这次，魏立刚为自己的展览取名为“藻鉴”，而我写这篇前言，是我早于公众见到了这批作品，作一些解读可以帮助到观者。

　　简短的开始，在汉字这样庞大的系统面前，我不敢大声喧哗，惟有轻言细语。

　　见到魏立刚的书象艺术作品已经七年多了，一直在这里工作，这些年来从没有间断过他的作品销售。我想艺术所要面临的经久的问题，魏立刚的书象艺术作品已经解决。

　　没有遇见魏立刚之前，我对抽象汉字艺术这块，一片空白。站在他的作品面前，经常处于懵懂状态，无法深入他的真正魅力所在，仅仅是从画面感上能感受艺术家自身成熟气场所赋予的磅礴气势。面对抽象这一概念的困惑，保罗.克利的一句话：艺术不是再现可见的事物，而是将事物变得可见。或许轻巧地解开了抽象主义的蝴蝶结。

　　没有见过魏立刚的古典书法，很早他就跨过去了，淡化甚至抛弃了书法的可识性和可读性。像是回到了造字之初，再无拘束，所有的或是拔地而起或是倾盆而下。古典书法完美注重精神与物质，现代书法还在书写的本身游走，而魏立刚的书象艺术貌似荒诞却活力张扬。当芸芸书法家们在前人圣碑林立中挤身而过，抽离传统书法的先行者为其热爱革命和冒险得到的自由感而酣畅淋漓。

　　我想节选一段刘晓纯先生的文章中的文字来解读书象这个概念。“书象”是参照日本的“墨象”概念提出的，但两者又有些差异。“墨象”着眼于材料，“书象”着眼于内质，它强调这类艺术作品与书法“剪不断，理还乱”的关系，材料的天地却可以十分广阔，它完全可以扩至毛笔、水墨、宣纸之外。这是东方极为特殊的抽象艺术。

　　置身宏观的美术史，我们对比甄选，有什么可以像书象艺术这样既表意又表象？中国人的东方哲学，艺术的态度着重于心灵的宁静超脱，搓揉抽象与具象，控制平衡。

　　魏立刚的书象艺术造诣深远，区区几百文字实在难表其意，希望是个引子，观者近前，感知艺术家的精神力量，体会其博大精深的文化背景。

　　For this time,Wei Ligang named his solo exhibition as"Zao Jian" (in Chinese means to evaluate and differentiate);I wrote this preface,as I have already seen these works before the public,to help viewers with offering some interpretations.

　　With a very brief introduction,I could not dare to make any noises in the face of such a large system of Chinese calligraphy,but only whispering.

　　It has been seven years since I first have seen Wei Ligang’s artworks of"Shu Xiang".Working in the gallery where Wei’s artworks represented means we experienced good and discontinuous sale of his works.I think the long-lasting problem that art has to face with has already been solved in Wei’s art of Shu Xiang.

　　Before I met Wei Ligang,it was blank in my mind about Chinese abstract calligraphy;I could not even appreciate the real charms of his paintings,staying in an ignorant state when standing in front of these works.However,I could strongly feel the tremendous momentum rendered by his mutual aura merely from the sense of the picture.For one who was puzzled by the concept of"abstract",a quote from Paul Klee might deftly untie the knot of abstractionism----“Art does not reproduce the visible,rather,it makes visible."

　　Unfortunately I have never seen his classical paintings for he went beyond this period long time ago.Gradually,he weakened or even abandoned the identification and readability of calligraphy.It is like dating back to the beginning of creating characters,unrestrained,or all rose straight from the ground or poured down.The classical calligraphy perfectly focused on spirits and materials while the modern calligraphy wanders in terms of writing itself.It seems that Wei Ligang’s Shu Xiang art demonstrates an absurd characteristic but actually it is quite vital and expressive.When numerous calligraphy masters passed over the milestone of their predecessors in the history,pioneers who detached from the traditional ways will feel the hearty love for the freedom of their revolutions as well as adventures.

　　Here I want to cite one paragraph from Mr.Liu Xiaochun article to interpret the conception of"Shu Xiang"."Shu Xiang" was referenced to the conception of Japanese calligraphy,but there are differences between the previous and the later."Mo Xiang" mainly focuses on materials----their filed could be extended to the area of brush,ink and rice papers;while"Shu Xiang" focuses on the inner characteristics----it strengthens the character of"cutting while still entangled" in the relationship of calligraphy and these type of artworks.These are the very special nature in eastern abstract arts.Emerging in the macro-world of art history,we comparing and selecting----what apart from Shu Xiang art could be both ideographic and preventative? Eastern philosophy and art attitude pay much attention to the inner tranquility and mind detachment,rubbing abstract with figurative in order to control their balance.

　　It is hard to fully express the far-reaching meaning of Wei’s Shu Xiang art by only a few hundred words.Hopefully this is just a start,viewers standing in the front to perceive the spiritual strength of the artist and to experience the profound meaning of cultural background.