初探侯俊明藝術作品中的文本生成歷程

A Preliminary Genetic Observation of Texts in the Art Works of Hou Chun-Ming

當代臺灣藝術家當中，若傳統書法家不論，侯俊明算是在作品中包含最多書寫的一位。年少時，他曾因反抗學院畫風，刻意寫字在畫。日後他仍經常在作品中注入文字，但轉為積極的構成元素。他的文字內容具有說理、敘事、抒情的角色，字體、排版都是他下功夫的要點。因此，書寫對他而言佔據的是藝術計劃起步的重要階段。他從一開頭便有系統地保留所有文字紀錄，包括構思或工作筆記、備忘錄，文圖經常交錯紀錄。四十歲前，他面臨生命與情感危機，此後文圖暫時兩相分離，為了走出危機，他參加心靈寫作工坊練習自動書寫，習靈修，畫曼陀羅。這些歷程隨後也被納入其創作計劃中，可謂生命與藝術融合的藝術家。近年他的作品更傾向文多於畫，甚至以文字本身作為圖像，並開始試探數位媒材書寫所激發的對話潛能。筆者認為他從分階進展的書寫經驗中，汲取了許多的作品意念與美學啟示，而他的各階段備稿都自有獨特的趣味，是以，觀其具體的生成過程不但足以回溯其時間歷程如何展現於空間裏，也有助於瞭解他獨特且多元的作品風格如何從這些準備歷程衍生而來。

If we disregard traditional calligraphers, Hou Chun-Ming could be considered the artist whose works engage most pervasive writing. Even from his youth, he has tried to super-imposed writing onto his paintings. Since then, writing has become a crucial inaugural stage of his artistic projects. From the very beginning, Hou has kept systematic records of his writings, comprising the drafting process, working notes, and reminders. Writings are often interlaced with drawings. On the eve of his 40th birthday, he was confronted with an emotional and personal crisis. From then on, we see a divorce between writing and drawing, perhaps in order to clear a way out of the crisis. He then participated in a writing workshop with therapeutic function and started practicing automatic writing, meditation and experimenting with making Mandalas without the accompaniment of writing. All these activities become important parts of his creative projects. In recent years, he has devoted more time and energy to writing, or, looked at it from another perspective, on turning writing into figures. By means of this experiment, he wishes to further explore the potential of writing in terms of digital media. I am of the opinion that Hou is able to learn from his engagements with writing in the several stages of his creative/genetic process and he is then able to apply in his many works the ideas and aesthetic lessons he learned. All of the stages of this genetic process possess their unique significance. Owing to this understanding, a genetic study of his working process will enable us to analyze how he turns the temporal process into pictorial space, and thereby creating a uniqueness in diversity or vice versa.