用藝術點亮枯燥生活

許紫瑩

沈建江有著雙重身份 ：杭州蕭山育才農貿市場的一位水產攤販，他出售的水產廣受當?shù)叵M者歡迎，一雙粗糙的飽經風霜的手，左手大拇指上有因魚刺多次扎入導致的增生硬條;富有詩情畫意的山水畫家，去年11月，他的作品《溪山雅居》入選杭州市第五屆“兩宋論壇”書畫聯(lián)展。

這兩個毫無相關的身份體現(xiàn)在沈建江的身上，以至于人們對他一直特別好奇。

他白天賣魚，養(yǎng)家糊口，為的是家庭的溫飽和生存;晚上畫畫，追求藝術，尋的是內心的安寧和快樂。

一邊汲汲于生，一邊追逐夢想;一面是腳下的便士，一面是心底的月亮。

水產攤前是稱職的攤販

沈建江今年54歲，杭州蕭山本地人。在從事水產生意前，曾是一名藥廠銷售。1997年，公司倒閉，他下崗了。

打了幾年零工后，兒子出生，他意識到穩(wěn)定的收入對小家庭的重要性。2000年，他聽從朋友建議，投入所有積蓄在育才農貿市場擺了個水產攤。

沈建江知道萬事開頭難，但他沒想到這么難。

沒錢買車，沈建江就要每天凌晨1點半起床，踏著沉沉夜色，頂著凜冽寒風，到西門農貿市場等專門接送的面包車去進貨。

他至今記得，那年冬天的一個極寒雪天，他一人在雪地里拉著5個兩斤重的借來的蟹筐，一直走、一直走，走了好久還沒看到面包車。面對似乎沒有盡頭的那條路，堅強的漢子紅了眼眶。

凌晨3點，面包車回程。車廂內人貨混裝，沈建江把買來的水產放好后，爬進車廂，尋到一個空角落，蜷縮著坐在充滿魚腥味的車廂內，臉埋在棉服領子里，闔眼打個盹。

4點多，沈建江回到農貿市場，收拾整理好水產后，就忙著招呼客人。中午實在累了就在椅子上靠一下，晚上7點回家。每天睡眠時間不足6小時，沒有周末和年假。

沈建江習慣了日復一日的早起晚歸，習慣了在黑夜中踽踽獨行，習慣了鼻尖縈繞不絕的魚腥味。

“那段日子是真的艱難，每次進貨回來全身都是濕漉漉的，也沒得換。難過的時候就在腦海中盤算著每天能賺多少錢，就能暫時忘掉辛苦和煩惱?！?/p>

沈建江說，那幾年他蒼老了許多。但正是這樣的苦累，磨礪了他的心智，也為他堅持學習國畫奠定了基礎。

為夢想從未放棄繪畫

生意上了軌道，沈建江在閑暇時會和其他攤主一起打打牌、喝喝酒，但很快就覺得無趣，“感覺沒什么意思，心里空落落的”。直到有一天，妻子屈雁對他說：“你要不去找個健康的愛好？”

一語驚醒夢中人，沈建江想起了他兒時的繪畫夢想。

小學三年級的時候，學校有繪畫課?！拔野l(fā)現(xiàn)，毛筆蘸墨加水稀釋后畫出來的畫是淡淡的，和我們湘湖遠山的景色一模一樣?！鄙蚪ń荏@奇，“原來毛筆畫出的畫才是真山真水?！?/p>

自此，沈建江開始在家自學山水畫。無人深入教學，他就跑到新華書店去找畫冊，找到一本《馬駘畫寶》，愛不釋手，就餓了半個月，把早飯錢省下來買下人生第一本畫冊。沒有宣紙用來臨摹，他就把家里所有能找到的紙張拿來畫。

就這樣，沈建江自學到初中畢業(yè)，“那時候我在學校已經小有名氣，但水平肯定不夠。我就央求我爸幫我報個美術班，他看我實在喜歡，就讓我去學學看?！备赣H幫沈建江報了個10天的繪畫班，在那里，他遇到了蕭山有名的畫家王不瑕老師。王老師帶他接觸到真正的中國畫。

1988年，沈建江畢業(yè)后開始工作，他剛開始還在堅持畫畫，但后來逐漸忙起來，加上周圍人“你畫畫又不能當飯吃”的唱衰聲音，他慢慢擱置了畫筆。

但是，這份熱愛已然深種。

2011年，沈建江決定重拾畫筆。他打聽到，市場里一個賣菜阿姨家樓上住著一位畫家，就托這位阿姨領他上門拜訪。這位畫家對他說：“像你這種賣魚的學國畫只是浪費時間，學不好這種高雅藝術的，勸你別學了。”

被潑了一盆“冷水”，沈建江感到十分難受且不服氣：“憑什么賣魚的就不能學國畫？我偏要學給你看?！彼秩准依L畫培訓機構詢問，卻被高昂的價格嚇退，“賺來的都是辛苦錢，吃不消這么搞”。

那一年，沈建江心情極其低落。自己從事的“臟亂臭”職業(yè)與“陽春白雪”的山水畫之間看似不可調和的矛盾，身邊人的不看好、不理解，令他頗受煎熬，他一度想放棄繪畫。

一邊是瑣碎的生活 ???一邊是詩畫和遠方

苦心人，天不負。

2013年，蕭山農民書畫協(xié)會搬到了育才路，沈建江每天去農貿市場的時候都會經過那里，牌匾上的“農民”“書畫”兩個詞吸引了他。但有了前幾次的教訓，他只是在門口徘徊，不敢進入。

幾天后，熱愛戰(zhàn)勝遲疑，沈建江終于下定決心走了進去，書畫協(xié)會會長王柏根親自接待了他?？赐晟蚪ń漠嬜鳎醢馗鶎λf：“只要你繼續(xù)努力，你肯定會畫得更好，我們歡迎你的加入！”不到一周，王會長就幫沈建江辦好了會員證，讓他“插班”進去學習，師從蕭山有名畫家趙大安。

沈建江繪畫的主題大多是“美麗鄉(xiāng)村”。起先是因為他要照顧生意，去不了很遠的地方，只能就近寫生。后來他漸漸發(fā)現(xiàn)，杭州的農村造得很好，“一排排小別墅，干凈又漂亮，我就下定決心要畫杭州美麗鄉(xiāng)村，希望能夠傳播給更多人”。

今年，已經是沈建江在蕭山農民書畫協(xié)會的第十個年頭了?！吧蚪ń睦L畫技法越來越成熟，他的畫很有氣勢，很宏偉，又融入了現(xiàn)代的元素，能夠展示自己的家鄉(xiāng)美。”蕭山農民書畫協(xié)會辦公室主任項紅紅告訴筆者。

項紅紅透露，沈建江很勤奮，每到上課那天，他早上9點多干完活就趕過去，吃完午飯會單獨留下來再練一會?！坝欣蠋熃ㄗh他再學學別的花鳥畫、農民畫，他說自己不學了，只想專注畫山水畫，把一門技藝學精、學好?！表椉t紅說。

現(xiàn)在，沈建江每天都畫畫。晚上7點多從農貿市場回到家，他做的第一件事情就是畫畫，直到晚上11點。“國畫要分染，等一層顏色干了再上另一層。所以我一般都先畫底色，再去燒飯，再回來上第二層顏色?！?/p>

有時候，沈建江因為畫畫太過忘我，會忘記飯菜還在鍋里，等他發(fā)現(xiàn)的時候，飯菜已經焦了。妻子屈雁每次都笑：“你可真是廢寢忘食了！”盡管如此，沈建江還是覺得他每天用在繪畫上的時間太少。

兩年前，沈建江買了一輛新的面包車，他將其改裝了一番，將車前部變成他的“流動書房”。每當他空閑時，他就會跑到車上翻看畫冊書，思索繪畫技法，甚至看《唐詩三百首》，琢磨什么叫“詩情畫意”。沈建江常常說：“做自己喜歡的事，再忙都能擠出時間?！?/p>

沈建江由衷感嘆：“畫畫的時候我最開心，像是找到了最豐盈真實的自我，那種從內而外的滿足感是難以形容的。我年復一年、枯燥無味的生活因為畫畫變得多姿多彩、有滋有味?！?/p>

From a Fish Vendor to a Painter

By ?Xu Ziying

Shen Jianjiang， a vendor in Xiaoshan district， Hangzhou， is leading a double life. With coarse， weathered hands， Shen sells aquatic products in the local market in the daytime and does some landscape painting at night — last November， his work Xishan Yaju （Elegant Dwellings amid Brooks and Mountains） was selected into the Hangzhou’s Fifth Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition at the Northern and Southern Dynasty Forum.

The dual identity of the 54-year-old Xiaoshan native has triggered much public curiosity： how does Shen manage to support his family and chase his artistic dream in the meantime， like a non-fictional Moon and Sixpence？

Before taking up the current business， he was once a salesman with a pharmaceutical factory， which closed down in 1997 and he was thus laid off.

He did some part-time jobs afterwards until his son was born， which made him realize he must secure a steady income to provide for his family. In 2000， advised by a friend of his， he traded all his savings for a fish stall at a local market.

He knew it was never easy to start， but he didn’t expect it to be this hard.

Because he couldn’t afford a car， Shen had to get up at 1：30 am every morning， walking through the freezing wind of the night to wait for a van at another Market， with which he could replenish his stock.

There was an extremely cold winter day that Shen clearly remembers to this day： towing five 1-kg crab baskets in the snow alone， he kept walking and walking on the seemingly endless road with welled up eyes.

At 3：00 am， while the van returned with a full mixed load of odorous purchases and their owners， Shen would use that short period of time to take a quick nap on the car.

At a little past 4：00 am， Shen got back to his market， and quickly tidy up the aquatic products for sale before receiving customers. At noon he would have a little rest in the chair if he was too tired. He usually went home at 7：00 pm， and got a less-than-6-hour sleep. No weekends or annual leaves.

Gradually， Shen grew used to the days of getting up early and returning home late， walking alone in the dark， and surrounded by the lingering smell of fish. “Those days were so difficult that every time I finished with my stock， I would get soaked all over and with no dry clothes to change into. When things got too bad， I would think about how much money I’d made that day to take my mind off the troubles and pains I was suffering.”

Those years have aged him a lot， but Shen believed it was this hard time that sharpened his mind and will， which mentally supported him throughout his learning of Chinese painting.

After his business went on track， Shen Jianjiang would usually hang out with other vendors， and it bored him very soon. One day， his wife suggested， “What about finding yourself a nice hobby？”

It suddenly reminded him of how he loved painting as a child. Since he got to know paining at the third grade， Shen had been teaching himself to draw landscapes at home. With no instructors， he went to the local Xinhua Bookstore and bought his first picture book with his pocket money. And his self-taught drawing lessons continued until he graduated from junior high.

“I was a little famous back then as a good painter， but absolutely not good enough. So I begged my father to sign me up for an art class， which he did， and he even encouraged me to pursue my passion.” During that ten-day course， he met a well-known Xiaoshan painter Wang Buxia， who introduced him to authentic Chinese painting.

Shen took a job after he graduated in 1988， and kept paining in his spare time at first. But when he got busier than before， and surrounded by discouraging voices （“you can’ really live on your amateur painting， can you？” was one he frequently heard）， he slowly dropped his paining brush.

However， his affection for painting could not be gone that easily. In 2011， Shen decided to pick up painting again， only to be ridiculed by a local painter who claimed that for someone selling fish for a living， learning an elegant art like Chinese painting is nothing but a waste of time. Unwilling to budge， Shen attempted to sign up for some course at art training schools， but backed down because of the high tuitions. That year， he was really depressed， on the verge of giving up painting once and for all.

But fate just wouldn’t let him. In 2013， Xiaoshan Farmers’ Calligraphy and Painting Club was relocated to Yucai Road， which Shen curiously passed every day on his way to work but too was afraid to get inside. Several days after， he finally summoned up courage and entered， where Wang Bogen， the president， received him， examined his works， and encouraged him. “As long as you keep working hard， you will be doing much better. We would love for you to join us，” Wang said. He got the membership certificate ready for Shen in less than a week， who was able to enter the class taught by the famous Xiaoshan painter， Zhao Da’an.

The major themes of his paintings are always the captivating countryside， because he could not go much further for landscape sketching than his business would allow him. And he grew attracted to the tidy and beautiful rural areas in Hangzhou， which he loved to present through his paintings to the rest of the world.

The year 2022 marks a full decade when Shen first joined the club. “He is getting much more skillful， which delivers the grandeur and modern beauty of his hometown，” Xiang Honghong， the club’s director of general office， said. “And he is also very hardworking and focused.”

Now Shen paints every day. After 7：00 pm when he gets home from a day’s work， the first thing he does is pick up his paint brush. Sometimes he is so concentrated in his painting that he forgets to eat or sleep.

Nevertheless， Shen is still worried that the time he spends on painting is far from enough. Two years ago， he bought a new van， which he turned into his “mobile study”. Whenever he is free， he will get inside the car to browse some painting books while thinking about painting techniques. He even refers to the Three Hundred Tang Poems to figure out what exactly is “poetic”.

“For the things you love doing， you can always squeeze in a few sessions on a busy day，” said Shen. “I’m happiest when I’m painting. It is like finding your most abundant and true self， and you can feel the profound satisfaction within. My boring life has repeated itself year after year， and now it finally becomes so colorful， thanks to painting.”

Bit by bit， Shen Jianjiang is no longer satisfied with only mastering some simple techniques. He wants to be trained professionally at an academy of fine arts， so as to render China’s natural landscape， especially the beautiful countryside of Hangzhou， in a more refined way. He is also planning an art exhibition， if chances were offered， for which he has already thought of a name： “From a Fish Vendor to a Painter”.