【拉字至上】GIOVEDI 22 MAGGIO 2014 - Laurel Holloman采访

Laurel Holloman is an artist, the typical artist I like: a painter, an actress and a humanitarian. The plural sides of art often make us much more appreciative of the people we happen to run into during our lives. For this reason and because of the significant importance this interview-critique has for me, I nearly ended up considering it as a new publication.
Laurel Holloman是位艺术家，而且正是我喜欢的那种：画家，演员，人道主义者。艺术的多面性常使我们更懂得去感激人生中的邂逅。出于这个原因，再加上这篇采访评论文章对于我的重大意义，我真想把它称为一篇新的出版物。
Over the years Laurel Holloman devoted herself to independent American cinema marking her screen debut as an actress at 24. Since 2010 she is entirely devoted to painting, following the New York school of abstract expressionism. The 12th July the Galerie Joseph of Paris will host one of her solo show. I'm now going to introduce a few canvases for each of her solo exhibits and then ask her some related questions to satisfy our own curiosities.
Laurel Holloman数年来致力于独立美国电影，在24岁时首次作为女演员亮相荧幕。而从2010年开始，她全身心地投入绘画，仿效抽象表现主义纽约画派。巴黎Joseph画馆将于七月12日主办她的个人展。现在我将挑选她每场个人展中的几幅油画进行介绍，然后问些相关的问题来满足我们自己的好奇心。

Tribeca Collection 2011
Mrs. Holloman, this is probably the canvas I would have wished to paint: “The Walk Alone”. Maybe one day I will tell you why. Mean while it is worth pointing out how magnificently you use yellow; the color has a calming effect and is in harmony with the idea of a solitary walk. The graduated shading of colors, which yield a bright green in the lower part ofthe painting, are a clear representation of inner peace typical of loneliness and of the artistic reflection of solitude.
Holloman女士，这幅油画大概是我希望出自自己之手的：“I Walk Alone”。也许有朝一日我会告诉你原因的。同时也应该指出，你将黄色运用得淋漓尽致，这种颜色使人镇定，并与独自行走的景象协调一致。画面下部呈现亮绿色，渐变的着色清楚地展示出孤独者特有的内心平静，以及与世隔绝的艺术反映。
Could you explain us the origin of this picture? What is meant to be seen and what have I actually missed?
你能否向我们解释一下这幅画来由呢？你希望观赏者能看出什么，什么又是我未能把握的呢？
Lu: I Walk Alone has two figures walking away from each other and two smaller figures at the bottom. I painted this when my marriage was falling apart and I think the figures represent everyone in my family. My ex husband and I are now great friends so the painting is now are flection of a different kind of family. At least when I think of it now. I also knew it would be me to end the marriage and it was a painting that gave me strength. I cared for my partner but I was no longer in love and I wanted my children to see a different kind of relationship. I chose yellow because my decision to be alone was well thought out over time and it finally felt like a calming one. Also the green at the bottom represents growth. In another way I also feel that the painting is about death. We die alone and I also see the figures walking towards heaven. My step father (who used to be a priest) saw that part right away.
Lu：I Walk Alone画面中有渐行渐远的两个人影，底部还有两个稍小的人形。创作这幅画时我正经历婚姻破碎，而我觉得这些人物代表着我家庭中的每一个人。现在我和我的前夫是好朋友，所以现在看来这幅画反映出一种不同寻常的家庭。至少此刻我这么觉得。同时我也知道，我会是结束婚姻的那个人，这幅画给了我力量。我在乎我的另一半，但我们却不再相爱了，我希望我的孩子们看到另一种关系。我选择黄色，因为想恢复自由身的决定经过长期深思熟虑，最终让人感到平静。同时画面底部的绿色象征生长。从另个角度看，这幅画是关于死亡的。我们会孤独地死去，画面中的人物似乎正步入天国。我的继父（他曾经是牧师）一下就看出了这层涵义。

I recently described Hans Hofmann’s “Orchestral Dominance in Yellow” as the most ‘tempting’ painting (for the force it has to incite anyone to paint) I have ever seen, considering the way the artist plays with the colors. I can feel the same thing when looking at the protruding oil in“Lush” where the solidity of the color is achieved by short brush strokes, seemingly dotted. Why would you describe this way of painting as something“lush”?
最近我将Hans Hofmann的“Orchestral Dominance in Yellow”称为我所见过最引人入胜的画作（鉴于它能激励任何一个人去创作），这位艺术家运用色彩的方式令人称奇。同样的，“Lush”中小幅的画笔描边使得色彩凝固成突起的颜料块，点缀于画布之上。你为何将这种形式的画作称为“lush”（茂盛）呢？
Lu: This painting is deep in color and vibrant. It was about not blending out the colors and letting them play against each other. Thrive is very similar, but on a larger scale.
Lu：这幅画色彩浓厚，充满生机。不同颜色并没有混为一体，而是互相抗衡。Thrive【应该是指Free Falling Collection的那幅画】也很相似，但规模更大。

这是上面提到的Orchestral Dominance in Yellow：

Coeur Libre Collection 2012
“Red Rain”. It is probably one of your most popular pictures, at least one of the most recurring ones on the Internet. It is clearly meant to be the sound of the rain pouring down, the gravitational force. But, why this red rain?
“Red Rain”，这大概是你最受欢迎的画作之一，至少在网络上的出现率是相当高的。这幅画很明显是关于暴雨倾盆而下的声音，还有重力的作用。但为什么画这红雨呢？
Lu: It is a painting that graduates in color and texture. I purposely wanted the top to be blended and the colors of the blend to show through without being blended so they had to be dragged by the brush.It created a rain affect. And the red counters and balances the other colors.
Lu：这幅画的色彩和纹理都在逐渐改变。我故意让颜色在顶部混合起来，然后这些颜色通过画笔的拖曳单独呈现。这样就创造出下雨的效果。而红色与其它颜色相辅相成。

“Soul Pocket”. I admit that if I looked at this canvas not being aware of your artistic motivation, I would automatically assume that it is the view of a planet from above, of a world featuring craters and nebulae moving in circular motion. Nevertheless, if we read the title, it’s crystal clear that we are talking about a pressed soul. There are the dynamics, there are different characters and personalities mixed together, which can often be found in all human beings.
“Soul Pocket”，我要承认，如果抛开你的艺术创作动机不谈，看着这幅画，我会自然而然地假设这是一颗行星的俯瞰图，在这个世界中满是环形山，星云做着圆周运动。然而如果我们读过标题，就会十分清楚这是关于受到压抑的灵魂的。画面中有活力，也有不同的特征与人格，这些都是在所有人类身上能看到的。
So, is the canvas representing a tortured and tormented soul? Can your soul be described in these terms? Please tell us something about this artwork…
所以这幅画是关于饱受折磨，痛苦扭曲的灵魂的吗？用这个词来形容你的灵魂是否恰当呢？请为我们介绍一下这个作品……
Lu: It is basically two paintings in one. The first is a resin based "pour" paintings much in the style of Paul Jenkins. The next phase is the hand rub of the piece with silver and gold. It is really about art being the soul. I see the universe filled with little soul pockets that illuminate. I used LEDs to back light every thing. It also symbolizes the connection of art and finance. Quite often the wealthy begin to feel soulless and they look to art to replenish them. Art is a peacock's feather for the elite. The silver represents the money and the underneath (the colorful part) is the soul. Somehow they are uniquely codependent on each other. I think it is also implies that all the money in the world cannot create happiness. It can't give you spirituality or compassion or make you more soulful. It can't by you love or friendship.
Lu：这幅画基本上综合了两种元素。首先是Paul Jenkins的树脂倾注式绘画【鬼知道这是什么( ⊙ o ⊙ )】。然后是用手涂抹画面上的金银二色。本质上来说，艺术就是灵魂。我看见宇宙间充斥着熠熠生辉的微小灵魂。我使用发光二极管来背光照亮一切。这幅画也象征着艺术与财政的关联。富人往往感到灵魂空虚，所以他们借助艺术充实自我。对于社会名流而言，艺术就如同孔雀羽毛一般。银色代表金钱，而在其下方的（色彩丰富的那部分）是灵魂。这两者通过某种方式神奇地相互依存。我觉得这还暗示着，无穷无尽的金钱并不能带来快乐。它不能赋予你精神力量或怜悯之心，或填补你的灵魂。它不能为你换来爱情或是友谊。

“Escape”. I must write something about this canvas as I love escapes. Actually, I can’t see in this representation the natural impulse of freedom. Moreover, the painting’s dimensions are considerably smaller if compared to some of the others. Why do you describe the escape, this spiritual journey, in these terms? I would instead say that “Coeur Libre” is the one that describes this feeling… as that white recalls a headlong dive.
“Escape”，关于这幅画我必须写点什么，因为我就喜欢逃离。实际上，我看不出其中有对自由本能渴望的象征。而且这幅画的规格与其它作品相比较小。为什么你会用这样的方式展现逃脱，展现这种精神之旅呢？我反而觉得“Coeur Libre”更能体现这种感觉……因为其中的白色让人联想到不假思索的用力下潜。
Lu: Escape represents a place in your brain where you are free of your problems. When I see the painting it just seems to look like that on a cellular level. I often think in terms of science or biology. I found the organic shapes of cell division fascinating. The painting seems to symbolically represent an escape. Coeur Libre is really about freedom to be what you want. For me it was about leaving a career and a marriage I was no longer happy in.
Lu：Escape描绘的是你脑海中的无忧之境。我看着这幅画，似乎从细胞层次上体现了这一点。我常常会考虑到科学或生物学。我觉得细胞分裂的有机形态令人着迷。这幅画象征性地表现出逃脱。Coeur Libre则是表现出敢于追求的自由。对于我而言这幅画是关于离开不再让我满意的事业或婚姻的。

Free Falling Collection 2012
Ok, I admit I would like to talk about all of your artworks, but I definitely have to make a selection, which is not a simple task. So…
好吧我得承认我想要聊一聊所有你的作品，但显然我必须做出选择，这可不简单。那么……
“Swelling Rage”. Rage, a growing rage. At this point, I’m really tempted to ask you who made you angry, but I will not do it as I know you may probably not want to answer. I usually couple yellow with revenge, and I can clearly distinguish it in some points of the painting; however, from my point of view, rage could have been represented by fog, or some falling white or gray … after all rage blurs our vision. Yet you depicted it using vivid colors which overlie and conceal the light blue-lilac layer beneath. Is this the concrete representation of the strong feeling of rage that brutally assails the peace of mind? Could you explain us the reason why you decided to use these colors?
“Swelling Rage”，愤怒，逐渐膨胀的愤怒。现在我忍不住想问问是谁惹你生气了，但我决定不问了，因为我知道你很可能不想回答。我通常用黄色来衬托复仇，而我也能在这幅画的某些地方辨认出这种颜色。然而在我看来，愤怒可以用雾状表示，或用下坠的白色或灰色……毕竟愤怒会模糊我们的洞察力。你却运用鲜艳的色彩覆盖掩饰下面浅蓝紫色层，对这一主题进行刻画。这是暴怒破坏内心平静的具体表示吗？你能否为我们解释一下你采用这些颜色的原因呢？
Lu: Swelling Rage is loosely inspired from a song called White Blank Page by Mumford and Sons. I wasn't really mad when painting, I just used the song to pull me through the piece. I was interested in what rage would look like as an abstract. This painting was painted over several months with many layers and I used lots of lighter colors underneath to get the effect of something surfacing. Maybe I was unaware of my own rage or just released it somehow. I can't really say. I am not sure i would want to understand or label it so directly. That's why I paint…… so I don't have to… label and analyze it all.
Lu：Swelling Rage是由Mumford and Sons - White Blank Page这首歌随意引发的灵感。作画的时候我并没有生气，我只是借助这首歌来完成这幅作品。我很好奇愤怒的抽象形式是怎样的。这幅画耗时数月，包含多个颜料层，我在底层用浅色突出上层的效果。也许我没意识到自己的愤怒，或是已经不经意间释放掉了。我说不清楚。我不确信自己需要明白或是如此直接地为这种情感贴标签。这就是为什么我要绘画……我就不用……辨别或分析清楚一切。

“Free Falling” names the collection. Comparing the title to the artwork, the painting representation is perfectly clear. Is this the canvas of the collection you prefer the most?
“Free Falling”是这一系列的名称。参照这幅作品的标题，它的象征颇为明确了。这幅作品是系列中你最喜欢的吗？
Lu: No, I prefer Quiet Alpha Male in that collection.
Lu：不是的，系列中我最喜欢的是Quiet Alpha Male.

“Thrive”(350x200), another popular artwork. In Italian we would translate it with the verbs prosperare and rifiorire. The painting is the expression of an intense awakening, the gradual sleep/dream evanescence. Am I wrong?
“Thrive”，又是一副受欢迎的作品。用意大利语我们用动词prosperare（繁荣）和rifiorire（兴旺）来翻译。这幅画表现出强烈的复苏，以及半睡半醒状态的逐渐消散。我没说错吧？
Lu: Yes you are right!!!! It is about thriving in life personally and professionally. I also love the sound of the word.
Lu：你说得对！！！！这正是关于个人生活和职业生涯蒸蒸日上的。同时我也喜欢这个单词的发音。

All the World Inside Collection 2013
I admit that it’s becoming quite complicated choosing the right artworks for our conversation, especially when changes of style take place; indeed each canvas is different from the previous one.
我要承认为我们的谈话选择合适的作品越来越难了，特别是当画风改变时，真的是每一幅油画都和之前的不同了。
In “All the world inside” the force of nature is perceivable and a landscape seems to be appearing: of course mountains, a sky which is bright in the middle and gets gradually gloomy towards the top. It’s like a swallowing force. I’m impressed. I can see the painting in its apocalyptic perspective, yet at the same time there’s something cozy and comfortable. I think it would be better if you described this work to us.
在“All the World Inside”中，能觉察到自然的力量，地貌景观也在现形：山脉清晰可见，画面中部明朗的天空渐渐趋于阴沉。仿佛能感受到一股吞噬之力。真让我为此折服。我可以从启示录视角来欣赏这幅画，然而同时又令我感到舒适安逸。不如你来为我们描述一下这幅作品吧。
Lu: It is a piece that is very grounding to me. Somehow it just represents the power of the earth. We are here on earth and for a very short time. I also felt it is meant to be interpreted individually because some people see other things like a volcano.
Lu：这是一幅对我而言很基础的作品。大地的力量通过某种方式得以体现。我们寄蜉蝣于天地，羡长江之无穷。我也相信对这幅画的解读本该不尽相同，有些人会看出其它事物比如一座火山。

“Inevitable Fault Line”. How could you recreate such a light? There’s the brightness of a sword blade, the glittering ice, the stars’light reflection. It resembles a bracelet, full of valuable stones, observed through the eyes of a nearsighted person without glasses.
“Inevitable Fault Line”，你是如何重现这片光的？色彩明亮如剑刃清凛，如寒冰夺目，如星光闪耀。形状与缀满宝石的手镯相似，通过近视者模糊的双眼呈现。
Such vividness also occurs in “The Weight of Water” and in “Upstream”: in those three canvases, is the azure the color that creates the described effect. Please tell us more.
“The Weight of Water”和“Upstream”这两幅画也是如此生动：在这三幅油画中，是不是运用蔚蓝色达到以上效果的呢？请给我们详细讲讲。
Lu: This painting is about two things. I live in California and we all live over fault lines in the earth. That can be stressful if you have experienced a big earthquake. It also symbolizes the potential break in any relationship. Not just love, it could be a friendship too.
Lu：这幅画有两个主题。我住在加州，我们都住在地球断层线的上方。如果你经历过强烈地震，就会有心理压力。这幅画也象征着潜在的人际关系破裂。不只是恋爱关系，也可能是友谊。


I love blue and find there are endless choices of water when I paint with it. I am obsessed with water and being near the ocean. I live near the beach in Venice, CA. I find water to be very cleansing for the soul. Along with Swell, which is in the 2013 Venice Biennale these paintings also represent how water can be turbulent and unpredictable as well as calming and restful.
我爱蓝色，并发现用这种颜色来描绘水有无限可能。水令我着迷，我也喜欢亲近海洋。我住在加州威尼斯市的海滩附近。水能净化我的灵魂。和2013威尼斯双年展中的Swell一起，这些画表现出水可激流汹涌，瞬息万变；亦可波澜不惊，风平浪静。

“The Silver Lining”(430x338cm). In my opinion this is a true representation of femininity. If I depicted a woman, I would probably imitate this canvas. A magnificent artwork, neat, delicate, soothing. The more I look at it, the more I become sure of the fact that it represents a woman,and the blue background for the tomboy side that, more or less, all women have.
“The Silver Lining”，在我看来这是女性特质的真实表现。如果我要描绘一位女性，我很可能会仿画这幅作品。这是一件杰作，干净，雅致，舒缓宜人。我越看越确信这代表女性，而蓝色背景代表其内心偏男性的一面，这是所有女人或多或少都会有的。
How much off topic did I go this time? Please tell us about this canvas and its significance.
我这回说错了多少？请向我们介绍下这幅油画及其重要性。
Lu: I was looking to create a counter to Quiet Alpha Male. The Silver Lining is more delicate and elusive which for me is more feminine. The color in the color field was a way to keep it floating. Both paintings are inspired by Paul Klee who was a master at symbolism. I was looking for each piece to be symbolic of male and female. Yet also to show how we have a lot of both qualities within ourselves. I wanted the works to be more organic than some of the symbolism I had seen before. Again it goes back to cell division or reproduction.
Lu：我想创造出一幅与Quiet Alpha Male相对立的作品。The Silver Lining更柔和更难以捉摸，对我而言这就更女性化。色域中的颜色使其产生了漂浮感。两幅画都受到了象征主义大师保罗·克利的启发。我想要它们分别象征男性与女性。同时也表现出我们心中兼具两者的特质。我希望它们能比我之前见过的某些象征主义作品更有机更自然。这又回到了细胞分裂或繁殖的话题。

To conclude “The Velocity of Dreaming”. In this representation there’s something kind of titanic, mythological. I can taste legends and divinities, the pulling power of dreams. There it is. The tumult of dreams, their constant pressure, their intimate and at times overbearing will (after all who can bottle up dreams?). If we happen to have dreams, like the dreams of your representations, Mrs. Holloman, I seriously doubt they could be bottled up. Please describe to us one characteristic of that canvas and explain its meaning to us.
最后来说说“The Velocity of Dreaming”，它所描绘的是气势浩大，神话般的景象。我能体会到传奇与神性，梦境的引力。嗯就是这样。梦境激发的骚动不安，那种持续的压力，那种亲密感以及偶尔流露出的凶蛮意志（毕竟没有人能控制梦境）。Holloman女士，如果我们正好做了一场梦，像你画中描绘的那种梦，我严重怀疑没人能将其隐瞒或压抑。请为我们描述下这幅油画的特性，然后解释下其中的涵义。
Lu: I feel this painting symbolizes our thoughts and I truly believe we can manifest our own destiny be it good or bad. Our thoughts take up much of our space in our brains. We can choose to dream big and go for things that seem unreachable or we can also self destruct. I used velocity because of the motion I see in the painting. I wanted to show how a thought can becoming an obsession and spiral out of control. In some ways obsessive behavior can be good for work and in some ways it can be bad. I just simply wanted the painting to show velocity and I picked the sky as a setting because it is truly what we look toward constantly to gather our thoughts or our dreams.
Lu：我觉得这幅画象征着我们的思想，我发自内心地相信我们能见证自己命运的幸或不幸。【后半句语法好奇怪= =|||】我们的脑海总是被各种想法占据。我们可以选择去追逐看似遥不可及的梦想，或是选择自暴自弃。我看到了画面的动感，所以我用velocity（速度）命名它。我想表现出一种想法是如何变成执念，然后如失控的气旋般肆虐。强迫性行为对于工作是否有利很难一概而论。我只是想要通过这幅画表现出速度，而选择天空作为背景，是因为当我们想理清思绪或探寻梦想时，总是爱仰望天空。