware of the gas leak, died in his sleep. His cheeks flushed pink, I imagined. This is a common symptom of gas intoxication.
Though nowadays his work constantly sets records for the highest auctioned paintings by a Chinese artist, Sanyu struggled as an artist during his lifetime and was buried in an unnamed grave, numbered TR/1296/1966 when he died in 1966. After his passing, his paintings were bundled up and sold for a mere few hundred francs.
SANYU 1895-1966 Chinese Painter of Montparnasse is the first publication about Sanyu published in Japan. Based on the major themes of Sanyu’s paintings, the book is divided into three sections, namely Nude, Still Life, and Animals and Landscapes.
Sanyu started practicing calligraphy from a young age and his artistic endeavors were supported and encouraged by his familys. In 1921, he moved to Paris and resided at a small rented apartment in Montparnasse. Not long after, he became part of the local arts community.
At that time, Paris was the center of European modern art, and Montparnasse, located on the left bank of the River Seine, was flocked to by both famous and struggling artists. As a Montparnasse resident, Sanyu befriended artists such as Picasso and Alberto Giacometti, paid frequent visits to cafes, and spent time in his studio sketching nude women. Though being a stranger in a foreign land, Sanyu was not a timid soul and effortlessly blended into the local communities.
Sanyu is also known for his infatuation with French models. Such was documented by Xu Zhimo in his article, “Gorgeous meat” that was published in the book, Tidbits from Paris in 1927. Speaking of, Xu Zhimo was a loyal supporter of Sanyu and particularly fond of the artist’s portrayal of female forms using the skills of landscape painting.
The pink used for the hardcover of SANYU 1895-1966 was the artist’s favorite color. Pink can also be seen in the first piece of work showcased in the book, Pink Chrysanthemums. In this still life painting, Sanyu also made use of another of his favorite colors, Paris Green, which is a highly toxic and bright emerald-green pigment. Though Paris Green has been banned and discontinued, this toxic pigment is an important indicator of the authenticity of Sanyu’s paintings. Stunning yet dangerous, not only refers to Paris Green, but can also be used to describe Sanyu’s artwork.
A decade after moving to Paris, all of the financial support that Sanyu had been receiving from home in China stopped because the family business crumbled. Sanyu had to find ways to support himself; which was when he started doing business with art dealers. Being a somewhat arrogant artist, Sanyu set some rules for the art dealers: 1) Pay first, 2) No looking while painting, and 3) Take the painting and leave. Comments not welcome.
Sanyu’s eccentricity alienated his admirers including the legendary French collector Pierre Roché who abruptly dropped the relationship after years of collaboration. Sanyu fell into dire straits and had to survive by painting furniture.
It is perhaps because of these difficulties that Sanyu began to paint potted plants and utensils. Simple lines on a plain background with bold compositions.
In an interview conducted in 1946, Sanyu commented, “European painting is like a lavish feast with roasts, fried foods, and meat of all kinds. My work is like vegetables, fruit, or salad, which help shape the way people appreciate paintings.”
Sanyu never gave up on painting despite a dire financial predicament. Without the means to buy proper material, he would even work with cheap paints.
Later in his life, Sanyu started painting animals and landscapes. An animal or two sitting in the vast, isolated landscape. No resentment nor nostalgia. Just pure existence.
In the summer of 1966, Sanyu painted his last piece, Elephant. It is a painting of a tiny elephant galloping in an immense desert. As it runs, it becomes smaller and smaller, as if it was about to melt. Sanyu pointed at the elephant and said to his friend, “This is me.”
Sanyu once said to the French art critic Pierre Joffroy, “One should be true to themselves and live an honest life.” Such belief might have inevitably destroyed Sanyu’s artistic career, but it also set the foundation of his art.
The world only knows of Sanyu’s resting place because of the years-long search by his lifelong friend and famous American photographer Robert Frank. Thanks to Frank, we get to rediscover Sanyu, a painter that has long been forgotten by the world.
When I think of Sanyu, I often think of his last night on earth. Laying down in bed with a book on his chest, almost comfortably.
In 1901, Sigmund Freud came up with the theory that, when a person misspeaks or makes an error in physical action, they are inadvertently revealing repressed desires. These slip-ups can be traced back to unconscious urges.
What’s petrifying about this theory is that it assumes there is no such thing as a mistake. In the most extreme case, what does it entail if we accidentally do something that costs our life?
For Sanyu, what did that little mistake entail?
