一部清代文人的生命圖史：《卞永譽畫像》的觀看

An Illustrated Biography of an Educated Elite in the Qing Dynasty: Watching “Portraits of Bian Yong-yu”

以《式古堂書畫彙考》一書聞名於世的書畫鑑賞家卞永譽（1645-1712），擁有一套橫跨青年至中歲26年生涯的設色畫像。這套畫像以20幅圖頁編年具寫卞氏聖、俗、剛、柔、文、武、理性、感性等人生豐富的面向，幾乎涵蓋了明清文人畫像的所有類型：標誌功業、曲釋幽情、表徵孝誼、求知慕道、地景敘事、庶世圖景，眾多參與者集體締建了卞永譽個人形象展演的平台。
繪畫不僅模擬與複製吾人的視覺經驗而已，更是對創作產生之原初環境的符號投射。《卞永譽畫像》的偌大文本包含了圖畫、卞氏自題、文友題詠共三種不同主體之視覺呈現與文字建構，每幅圖頁的物象與文字皆可視為符號，彼此間形成一種論述，鋪陳具有「特定目的」的情境，不同質性的符號系統，據以演繹不同的人生圖景。《卞永譽畫像》雖然以視覺呈現（圖）與文字建構（文）示現個人化私密的生命經驗，然與個體生命相互牽繫並輻射出去的仍是無比廣闊的場域，畫像文本論述的層次與手法，或以家園為核心作內外分野，或在今日經驗與古代典故之間往返穿梭，或創造以文踰圖的多音複調。卞永譽這位在《清史列傳》中身影模糊的文人，憑藉著一項編年畫像計畫的落實，於康熙時期產生一定的影響，締造了一部文人生命圖史的典範。

Well-known for his “Collection and Textural Research on the Paintings and Calligraphy of Shi Gu Tang”, Bian Yong-yu (1645-1712), appreciator of paintings and calligraphy, owned a chronological album, with its collection of Bian’s twenty color portraits, depicting his life from youth to middle age, and spanning a period of twenty-six years. The album reflects the fulfilling life that Bian lived, his philosophy on beauty, life as a government official, and what he had learned from his religious studies. All of these mark the image of typical learned elite during the Ming and Qing dynasties. A number of eulogies written by other literate elite also helped to piece together the image of Bian Yong-yu. Paintings not only imitate and replicate people’s visual experiences but reflect the signs of the original environment where a creation was made. “Portraits of Bian Yong-yu” comprised three subjects: paintings, Bian’s personal writings and literary works, and eulogies by Bian’s friends. The objects and texts on each page may be taken as signs, each of which developed an inter-affecting discourse, created scenarios for specific purposes; thus, they can be expanded to provide a whole picture of Bian’s life. “Portraits of Bian Yong-yu” recount Bian’s personal life, with portraits and writings, expanding to an infinite degree. Some of the portraits and texts depict the inside and outside of his homestead, some texts relate to Bian’s contemporary experiences or serve as allusions, and some create a poly-dialogic tone woven by words and drawings. Bian Yong-yu, a blurred figure in historical records, was given greater clarity by a chronological drawing album, a model of pictures narrating the lives of learned elite in the Qing Dynasty.