追記周瑛老師畫展之前
文｜李錫奇
每一個藝術創作靈魂的產生，都是偶然與必然的聚合。偶然來自大時代環境的，
必然則來自創作者本身的能力與努力。這點在從事半世紀創作的我來看，尤其深
刻。其中有一些好的師長適時的鼓勵更是決定了前進的方向，他不一定是有實質
的提攜或物質的幫助，而是一些精神的支持可能勝過其他，對我而言，周瑛老師
就是這樣的老師。
在我成長的金門─那個戰亂的歲月，躲避砲擊一直是幼年的經驗，印象中難得安
穩的念上幾天書。1953 年家中遭變故祖母、姐姐無辜受戕，造成內心莫大的傷
痛，1955 年隻身到台北師範學校藝術科就讀。進入北師的第一年，似乎也沒認
真的對課業放到什麼心思，直到下學期看到同學何政廣很認真的刻木刻版畫投稿
到香港《祖國》雜誌，心想自己或許可以試試看，在姑且一試的心態下，向何政
廣要了地址，也跟著投到《祖國》雜誌，很幸運的多次獲得了採用，不但讓我有
了豐厚的報酬，對我往後的創作也有很大的延續動力。當時因熱衷於版畫，知道
周瑛老師對木刻版畫很有研究，便去找他請教；周老師是光復初期以來重要的版
畫家之一，擅長木刻版畫，亦為中華民國版畫學會成立之創始人。他耐心的給了
我很多的建議，還不吝借給我一套珍貴的《八年抗戰木刻集》，我從中獲得了許
多的創作靈感。到了二年級，周瑛老師是我們的導師，教授水彩、寫生，我的水
彩常常不太按一般常規創作，但意外的周老師對我的表達方式也會給予讚許，增
加了自己作創作上的信心，有作品完成也經常會拿給他看，他也都提供了中肯的
意見；北師快畢業時，我想在學校舉行個展，這是北師破天荒學生在校個展的首
例，曾引起不小的阻力，周老師雖然開始是反對的，後來也本著愛護之情，默許
了我的展出。
50 年代末，北師求學的期間，正值台灣現代藝術運動的崛起萌芽，對於現代繪
畫的看法，現代與傳統的陣營各有支持者，在雜誌報紙裡雙方經常你來我往的打
筆仗。而我在學校時也很關注剛成立的「五月畫會」
、
「東方畫會」所釋放的藝術
新鮮空氣，如李仲生老師、何鐵華、蕭勤等人對現代繪畫的引介宣揚，都讓我沉
迷於這股思潮，但是學校裡很多老師的藝術觀念仍然偏向保守，甚至對現代藝術
的觀念充滿敵意。對此，周瑛老師雖然沒有馬上投身到這個陣營，卻抱持寬容態
度，讓我們能自由發揮不致被扼殺。
我與周老師並不像入門弟子那般親近，我們的師生關係就如君子之交。但在一些
重要時刻，對一個徬徨的年輕人來說，師長的一句話也許就可能是一個關鍵的言
語。猶記 1958 年從學校畢業要返回金門，到現在還搞不清楚理由的一股任性趨
使，臨上船的當下，決定暫時留在台灣沒有跟隨著船期返回金門。而命運總是有
其安排，隨即開始了金門的八二三砲戰，此讓我的藝術生涯偶然的行為與整個台
灣現代藝術運動有了交叉，才有機會促成了我投身半個世紀的藝術創作。回想當
年，因為沒上船暫時還住在學校的時候，未來惶惶不安之際，剛好去找了周老師，
他跟我說留在台灣是對的並支持我的選擇，這一句話給了我一個撫慰及安定，讓
我對自己的決定更有信心。之後，我離開了學校積極參與畫會活動，就逐漸較少
找周老師了。但在小學教書時，只要返回學校還是常常會去找周老師討論一些藝
術上的問題。後來周老師也開始將創作轉向現代藝術的形式，他的抽象版畫尤其
具有個人特色，作品紋路與深淺光影交錯出充滿辯證性的視覺空間，走出了傳統
版畫的窠臼，賦予了版畫不一樣的視野。2011 年，周瑛老師以九十歲高壽辭世，
雖已過了兩年了，其惇惇教誨的身影仍如往昔。讓我們這些曾經受教的學生充滿
不捨與懷念，這次的紀念展，就只能透過他作品的呈現，讓我們再次追憶這位終
生教育家的風範。
Preface
LEE Shi-chi
The birth of an individual artistic sprit is always an encounter between haphazard and
inevitability. Haphazard is like the driftwood floating on the river of history, while
inevitability is the results coming of the efforts and abilities of the artist. After an
artistic career that spans half a century, I profoundly realize the significance of
haphazard and inevitability from the bottom of my heart. At some moments of my life,
the supports and encouragement from some teachers play a critical role in my
decision making for future plans. The guidance and support may not be so effective in
a substantial or financial way. However, in a spiritual way, verbal supports outweigh
other material things. As far as I am concerned, Master CHOU Ying is a great mentor
of a kind.
I grew up in Kinmen. It was a war time. My childhood was full of memory of
bombards and bomb shelters. As I remembered, my school days were never stable and
consecutive. In 1953, a devastating incident happened to my family. My grandmother
and elder sister were the innocent victims. The tragic incident broke my heart. In 1955,
I went alone to study at the Department of Fine Arts in Taiwan Provincial Normal
School (now Taiwan Normal University).
In the first year at university, I was not very attentive to the study. In the second
semester, I noted that my classmate HO Zheng-guang was occupied with
woodcarving printing and submitted his prints to a magazine, Motherland, published
in Hong Kong. It occurred to me that perhaps I could try to submit my own works. By
giving a try, I went to HO for the submission information and then submitted works to
the magazine. It was fortunate that my works were accepted several times. The
success of my attempts greatly encouraged me—I was not only rewarded with
substantial sums of money but also given a continuous incentive for my following
artistic creation. At that time, I had a great passion for printmaking. Knowing that
Master CHOU was distinguished at woodcut printmaking, thus, I went to him for
advice. He was one of the celebrated printmakers since the beginning of Retrocession
of Taiwan. He specialized in woodcut printmaking and was also one of the founders
of Taiwan Printmaking Society. He was patient and gave me a lot of suggestions and
advice. In addition, he generously lent me a priceless collection of Woodcut Prints in
Eight-Year Anti-Japanese War, which has greatly inspired me in my artistic creation.
In my sophomore year, Master CHOU became our class mentor, teaching watercolor
painting and landscape sketch. When I painted watercolor, I seldom followed the
artistic norms. Unexpectedly, I received compliments for my creative expression from
Master CHOU, which greatly boosted my confidence. When I had artwork completed,
I often brought it to him for advice; and he never failed to make pertinent reviews. As
approaching my graduation, I was planning to hold a solo exhibition at school, which
was unprecedented for a college student and brought about a great deal of disapproval.
At the beginning, Master CHOU did not agree with the act. Yet, out of his love to
students, he later tacitly agreed to my plan.
In the late 50s, when I studied at the Taiwan Provincial Normal University, it was a
time that Taiwan Modern Art Movement was sprouting and developing. In terms of
modern painting, supporters for both modern and traditional artistic groups were
ardently debating for their art thinking through periodicals and magazines. In the
meanwhile, as a college student, I was attentively focusing on the newly founded May
Painting Association and East Painting Association, wherein an innovative and brand
new perspective of artistic expression was revealed in the artworks of artists such as
LI Chun-shen, HO Tie-hua, HSIAO Chin, and the like. I also indulged in the artistic
movement because of the way they introduced and promoted modern painting. At
school, nevertheless, there were instructors whose artistic concepts were
conservative-oriented and somehow hostile to the concepts derived from modern art.
As to this view, Master CHOU did not rush to take a side but kept a receptive attitude.
Therefore, we were given free rein in artistic creation, without any imposed restraint.
I was not an intimate disciple to the master. We maintained a mentor-and-protégé
relationship as the one of “Friends agree best at a distance.” At certain key moments,
phrases from teachers and parents may turn out to be critical to a young man in stray.
I can still remember 1958, the year when I left school and was ready to set out for
returning home. Inexplicably, I felt baffled for some unknown reasons. Upon
embarking, I decided to stay in Taiwan and did not return to Kinmen as planned. It
was fate that might be responsible for everything. Then, the Kinmen 823 Artillery War
broke out in 1958. Such a turning point indicated that a haphazard act brought
together my artistic career and Taiwan Modern Art Movement. Accordingly, upon
seizing this opportunity, I became devoted to my artistic career for half a century. As I
recalled, I stayed at school for a short period of time after I gave up boarding the ship
to back home. As I was lost and uncertain for my future, I just went to Master Chou
for help. He told me that it was right for me to stay in Taiwan and was very supportive
to my decision. The verbal support and approval pacified me with comfort and peace.
I became more confident with the decision. Afterwards, I left school and dedicated
myself to participating in various activities held by the painting associations and
gradually decreased the visits at Master CHOU. However, at the time when I took a
teaching position at an elementary school, I frequently returned to my alma mater and
discussed some artistic issues with him. Later on, Master CHOU started to transform
his artistic creation with styles of modern arts. In particular, his abstract printmaking
revealed an individualistic style. In his artwork, the texture and the use of chiaroscuro
between light and shadow mingled and created a visual dimension, revealing a sense
of dialectics. It is his original style that breaks the stereotypes of traditional
printmaking and endows the printmaking with new horizons. In 2011, Master CHOU
passed away at the venerable age of ninety. Although it has been two years, his image
and teachings are as vivid as they were in the past days, and all the students who have
been under his guidance cannot and will not forget him in the days to come. In this
memorial exhibition, we will have a chance to recall the integrity of a lifetime
educator by appreciating his artistic sensibility in the artwork.