1973年，16岁，我来到吉林省艺术学校美术科学习画画。一所艺术类的中专，人们俗称“省艺校”。

　　校园和自由大路

　　“艺校”的院子因为过小，应该还称不得校园。小到不愿谋面的人想躲都躲不开的程度。二个三层的小白楼在院子里一左一右，对应并行着，前是树后有林。与其附近的伪满洲时期文教部、中央法衙等许多建筑相对照，这两个小白楼的造型看不出什么明确的建筑风格，不东洋，不俄式，更算不上中式，但是并不“土”，这是实话。

　　每清晨，是这院子里最有气象的时刻。早操过后，音乐专业、京剧专业的数十台钢琴，几十把大提琴和小提琴，管弦的长号、小号各种乐器，还有二胡、板胡加唢呐……在整楼每间琴房里开花似的同时作响。声乐的各种音高的花腔练习；戏剧京剧专业的晨功调噪，台词发声……在走廊尽处，楼梯拐角，楼外的树林丛中声声传开。加之舞蹈专业童男童女的踢腿下腰的早功课……好一派生机勃勃。如此的景象，这样的一群人，在同一时间聚集在面积很有限的院子里。每个人或独处于一个狭窄的琴房空间里或独自的面对着一堵白墙或独立于一棵树下的草丛中……分别撕开自己的嗓子不间断地重复着一种发声、一组台词、一段花腔……并且不顾一切地投入了全部的专注和认真。这样傻傻愣愣的劲头儿，是青春期里无忧少年才会有的，有一种莫名的力量和可爱。也是人在自我成长中的一种单纯与安宁。

　　直到早饭开始这“景象”才慢慢散去。

　　“艺校”院子的大门面临一条很好看的马路，叫自由大路。路面是一块一块方形的柱石拼成的，有古老的样子又结实。我喜欢这路的名字，每逢书信都会自在地写明“自由大路九号”。当真自己走在了一条自由的大路上……

　　自由大路的两边满是粗壮冲天的杨树。夏天时成荫，冬天时如廊，好看在秋天的时候，天上地下满眼金黄。有一条环线有轨电车，平行于自由大路并从艺校大门前经过，七几年的长春是一个非常安安静静的城市，艺校周围大学多，街上人少，汽车更少，有轨电车是一件相对有动感的事儿。正遇转弯处车轮与铁轨的摩擦都会有刺耳的声响，刺激着我们的感官，把注意力带到了一个特别的地方……必定这与艺校里的琴声、高音花腔不同。读书的四年我们每天都要横穿自由大路，与电车来来往往。所以很自然地自由大路和有轨电车成为了我们生活中有趣部分。里面透着熟悉、习惯和亲切。

　　环线有轨电车在自由大路有一站，每当车厢门拉开时，售票员总会喊上一句：“艺校到了”！

　　全程票价四分。

　　食堂和宿舍

　　隔着西康路口有两趟红砖的平房是艺校的食堂，余下的几间是木工房和舞台道具的仓库。

　　对“艺校”食堂有两个“永远”的体验，第一是学生食堂“永远”是站着吃饭，二是早餐“永远”是一碗“糊涂粥”，一个底上带洞黄黄的窝头加上一块红腐乳……

　　这是我们一天的开始。

　　“艺校”学生宿舍，离学校几分钟的路，地点好南湖边上。建筑典型的东洋公寓式二层小楼。一楼教职工家属住宅，二楼学生的寝室。

　　学生寝室的地板可以说是“艺校”的一个景观。几十年的建筑陈年的原木地板，学生们自己动手用刷子和肥皂水，生生的把木头的原色刷出来。地板泛出的淡淡黄白色。打一点蜡，但从不油漆，并要求必须穿鞋出入。

　　全校每个学生的寝室都是如此，挺奢侈的一景。

　　解剖课、美术史课和一幅素描范画

　　马连弟老师解剖课上用的人头颅骨和全身骨骼的教具完全是真人骨骼，是经过医大解剖专业严格程序和消毒处理特别制作的。可以称是非常的职业。这是马老师在专业中的一种本色。

　　给我们上课的时候，老人家五十多岁的样子，可以说在艺用解剖教学中，积累了近一生的经验。他讲课的风格是“没有表情”，不废话，讲话时目光总落在虚处，上课很少与学生交流，几节课下来，上眼皮都不抬几下。只管对准一组肌肉、一堆骨骼……从功能到造型、从深层到浅层，加之运动作用，没完没了地讲尽为止。还记得他总是张罗着带我们去一次医大解剖楼现场体验一点真实的人体肌肉解剖过程，好像那里的人与马老师很熟。但不知为什么一直没实现。也许老人家担心吓着我们吧。

　　后来，我又读大学，再次学习解剖课时，才真正体会到马连弟老师“没有表情”的解剖课功底之深，讲得透彻。

　　葛路老师，北京大学哲学系的教授，中国美术史研究的大学者。老人家在“艺校”执教多年，近五十岁的年纪为我们亲授中国美术史的课程。这在我少年时代是种莫大的荣幸。

　　葛路老师，也许是因为过于高大，稍有驼背，很重的陕西口音。他每次有课都早早地来到学校，还要连抱着带提着从家里或图书馆借来的十几本很厚很重的画册，每一本里面都夹满了备课的书签和纸条。老人家讲述平和，从不动声色，论史重学，从不含糊推说……这样严谨精微的治学精神我当时似懂非懂，没有更多的感受。也是在读大学时，在新华书店买到一本葛路老师的书《中国古代绘画理论发展史》。书并不厚。这些年我先后两次在不同的年龄段重读过这本书，很耐久读。每读进去都会感受到老人家对本质和精髓层面的剖析凝练，立论精辟的学术风度。

　　所以书真的不在厚。

　　在记忆里我至今还清晰可见的一张素描范画，是李守仁老师当年特别为我们上课亲自画的一幅人体躯干石膏的素描。画面上只画了躯干本身，没画背景，也不关注条件的变化。表现上不技巧、不耀眼。没什么让人感叹的处理和效果。但是，当你仔细看完要走开的时候，你会隐隐的发觉，画上似乎有什么东西始终在钓着你……说心里话，当时也的确不懂这就是一幅好画儿的魅力。

　　这幅躯干的素描在画面上有一种冷冷的安静感觉，好像有一种专注谨慎的性格缠绕在躯干上。

　　在以后的几十年里，世界各地的美术馆、展览我看得多了，总会在许多大师的作品中，感受到四十多年前李守仁老师这幅躯干范画中传达给我的不尽相同的品质。每一次的欣喜中，我更加地信服，当年李老师在一个中专的素描课里，试图启示我们绘画基本功的品质和内涵。

　　他良苦的用心我至今感动。

　　对个人而言，无论经历了多少积累了多少，在我的内心关于画画这些最初的感受和启蒙始终遗落不了，最初的“艺校”小白楼，西康路口的食堂，桂林路工商银行东洋式的石头楼，有轨电车和好看的自由大路……依然在我们成长的真实里。

　　成长的真实是心理的，而且漫长、琐碎。

贾涤非

2016年7月

Some Recollections about the "Art School"

　　In 1973, when I was 16, I was admitted to the Art Section to learn painting at the Jilin Province Art School, which was commonly known as "Provincial Art School" at that time.

Campus and Ziyou Road

　　The "Art School" courtyard was really tiny, so it did not deserve the term of campus. It was even too small to avoid some people you did not wish to meet. There were two three-story white buildings, one on the left and the other on the right, opposite and parallel to each other. There were trees in front and wood behind. Compared with the Ministry of Culture and Education, the Central Law Court, and many other buildings of the puppet Manchu Empire, these two small white structures did not possess any distinct architectural style. They were neither Japanese, nor Russian, nor even Chinese. However, they were not "vulgar". It is true, indeed.

　　Every morning was the moment of the most hilarious scene in the courtyard. After the morning exercise, explosive sounds of dozens of pianos, cellos, violins, trombones, trumpets, erhu, banhu, suona, etc. produced by students of music and the Beijing opera were reverberating in each and every one of the instrument rooms of the entire buildings, which was compounded by the opera singing and Beijing opera practicing at all pitches of vocalists, plus reading aloud of play lines … at the end of each corridor, on each stair landing, in the woods. In addition, boys and girls in dancing major were kicking and back-bending in their morning practice … what a vibrant scene! Such a scene and such people gathered in a limited courtyard at the same time, with each one in a small instrument room, facing a white wall, hiding under a tree, or standing in grass … yelling at the top of his/her voice a repetitive sound, a section of lines, or a coloratura … being fully concentrated and conscientious regardless of everything in the vicinity. It is only in their adolescence that people can demonstrate such foolish and bold presentations, which reveal an unknown power and cuteness. It is purity and peace in personal growth and development.

　　The "scene" lasted till the breakfast time.

　　In front of the gate of the "Art School" was a very beautiful street named Ziyou Road. It was paved with square cornerstones, ancient in appearance but solid. I liked the name of the road and always wrote No. 9 Ziyou Road on the envelope of each of my correspondences, making believe that I was walkingon a road to freedom …

　　There were strong and soaring poplar trees on both sides of Ziyou Road, giving us shade in summer and a corridor in winter. The most beautiful sight appeared in autumn, when it was golden everywhere from the sky to the ground. Along Ziyou Road there was a tram running past the gate of the Art School. Changchun was a very quiet city in the 1970s. There were many universities and colleges near the Art School, but there were few people and fewer automobiles on the streets. The tram was a comparatively dynamic thing. It produced screaming noises by the frictions between its wheels and the rails when it was taking a turn, which stimulated our sense organs and carried our attention to a special place … The tram sounds were definitely different from the sound of musical instruments and vocalists' coloratura. We must go cross Ziyou Road and inevitably met trams every day of the four-year school period, so it was natural that Ziyou Road and trams became interesting parts of our life experience. It was familiarity, habitualness and intimacy.

　　The loop-tram had a stop on Ziyou Road. The conductor would always shouted, "We are arriving at the Art School!" when the tram door was swinging open.

　　It cost four fen to ride the tram, from start to destination.

Dining Hall and Dormitory

　　Across the Xikang Road junction were two rows of red-brick houses, and they were the dining hall of the Art School and some carpenters' rooms and stage prop storages.

　　There are two "always" in experiences of the Art School's dining hall. First, we were "always" standing while eating; second, our breakfast was "always" a bowl of cornmeal porridge plus a yellow wotou with a hole on the bottom and a piece of red furu…

　　It was the beginning of our day.

　　Located by the South Lake, the students' dormitory of the "Art School" was a few minutes' walk from the teaching buildings. It was a two-story building of the Japanese apartment style. The ground floor accommodated the faculty' s families and the students' dormitory rooms were on the 2nd floor.

　　The flooring of the students' bedrooms was another scene of the "Art School". It was made of wood floor boards of dozens of years. Students used brushes and soap water to clean them till they revealed their original natural color, yellowish. We applied some wax on the flooring, but never painted it, and we must walk in and out always with our shoes on.

　　All the dormitory bedrooms of our school were like this, which seemed quite luxurious.

Anatomy Class, Class of Art History

and a Demonstration Sketch

　　Mr. Ma Liandi used real skeletons as teaching aids in his anatomy class, real skulls and skeletons of people. They were all strictly sterilized and specifically treated through professional procedures of the medical university. It was very professional, and just the characteristic of Mr. Ma in his work.

　　Mr. Ma was in his 50s and had accumulated a lifelong experience in artistic anatomy teaching. In class, his teaching style was "expressionless", with no crap. He always looked at vacant places when talking, and seldom did he communicate with his students. He taught classes even without lifting his upper eyelids, focusing only on a group of muscles, a pile of skeletons … talking endlessly about functions, shaping, from the deeper layer to the superficial area, movement functions … till there was almost nothing else to elaborate on. I still remember that he always tried to arrange us to the anatomy building of the medical university to experience a real human muscle anatomy on site. He seemed to know somebody there very well, but somehow we never got the chance. Perhaps the senor teacher was afraid to frighten us.

　　Later on I went to university and studied anatomy again, and then I really realized how profound Mr. Ma' s "expressionless" anatomy class had been and how thoroughly he had taught us.

　　Mr. Ge Lu is a professor of the Philosophy Department of Beijing University and great scholar in the Chinese art history. He taught in the Art School for years and taught us the course of the Chinese art history when he was in his 50s. It was an invaluable honor for me as a student.

　　Mr. Ge Lu was a bit hunched possibly due to his grand size. He spoke with a strong Shannxi accent. Each time he had classes, he always came to school very early, holding and carrying a dozen thick and heavy books, either from his home or borrowed from the school library, with bookmarks and slips in each of the books. The senior teacher spoke mildly with no sensations. He never made vague inductions or inferences when talking about history and elaborating on academics … I had only a hazy notion about this rigorous and precision scholarly research spirit, so I did not have more experience than merely learning. Also in the university, I bought one of Mr. Ge Lu' s books in the Xinhua Book Store, "On Theoretical Development History of the Ancient Chinese Painting". It is not a thick one, and I read and reread the book twice at different ages. It was worth reading for a long time. Each time I read it, I feel the scholarly spirit of Mr. Ge Lu' s concise analyses and incisive arguments on the essence of arts.

　　So, indeed, it is not the thickness of a book that counts.

　　I still see a demonstration sketch in my memory. It is a sketch of a human torso in plaster drawn by Mr. Li Shouren specially for our class instructions. There is merely only a torso in the picture, with no background and not focusing on varying conditions. There are no techniques or highlights in expression. There are no wowing treatments or effects. However, after you have studied it in detail and is about to walk away, you will sense vaguely that there seems to be something in the picture that always tantalizes you … To be honest, we did not understand that it was the charm of a good picture.

　　The torso sketch disseminates a cool tranquility from the image, and there seems to be a focused and rigorous character around the torso.

　　In the following decades, I managed to visit art museums and exhibitions around the world and, in many masters' works, I could always feel the varying essence conveyed from the demonstration torso sketch by Mr. Li Shouren. I become more convinced after each of the joys. In those days, In the sketch class for a technical secondary school, Mr. Li Shouren attempted to reveal the connotations of the basic skills of painting to enlighten us.

　　I sigh very much for his delicate approach.

　　Personally, no matter how much I have experienced and accumulated, I still keep the rudimentary sentiments and enlightenment about painting. The small white buildings of the original "Art School", the dining hall at the junction of Xikang Road, the stone building of Guilin Road ICBC Office in the Japanese-style, the tram, the beautiful Ziyou Road … They are still realities of our growth and development.

　　The truth of growth is psychological, endless and trivial.

Jia Difei

July 2016