《國立臺灣師範大學藝術學院院長，序文撰寫: 莊連東教授》

曾經遊歷世界各地，面對新鮮而陌生的景象，總是信手拈來便以簡約的筆墨線條，紀錄各種物象的形與神，這些迅速揮灑而就的速寫作品，有的也許是他創作前「蒐盡奇峰打草稿」的準備，有的則即是完整的作品，這些作品充分展現李奇茂教授個人獨特的風格，同時反映出他水墨表現的卓越能力與藝術思維。從作品的不同視點分析，顯示他對於陌生形象的感知極其敏銳而且情感豐富，既能夠快速的掌握物象的表徵，同時明確的深入理解並投入豐沛的情感，然後轉化為水墨速寫作品。

一、外在形象敏銳的覺察與轉換

當藝術家接觸外在形象產生創意的連結時而有了創造成作品的衝動，構思是形塑作品的發端，而面對複雜的形象時，如何轉化爲畫面圖像呈現，必須經歷圖像轉化、技術介面融入、空間佈局安排與美感營造鋪陳。而其中求其形質兼備往往是藝術家追求畫幅內涵的重要指向，也就是如何掌握形象外在形貌的特徵與傳遞內在韻味成為重要目標，於是，從覺察它們本質的原理，抽離精華而去其糟粕，到回應筆墨運作的表現形式，重構藝術家自我創作風貌，這是獨具慧眼的藝術家必然經歷的創作過程，

深諳動東方哲學思想與精擅水墨繪畫表現模式的李奇茂教授，在思索圖像如何成為他創作元素時，除傳衍東方繪畫理論中「觀物取象」、「應物造形」的形象轉化策略，透過觀察自然的現象，擷取事物的本質與規律，提煉出奇典型的形貌。進而依理應法、立意出新，而其法度的訂定，則彰顯其卓越的識見與豐富的學養，尤其生命閱歷的積累，更回應他觀照萬物萬象本質理趣，能通透明晰的原因。

如何在短時間的接觸，甚至瞬間的交會，立即體察物象的型態與神韻，並利用簡略的筆觸、塊面，或是線條，現其形並彰其神。其中的關鍵在對各種物象結構的清楚瞭解，對姿態的充分掌握，方能克奇功，同時，精湛的筆墨運用技巧，也是至關重要的輔助。顯然，李奇茂教授從學理的深入研究到眼力的高度判斷，再透過靈巧雙手的運行，既能契合形象顯於外的特質，亦能蘊含其隱於內的氣韻，這是他歷經長期手追心摩的長期鍛鍊而來，也是他個人獨具資賦的過人之處。

二、內在情感豐沛的投射與抒發

簡筆書寫的圖像造形給予觀看者的印象是暢快淋漓的感覺，透過線條輕重緩急的運行軌跡，筆觸濃淡乾濕的順應變換，以及墨韻輕重厚薄的巧妙鋪排，觀看者除了視覺體現畫面上節奏旋律的流轉，更能感應創作者內心情感起伏跌宕的變化。東方水墨繪畫運用毛筆書寫描繪物象，求其「似與不似之間」的表現形態，講求的是「外師造化，中得心源」的內心覺知所感的心得，因此，創作者情感的移入與鏈結是深刻而強烈的，而書寫時的情緒流動更是表述其抒心放懷的情感高度運作。

李奇茂教授擅長以簡筆書寫的表現形式作畫，畫面亦強烈的傳遞出情感多樣變幻的軌跡，這顯示出他在筆墨書寫時是感性浪漫的思維與豐沛情感投注的行為。李奇茂教授深得傳統文人思想中「含蓄蘊藉」的精神，待人處事溫和敦厚，內在修為克己復禮，謹嚴持守士大夫禮教法度，人格特質謙沖為懷，品性高潔。於是化為筆墨，氣勢胸懷盡情揮灑於畫幅之中，所謂「借物抒懷」，「聊以寫胸中逸氣」，必是想當然爾。

暢懷之際，從現代心理醫學的角度來說，似乎也是一種自我療癒的方法，在盡情揮灑筆墨的當下，其實是全然的釋放壓力，進入書寫情境之中，更是抽離現實環境，進入自我建構的理想情境之內，從墨韻流轉與筆線運行的過程，時而對應物象的規律，時而依循自我意識的游移，得其相應成趣，深獲內心觸動，時而感動萬分，時而快樂之至。彷彿從李奇茂教授的速寫畫作，得以觀其情感之豐沛與心境的轉折。

三、異國文化深入的理解與想像

跨國移動對於現在的臺灣社會來說，無論是臺灣人向外移動或是外國人向內移動都成為日常，從短期的旅行到中長期的工作移居，或是永久性的移民遷徙，面對異國文化、不同的種族及陌生的景觀與物象，現代人有了豐富的經驗，也有充足的資訊可以進行多層面的認識與理解，並且透過多元的管道進行紀錄或表述看法。而這些我們已然習以為常的生活型態，對於當時能夠參與國際交流仍然是少數人，且資訊並不發達的時代，面對陌生文化或環境的時候，個人的觀察與領略都是因人而異，其中延伸的心得表述更是各擅勝場。

李奇茂教授因其藝術成就而得以隨政府單位出訪世界各國，也因而得以面對不同文化匯聚的場合，體察各種風土民情與異國情調時，透過他藝術家敏銳覺察力與感性情感特質，迅速而精準的轉化爲畫面形象，在短暫時間的接觸之後，一方面旣能把握不同的陌生形象的特徵與精神，另一方面能將其與東方水墨的韻味相融合一，並點出其精髓，也傳遞出他從中領略的理趣。顯示李奇茂教授擅於掌握差異化與同質性的彼此對應關係。於是，走訪世界各地，閱覽奇風異俗，蒐盡眾生形貌，然後化為他筆下創見與美感思維。

文化差異下的陌生化閱讀，或許在資訊貧乏或相應不對稱的關係下，必然造成些許的誤差，也因為誤讀的視角，造就藝術表現更多想像衍化的可能，也容許藝術家介入詮釋與調整的空間，觀看李奇茂教授速寫異國人物、動物並延伸為場域鋪陳的創意思考作品，當下瞬間決定的創見主張，雖僅是一種發想的開始，卻能預見未來形塑為完整作品的樣貌。

總而言之，卓越的藝術創作能力造就成功的藝術家，其中包含內在修為與筆上功夫的巧妙結合。李奇茂教授的水墨速寫作品，畫面雖輕，筆墨雖簡，整體卻反應其不凡的偉大藝術家格局。尤其，這些作品是在短暫時間信手拈來之作，紙張是就身邊易於取用之物，心境是拾起無所不在的靈感，行動的積極更表述其對藝術高度的熱情。當這些作品集結在一起，完整的彰顯李奇茂教授一生投入水墨創作的強大力量。





Imprints from the Journey, the Contemplative Mind Reshaped:
Special Exhibition of Master Chi-Mao Li’s Ink Sketches

About the Exhibition
Journeys across the globe instilled in Master Chi-Mao Li the practice of distilling the essence and form of exotic vistas through spare, elegant strokes of pen and ink. These swiftly executed sketches served dual purposes: some functioned as preparatory studies, offering the fundamental structure for more elaborate compositions, while others stood complete as finished works in their own right. The pieces initiated or brought to fruition during his various sojourns are a profound testament to Master Li's distinctive personal style and his exceptional mastery over ink expression and aesthetic philosophy. Viewing them from diverse perspectives, one readily discerns his acute sensitivity and emotional resonance with foreign subjects. He possessed the remarkable ability to first capture the outward physiognomy of his subjects with incisive perception, then imbue them with a wealth of feeling, culminating in their refined transcription into ink sketches.


I. From Subtle Perception of the External Image to Formal Realization
The engagement of the artist with the phenomenological contours of the external world initiates a creative impulse that drives the production of original work. Conception serves as the primordial phase wherein the nascent work begins to take form. Confronted with the complex and variegated tapestry of visual experience, the artist is tasked with the arduous undertaking of translating these vistas into coherent graphical schema. This necessitates a protracted process involving perceptual transformation, technical mastery, meticulous spatial articulation and rigorous aesthetic refinement. A paramount imperative for the accomplished artist is the confluence of form and essence within the completed work. Specifically, the artist endeavors to imbue the artwork with the discernible characteristics and features of the subject matter while simultaneously articulating its immanent, essential spirit. Consequently, the artist must keenly observe and apprehend the object’s nature, distill its essence while discarding the superfluous, vest it with expressive idioms of their medium, and ultimately re-constitute the artist’s unique, personal style. This trajectory describes the evolutionary and creative principle for any artist possessing a discerning and cultivated taste.

A profound scholar, steeped in the tenets of Oriental philosophy and an eminent virtuoso of ink wash painting, Professor Chi-Mao Li systematically translated the classical Eastern precepts of "observing to capture the pre-formed image" and "delineating contour according to intrinsic spirit" into his exploratory practice. In navigating the transformation of graphic reality into his creative lexicon, he engaged in a rigorous, intimate communion with natural phenomena. This close contact allowed him to induce the foundational principles of existence, thereby refining and transcending the classical aesthetic outlook. He operated within the established canons, yet his scrupulous adherence to method served only as the foundation upon which he erects entirely novel creations. The very nomenclature he established and the formal structures he pioneered are luminous indices of his exceptional erudition and expansive learning—a tapestry woven from the rich threads of a life profoundly lived. This mastery further resonated with his lucid comprehension and compassionate solicitude for all creatures and the entire phenomenal world.

By what means does the artist, following a fleeting contact or momentary encounter, manage to arrest the structural form and render palpable the intrinsic essence through the economy of ink washes, chromatic fields, or delineated lines? The definitive factor resides in his perspicuous apprehension of the essential architectures of all matter and his consummate command over their inherent bearing. These faculties constitute the very fount of his creative alchemy. Nevertheless, his virtuosic technical mastery of ink and brush remains an indispensable auxiliary apparatus. Evidently, the achieved artistry—which successfully captures not merely exterior qualities but profoundly imbues the work with the object’s intrinsic spiritus—is the synthesis of his rigorous theoretical foundation, his highly perceptive ocular sensibility, and the practiced dexterity of his hands. Such accomplishment demands long, strenuous disciplinary exercises, yet, more critically, it hinges upon the innate personal gifts with which the artist is naturally endowed.


II. The Projection and Expressions of Inner Feelings
The graphic immediacy of the sketch often resonates with profound resonance, captivating the observer to the very core of their aesthetic sensibility. Through the undulating trajectory of disparate strokes—the uneven gravitas and lightness of line, the nuanced intercession of wet and dry ink fields, and the modulation of chromatic intensity—the spectator is afforded not only a perception of the picture plane's rhythmic vitality but also an intimate apprehension of the artist's exquisite, fluctuating emotional cadence. Oriental ink-and-brush artistry, which posits the world as its subject, fundamentally seeks the subtle delineation between verisimilitude and abstraction, adhering to the dictum of "taking the exterior world as the master while apprehending the heart of the matter." Consequently, this form constitutes an art conceived from the very prehension of the soul. The ingress and linkage to the artist's affective state are, therefore, rendered both profoundly immediate and palpably manifest. In this context, the act of sketching transcends mere delineation, becoming a true liberation for the spontaneous overflow of feelings.


Master Li's oeuvre exemplifies a profound engagement with the expressive modalities of Chinese ink painting. His sketches are distinguished by a syntactic simplicity and an almost minimalist aesthetic, yet this formal restraint belies a remarkable capacity to intensely convey the subtle, often ephemeral trajectory of minutiae in affective states.
These works serve as a luminous refraction of the sensitive romantic sensibilities and the profusion of emotion he infused into the execution of his ink-and-brush sketches. His practice is firmly rooted in the venerable conventions of the Chinese literati, particularly in the adherence to the aesthetic and philosophical principle of "retrained but profound." Personally, Master Li was characterized by a gentle, amiable disposition in his comportment and his navigation of interpersonal dynamics. Furthermore, his life was marked by an exacting degree of self-discipline and propriety, ensuring strict compliance with the etiquettes and normative standards of the scholarly elite. He is particularly celebrated for his unassuming humility combined with a noble spiritual quality.
When these intrinsic moral and ethical attributes are transfused through the medium of brush and ink, his innate loftiness and magnanimity become palpable within the resulting artistic expressions. This serves as an exemplary instantiation of the critical aesthetic doctrines of "expressing the mind through picturing things" and "depicting the transcendental elegance of the heart," precisely fulfilling the discerning expectations of the connoisseur.
From the vantage point of modern psychiatry, this unfettered creative liberation constitutes a profound modality of auto-catharsis and self-healing. The moment the artist, through the meticulous application of ink and brush, achieves the exhaustion of his affective reservoir, he simultaneously undergoes a state of absolute physiological and psychological détente. By immersing himself fully into the aesthetic universe he constructs through the acts of calligraphy and painting, the artist effects a deliberate and profound withdrawal from quotidian reality. He thus enters a singular utopia of his own personal fabrication. The deliberate procedures of exerting the ink's viscosity and commanding the trajectory of the line serve as a reciprocal dialogue: the artist responds to the intrinsic rhythms of the depicted objects while simultaneously introspecting upon the subtle movements of his own conscience. When these two worlds—the external rhythms and the internalized conscience—achieve a state of reciprocal mirroring, and the chord of the heart is thus plucked, the artist is subject to moments that range from profound emotional agitation to states of unbridled exhilaration. These extant calligraphic sketches and painted vestiges of Master Li permit a unique hermeneutical aperture into his inner emotional landscape, revealing both its profundity and its dynamic trajectories.


III. Profound Understanding of Exotic Cultures and Imaginative Sensibility
The practice of cross-national mobility has been thoroughly normalized within contemporary Taiwanese society, encompassing both the emigration of local citizens and the immigration of foreign nationals. Whether transient travel, extended professional sojourns, or permanent settlement, the modern individual possesses an unparalleled experiential repertoire concerning exotic cultures, diverse ethnic groups, and foreign landscapes.
This engagement furnishes them with enhanced informational and resource capital, thus facilitating a more nuanced comprehension and appreciation of the cultural and social Other. Crucially, the current era provides manifold channels for the systematic documentation and reflection upon these transcultural encounters. Nevertheless, what is now perceived as a societal commonplace was deemed an extraordinary endeavor merely two generations prior.
Back then, the privilege of engaging in significant international exchange was typically reserved for a highly selected and circumscribed stratum of society. Given the attenuated accessibility of global information, the personal observation and perception of foreign cultures became singularly susceptible to variance, heavily conditioned by the specific socio-biographical background of the individual artist. Consequently, each artist developed a distinct hermeneutic strength in interpreting and executing these experiences within their artistic oeuvre.

Owing to his exceptional artistic distinction and recognized achievement, Master Li frequently received invitations to accompany official government delegations on international cultural missions. This elevated status afforded him access to elite transnational gatherings and exposed him to a compelling spectrum of cultural diversity and exotic ambience.
Possessing the supreme perceptual acuity and refined sensibility characteristic of a consummate artist, Master Li demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to rapidly assimilate and translate these complex sensory inputs into visually compelling images with remarkable formal precision. Following even ephemeral encounters, he could not only capture the topographical shape and intrinsic essence of foreign scenes but, more significantly, interpret them through the distinctive aesthetic vocabularies of Eastern ink and brushwork. Through the quintessential elements he acutely isolated and rendered, Master Li permits the observer a privileged glimpse into the ephemeral delight he experienced in those moments.

This proficiency simultaneously underscores Master Li's command in mediating the dialectic tension between cultural homogeneity and heterogeneity. Consequently, the recollections of traversing the globe and the act of exhausting the myriad appearances of all beings are continuously and dynamically sublimated into the enduring fabric of his creative artistic oeuvre.
The inevitable existence of cultural dissonance often culminates in estranged interpretations and, when compounded by informational scarcity or asymmetry, can generate erroneous or misrepresentative artistic depictions. Crucially, however, these very mis-readings possess the potential for metaphorical transmutation into sophisticated artistic renderings and extended imaginative constructs.
These interpretive lacunae thus function as fertile space for creative interpretation and aesthetic articulation.
When examining Master Li’s sketches depicting foreign figures and fauna—works that were subsequently extended to serve as the genesis loci for more comprehensive creative endeavors—we observe a significant phenomenon. The instantaneous artistic decisions executed in situ constitute merely the incipient phase of a new work; yet, simultaneously, this initial impulse pre-figures the totality and final aesthetic configuration of the completed chef-d'œuvre.

In summation, the achievement of a successful art master hinges not solely upon outstanding artistic creativity, but necessitates the ideal concatenation of profound inner cultivation and supreme technical bravura. The ink and brush sketches of Master Li are characterized by their judicious lightness of portrayal and the economy of minimalist lines. Yet, their overall aesthetic bearing subtly but powerfully reflects the underlying inner strength and emotional wealth of a great artist. Considering that these works were executed within brief temporal passages and utilizing the portable implements accompanying the artist on his travels, they underscore a key aspect of his practice. The artist's sensory core lies in his ability to perceive and instantaneously capture ubiquitous inspiration. The resultant actions are eloquent testaments to an intense and abiding passion for his métier. When these varied works are collated and examined collectively, they serve as a comprehensive revelation of Master Li's artistic prowess and his life-long commitment to the rigorous mastery of the art of ink and brush.