Ni Yide 倪贻德: The True Significance of Nude Art 裸体艺术之真义

裸体艺术之真义

Like other new theories and ideas, nude art has permeated our culture under the influence of trends of modernization. It is not only a sign of the Renaissance but a pioneer of the Renaissance as well. The quaintness of Florence and the spring of the Rhine River will soon appear on the splendid land of China. We indeed rejoice for such a bright future! However, in the early stage of the emergence of a new thing, when exposed to places that have never been touched, it is bound to be misunderstood and opposed by most of the old forces. When socialism was first introduced into China, it was regarded as the great scourge by the rich and powerful. Similarly, nude art is misunderstood by the Chinese people. Although this is to be expected, this misunderstanding is still a great hindrance to the future of our art world.

同别种新的学说新的思想一样，裸体艺术也随着现代的潮流渗入我们的国土了。这是一种文艺复兴的征象，再生时代的先驱。佛罗伦市的古香，莱茵河畔的春色，行将重现于我中华灿烂的国土。我们应当怎样地为光明的前途欣喜而跳跃！然而一种新的东西当初要行于素未曾接触过的地方的时候，必定要遭大多数旧势力的误解和反对。社会主义传进了中国，权贵富豪都视为洪水猛兽，同样，裸体艺术也是被国人误解得这样厉害的。这固然早在我们的意料之中，然而长此这样误解下去，对于我们艺术界的前途确是一种莫大的阻碍。

From my observation, apart from the philistines (yongren 庸人),[1] who tend to be amoral, there are three types of people who have an attitude towards nude art in China today:

以我个人的观察,国人对于裸体艺术，除开无是非之心的庸人以外，还有以下的三种人物：

1. People who regard nude art as pornography that harms society’s morals and corrupts public decency, and therefore firmly oppose nude art based on the obsolete ethics bred from the dross in Confucianism.[2]

一。立足于旧道德的观念之上，视裸体艺术为伤风败俗的淫画，而绝端反对的。

2. People who are somewhat open-minded and have a bit more sense believe that nude paintings can be used as practice, but nothing beyond. In other words, they consider nude paintings to be rudimentary practice for painting figures in clothes.

二。比较前一种人的头脑稍为清楚一点，也稍为新颖一点。他们认裸体画相当的可以练习，不过单只能终于练习而止。换言之，就是他们认裸体画为着衣人物画画之初步练习。

3. People who take advantage of the reputation of the nude painting and draw obscene content with inferior techniques in order to make a profit by ingratiating unremarkable naive youths.

三。盗取裸体画的美名，用卑陋低下的技术，绘出种丑陋的姿态，以取媚一般无识的青年男女而从中图利的。

Although the three types of people mentioned above share no similarities in their attitudes, what they do share in common is having not learned one bit of the true significance of nude art. Their false understandings on nude art are more than enough to wipe out the development of Chinese modern art in ‘the world of New Art’.[3]

这三种人的态度虽各不同，然而他们没有了解裸体艺术的真义则一。他们那种谬误的见解，多足摧残我们新艺术界的发展而有余。

The number of people who belong to the first type is significantly large and almost makes up two thirds of the total. If they become powerful, they will ban nude art like other obscene books and paintings. Then comes the unimportant literati, who prefer to put on a moral façade and strongly castigate the artists for their sins. Generally, the second type of people are perhaps the so-called minzhong yishuzhe (the commoner artist 民众艺术者). They think the aesthetics of nude art is not practical and is merely an artists’ boring game, so we often hear their contemptuous criticism. The third type of people are increasing gradually. Being crooked merchants who make fake art, they take advantage of the reputation of nude art to gain profit while using the excuses mentioned above to defile true nude art. Therefore, I think that people in the art world should take certain steps to explain the significance of nude art. This is a necessary and urgent matter.

第一种人的头数之巨，差不多要占全部的三分之二，他们要是大权在握的时候，就可把它和淫书春画一样的禁止。其次是一般下等的文人，他们偏要戴起道德的假面具，肆口痛斥提倡裸体艺术者的罪恶，第二种人大抵是一些所谓民众艺术者，他们以为唯美的裸体艺术是不切于实用，是艺术家无聊的游戏，所以也常常听见他们轻蔑的非议。第三种人则现在日见其多，他们每窃取了裸体艺术的美名以图渔利；而他们那种奸商式的鱼目混珠的假冒，适足以被第一第二两种人的借口，而使纯正的裸体艺术也同时被污。所以我觉得我们身居于艺术界的人，费一点功夫来把裸体艺术的真义解说一番，实是当今必要而急迫的工程。

Generally, people cannot escape mentioning “quxianmei” (the beauty of curves 曲线美) when they explain nude paintings, so it has become a popular and fashionable phrase.[4] Whenever it is mentioned, I would suffer from a severe headache. In fact, the beauty of curves is not enough to include all the values of nude art. Why are curves necessarily beautiful? If so, we only need to paint curves like arcs, circles and waves, then claim that this is the pinnacle of beauty. But it is not the case. So, we can see that there are other important reasons why the human figure is beautiful.

通常解释裸体画的人，总离不了“曲线美”三字，于是“曲线美”便大行天下而成为一种时髦的名词，到如今只要一提起曲线美，就不觉要使我头痛欲绝。其实曲线美实不足以包括裸体艺术之全部。曲线何以一定会美？要使曲线一定是美的，那么我们只要把弧形，圆周形，波状形等等的曲线画在画上，就可以说是美之极致了。可见人体之所以为美，尚有其他重要的原因在着。

I will talk about formalism. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said that as for the condition of formalism in aesthetics, the most important thing was the consistency within the variety. If consistency were to dominate beauty, it would be humdrum, and if variety were to dominate beauty, it would be fragmented and present irregular status. The basic structure of the human body is a perfect example of consistency within variety. Feet support the central part of the body, and hands are on both sides of the body, maintaining the balance of the body. What’s more, the head is located at the upper portion of the torso. It works as the core and can control other parts of the body. What an accurate example of consistency! Some changes also emerge from consistency in the structure of the body. For example, the shape of the chest is slightly similar with that of the abdomen. Subtle differences, however, are found between them. It is the same with limbs. The beauty of consistency and the beauty of variety are in the human body. That is what we call “quxianmei”. Therefore, when studying nude paintings, we cannot ignore the consistency and the variety in the human body and should pay more attention to human anatomy.

我们先从形式方面说吧。形式美之条件，最主要的便是变化中之统一，古时希腊的阿里士多德便这样的说了。单是统一而无变化，则失之单调；徒变化而不同意，那就支离错杂而呈不规则的状态。人体的构造，恰恰是合乎变化中之统一的条件。我们看他中央的躯体，下有二脚的支持，左右有二手的支配，十分能保持全体的重心；而头正生于中央之最上部，成为全体之中心，能集中各部之势力，这是多么整齐而统一呢！然而他在统一之中又能现出变化，如胸和腹之形虽略相似，然其间却有极巧妙的变化；此外如上膊上腿，前膊下腿亦然，他是既有变化之美，同时亦有统一之美——通常所谓曲线美，大概就是指此而说——因此，我们研究裸体画不可以忽略了人体的权衡，而尤不可忘了人体的解剖。

The beauty of forms mentioned above was perused by people who lived in Ancient Greece and the Classical period. Modern artists have a new perception on nude paintings, and they do not place very much value upon fixed aesthetic form. You can tell this trend from the nude paintings of Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse. As for the beauty of the human figure, what modern artists pursued was enjoyment caused by voluptuousness, roundness and colors of the human figure.

以上所讲的是形式的美，是古希腊时代所追求的美，是后代古典主义时代所追求的美。现代的新艺术家对于裸体画的观念，却又进了步，他们对于这有一定方式的形式美不甚重视了，我们只要看一看塞尚纳，马提斯等的人体画就可以知道一般的倾向。原来现代的艺术家对于人体所追求的美，乃是由人体之肉感，圆味，色彩，而引起的美的陶醉。

When looking at a round thing, no matter what it is, we are delighted and feel peaceful, especially for those artists who have a strong perception of art. What’s more, presenting a three-dimensional circle on a two-dimensional drawing is the most difficult thing, and as people who study foreign paintings, it requires earnest endeavors. Since this thing is not simple and cannot be completed without constant effort and advanced skills, the artist experiences the delights of achievement. Art critics also value the work due to its difficulty. All parts of the human figure, such as the body, the head and limbs, represent roundness. They are all cylindrical. The plump body of a young lady is a perfect example. Her ample breasts, long legs and plump buttocks evoke pleasure and passion.

不论甚么物体，凡是带有圆味的，都能使我们看了身心中起一种适当的调和与愉快，尤其是感觉特别发达的画家。而且更有一层，在平而上显出立体的圆，是最不容易的事，也是我们洋画者所最应努力的事。惟其最不容易，而能由不断的努力与巧妙的技巧以表出。在创作者固能自得其成功的愉快，在鉴赏者亦能因其难能而珍视。人体的全部，却无一处不现其圆味，如躯体，如头颅，如四肢，都是由一种圆筒形组织而成的。而尤其是妙年丰盛的女性的肉体，她那高高隆起的一对乳峰，她那玉柱一般的两条大腿，她那肥大突出的臀部，是何等的能引起我们生的愉快，爱的活跃！

Sensual pleasure is closely related to roundness. It is human nature to fall passionately for soft things, like the fragrance of flowers, the sways of willows, and the delightful songs and beautiful dances of maidens. They make us feel happy and at peace because they have a sense of gentleness and softness. We can see the beauty of softness, and even feel the touch of it. This is why females are the models for nude paintings; their figures possess a sense of gentleness and softness. The most outstanding artist in drawing nude females is the leading painter of the impressionist style, Renoir. The most peculiar thing about his art is that he could fully express the gentleness of sensual pleasure. He could perfectly capture the maidens’ lovely faces and charming postures. When we look at his work, we can naturally feel that our heart and mind have arrived at a harmonious state; we walk into a realm of peace, love and beauty. In the meantime, we acknowledge that this kind of gentleness of sensual pleasure makes female figures beautiful.

与圆味有密切关系的，便是肉感。人类的天性，大概是对于柔软的物质具有热烈的爱慕，花的芳香，杨柳的轻风，少女的清歌妙舞，所以能引起我们谐和的愉快者，无非是具有一种温柔的软味的原故，而这软味更能由视觉的美而感到触觉的美。所以裸体画为什么要取女性做模特儿，便是因为女的肉体含有温软的软味的原故。描写裸体女子之最杰出者，当推印像，印象派的巨子罗诺尔，罗氏的艺术之最独到处，我们可以说就是能将柔和的肉感充分地表现出来，他所绘的裸体的妙年少女，爱娇的貌，妩媚的姿态，可谓发挥殆尽，我们只要一看到他的作品，全身心就会不知不觉的感到一种适当的调和，而入于平和爱美之境；同时我们也就可以晓得，女性肉体之所以为美者，大半是因于这温柔的肉感。

Finally, I am going to talk about the color of the body. The beauty of color can generally be divided into harmony and contrast, and the color of flesh belongs to the former. Though the change of its color scale is complicated and extremely nuanced, they all belong to a main color – a kind of warm color. More importantly, we should know that the color of flesh is closely related to blood circulation.[5] The blood circulates ceaselessly. As a result, the color of flesh is always changing. Therefore, if we look at the color of flesh of a healthy person, we can feel the animation, the throb, and the unlimited creativity of life. There is much inspiration and revelation an artist can gain from this!

最后要说到人体的色彩了。色彩之美，大概有所谓调和与对照，人体的色彩美，是属于前者。它的变化虽是复杂，然而其色阶之推移极为微细，而且都是从属于一种主要的色彩，这主要的色彩便是一种温暖的热色。我们要更晓得，人体的肉色，与血脉之运行极有关系，血脉之运行周流不息，人的肉色也随着瞬息变化。所以在一个健康人的肉色上看来，在在都可以看出生命之活跃，生命之颤动，生命之无限创造。艺术家在这上边，可以得到多少丰富的灵感与不尽的暗示！

Art is not a rude and stubborn tyrant, much less an old-fashioned Taoist scholar, but an angel of Love, a child of Beauty. What artists express is not ugly models or moral maxims, but a kind of beauty that makes our lives enjoyable. So, no matter what it is, in the eyes of the artist, as long as it is beautiful, then it is true and virtuous, it is the supreme creation. As is mentioned, the human figure has many beautiful features, thus the artistic value and the continuous emphasis of nude art is evident.

艺术不是粗鲁顽强暴汉，更不是方正严肃的道学者流，乃是人间之爱的天使，美的歌童。艺术家所表现的，也不是丑恶的模型与道德的格言，乃是能引起我们生命愉快的美。所以不问什么，只要是美的，在艺术家的眼里，就是真，就是善，就是至高无上的创造。人体的美点既如上所述，则裸体艺术之为艺术家所重视与在艺术上之价值，可以不言而喻。

From ancient times, Western art always centered on the study of the human figure. Today, these studies are still being polished generation by generation, and thus, new expressions and technologies have been developed. Western art has become a majestic wonder. However, when Western art spread to the East, it could not adapt to the Eastern culture. In Buddhism, the human body is the root of all evil. In Confucianism, a reserved manner and wenshi (rhetoric 文饰)[6] is the highest state of xiuyang (self-cultivation 修养).[7]Here, most people think nude painting is like a demon that incites lewd customs, hinders jiaohua (moral refinement 教化) and corrupts social values.[8] To dispel these wrong ideas and misunderstandings, we do not have to argue if there exists a relationship between art and morality. We only need to question whether the old morality, which is the foothold common folks rely on, still has authority in today’s new era. The foundation of old morality has long been built upon sand. Those people have many wives and concubines, while they label others’ freedom to fall in love as being shameful behavior and an offense to public decency. They claim that the true feelings of others are ugly and shameless despite the fact that they veil corruption and accept licentious behavior. The words of the common folk have already lost credibility. The tide of the times trends forward overwhelmingly, and the present embraces the past and becomes a new era. All mass and potential energy, each taking on a new form and movement, sweep away with violent waves the wall of mud on the floating sand. Therefore, rather than engaging in an argument, we would do better instead to ascertain if nude art conflicts with the ethics advocated in current times. The new morality (xin daode 新道德), a set of contemporary social standards, is not only embodied by intense self-expression, but also aims to reveal genuine emotions in their primal state.[9] Accordingly, instead of conflicting with new morality, nude art shares the same spirit with such social morals. From another perspective, is it not true that currently all art movements have been restoring the spirit of the primeval times? We ought to admire the primitive people for travelling between mountains and plains completely naked, living an innocent and natural life free from worries to the utmost. Intelligence was gradually developed within nations of later ages, and people started covering themselves up hastily, having realized that it was disgraceful to wear no clothes, distinguishing themselves from the nations of barbarians. However, as knowledge was spread amid people, hypocrisy emerged as a trait and sanctimonious misbehaviors also arose during this process. We do not need to advocate restoring primeval practices to present society. Although, so we do not deviate from the true significance of art, which serves as the expression of life, it is necessary to adopt such a tendency. Ah! Shame on the gentry who consider themselves to be the descendants (zhou 胄) of gods from a state of propriety. Glamorous as your exteriors might be, you are rotten and decayed on the inside. What entitles you to criticize others when you should be occupied with introspection and guilt.

西方的艺术自古以来，即以人体为其研究之中心，迄于今日，则因其代相研究而更发现了新的表现,新的技巧，成为华美灿烂之伟观。但是一流到东方，东方的佛教思想是以人体为一切罪恶之果；东方的儒教思想又以含蓄文饰为修养之极致；所以就根本的不能相容。他们大概视裸体画提倡淫风，有碍教化，使社会人心堕落的恶魔。我们要根本打到这些谬误的见解，姑不必从艺术与道德有无关系说起，我们只要向他们所恃为立足点的旧道德在今日的新时代是否还有权威存在。旧道德的根基本来早已筑于浮沙之上，他们自己抱了三妻四妾而偏要说人家的自由恋爱为伤风败俗，他们自己尽管藏污纳秽而偏要说人家的赤裸裸的真情流露为丑恶无耻，他们的话语是早已失去了信用了。时代的潮流滚滚不息，现在囊括了过去，而成为一个新的时代，一切的质量和势能，都各取一种新的形式与运动，浮沙上的泥墙早已被狂涛急浪冲去了。所以我们也不必和他们争什么是非，我们只要看新的道德和裸体艺术有没有冲突的地方。新道德是以强烈的自我表现为本体，新道德又以赤裸裸的真情流露为归依，所以裸体艺术非但与新道德没有冲突的地方，而且更能取同一的精神。再从另一方面说，现在一切的艺术运动，不是都在复反于原始时代的精神么？ 原始时代的民族，赤身裸体，日趋山野，天真自然，欢乐无忧，这是我们所最应羡慕的地方。后世知识日开，人知无衣蔽体为耻，于是竞相文饰遮掩，以别于野蛮之族；然而虚伪矫饰之情，外善内恶之行，也都由此而出，我们现在的生活，虽然不必以复反原始时代为创；然而为生命表白之艺术，正应取这一种的倾向才能不背真义。啊啊！你们自以为礼教之邦，神明之胄的大人先生们哟！你们虽然披了一身华美的外衣，你们的内心早已腐烂如败絮了！你们当深目内疚之不暇，那里还有攻击他人的余地呢？

I will also discuss models, a group of people who have close links with nude art, along with other arguments. Common folk believe that working as a model for an artists’ works is as despicable and obscene as being a prostitute. What nonsense! If we think it over more carefully, presenting the beauty of female bodies to the world as a model does deserve to be recognized as a matchless honor. Not to mention, since artists rely on the beauty of female bodies presented by models to create great works, models indirectly help with art production. We ought to praise models, for they have made immeasurable contribution to nude art. Modelling did not exist in China until three or four years ago. I have witnessed with my own eyes how this industry started to sprout, and how it is progressively expanding in this country. However, I always feel that most of the women who work as models are forced to make a living or are desperate for a good salary, choosing this work reluctantly. So, when they are models, they unconsciously show a depressed and restless attitude, creating many obstacles for researchers’ work. I believe that if we still want to pursue any progress in nude art, the women who work as models have to attain certain awareness. It is generally believed that artists do not pay much attention to models in the process of creation. I do not think this is the full picture. Artists rely entirely on strong emotion and feeling when they are working. These feelings are derived from their love for the subjects of their art. I think, far from not being interested in them, artists passionately love their models. This is not a spiritual love, but a love generated by souls and bodies. To some extent, this kind of love will come to an end, living on in imagination. With the help of this kind of love, artists can gain infinite inspiration and compose great works. Brilliant artists should agree with my opinions.

I have already talked a lot, so I will stop here. However, according to the context, there are some contradictions in my article. As I mentioned before, I wrote this article to offer explanations to those who typically misunderstand. Yet, what I said later is still coarse to readers. It cannot avoid causing misunderstandings, fuelling their hostility and condemnation. This is a fact that I cannot change. But now I think that I do not need to worry about their hostile and malicious attitude, because outside factors are stimulants that motivate us to work harder. They will be the most serious and intelligent judge. I believe that the old forces will soon be defeated and a promising future will finally arrive with the sun of the new era!

写来不觉过多了，我将于此搁笔。然而回顾上文，觉得前后不免有自相矛盾的地方。前面我不是说起的吗？我说做这篇文章的意思是想作为一般误解者的解释，但是后面所说的，却仍是些不入耳之言，非但不能减少他们的误解于丝毫，反更增他们的仇视与非难，这实是没有办法的事实。不过我现在反觉得他们的仇视与非难为不足虑，外界的刺激最是我们努力的兴奋剂，那一个最严肃而明敏的裁判者，我相信陈旧的势力不久定会淘汰，新的前途终会随时代的阳光到来了！