滿庭芳：顏貽成的藝術花園

更新於 2025/07/17發佈於 2025/07/17閱讀時間約 14 分鐘

滿庭芳:顏貽成的藝術花園
文/策展人廖仁義 (國立臺灣美術館前館長，國立臺北藝術大學退休教授)

在現實生活中，顏貽成過著與世無爭的生活。出生於臺中清水，國立藝專畢業以後做了許多工作，後來前往紐約市立大學完成碩士學位，回國以後開始教書，任教於國立臺灣藝術大學美術學系，教學生畫畫，偶而受到慫恿才去舉辦展覽。

在藝術生活中，顏貽成過著豐富多彩的生活。他閱讀詩詞，彷彿他是忘記世間塵埃的文人墨客；他好彈古琴，徜徉在琴書琴譜的古雅音境之中；他熱中茶道，尋訪古宋建盞老茶餘韻而不知暮色之將至；他跨越時空問道老莊，窮究化繁為簡的形上學境界，寄託心靈。

便是在詩詞、琴聲、茶韻與哲理的陶冶與醞釀之餘，顏貽成走進畫布。他帶著畫筆，帶著豐沛而恬靜的詩意，走進畫布之中。畫布是一片人跡未至的畫域，就像尚未耕耘的土地，但是顏貽成飽滿成熟的創造詩境的力量，透過畫筆與顏料，將這片畫域塗抹成繁花盛開的花域，色彩簡單而如詩詞，如琴聲，如茶韻，允許觀畫之人進入畫境，在畫境之中進入花境。

觀賞顏貽成的花境，我們經歷「看花是花」，再經歷「看花不是花」，終於來到「看花是花」的境界。顏貽成熱愛植物，因此他熟悉現實世界的花境，但是經過文學、音樂、茶道與哲理的轉化，它們都已成為形上世界的花境。現實世界的花境是視覺花境，而形上世界的花境則是精神花境。

顏貽成在現實生活中當然也吃過不少苦，但是他在藝術生活中卻早已化苦為甘。他原本可以默默享受屬於自己充滿詩境、音境、茶境與花境的畫境，但每次交友不慎就得再出江湖，舉辦展覽，打開藝術花園的圍牆，讓更多人走進浩瀚無垠的花海。

這次「滿庭芳：顏貽成的藝術花園」的展覽，地點是在基隆美術館與元山．美學｜城市美術館。透過這個展覽，我們把原本只屬於顏貽成的藝術花園種植在基隆，從基隆美術館再透過元山城市美學館，散布到整個城市，跟所有居住或行腳基隆的旅人，分享整座花園，分享顏貽成的滿庭芳。

Flourishing Courtyard: The Artistic Garden of Ye-Cheng Yen
Text by Liao Ren-Yi (Former Director of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Emeritus Professor of National Taipei University of the Arts)

Yan Yi-Cheng leads a simple, low-key life. Born in Qingshui, Taichung, he graduated from the National Taiwan Academy of Arts and worked various jobs before earning his master’s at the City University of New York. After returning to Taiwan, he began teaching painting at National Taiwan University of Arts and rarely holds exhibitions unless prompted by others.

In his artistic life, Yan Yi Cheng leads a rich and vibrant existence. He reads poetry with the grace of a refined literatus, as if untouched by the dust of the mundane world. He plays the guqin, immersing himself in the serene and elegant soundscape of ancient melodies and scores. Passionate about the tea ceremony, he savors the lingering charm of Song dynasty Jian ware, often losing track of time. Beyond temporal bounds, he contemplates the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, seeking metaphysical simplicity emerging from complexity, where his spirit finds solace.

Amidst the cultivation of poetry, guqin melodies, the lingering charm of tea, and quiet philosophical reflection, Yan steps into the canvas. With brush in hand and a serene, poetic spirit, he enters a realm untouched by human presence. Drawing on the fullness of his mature creative energy, he transforms this untilled land into a blossoming terrain with his brush and pigments. The colors are simple, yet they carry the rhythm of poetry, the resonance of guqin music, and the gentle aftertaste of tea. His work draws viewers into a painted world and, within it, to wander deeper into a flourishing garden.

Viewing Yan’s floral realms is a journey of perception. We begin by “seeing flowers as flowers,” then pass through the stage of “seeing flowers as not flowers,” and ultimately arrive at a deeper state where we once again “see flowers as flowers.” Yan’s deep affection for plants gives him a profound familiarity with the blossoms of the natural world. Yet through the transformative powers of literature, music, tea, and philosophy, these flowers evolve beyond their physical form. In the realm of reality, his flowers are visual; in the metaphysical realm, they become spiritual.

Although Yan has faced many hardships in life, he has transformed adversity into beauty. He could have quietly remained within his painted realm, a world enriched with poetry, music, tea, and floral landscapes. Yet, encouraged by friends, he chooses to return to the public eye. Each exhibition opens the gates of his artistic garden, inviting others to enter and explore its ever-blooming wonders.

The exhibition Flourishing Courtyard: The Artistic Garden of Yan Yi-Cheng takes place at the Keelung Museum of Art and the Eons Museum. Through this exhibition, Yan’s artistic garden, once exclusively his private realm, is planted in Keelung. Starting at the Keelung Museum of Art and continuing at the Eons Museum, the garden spreads throughout the city, inviting both residents and visitors to enter and experience his Flourishing Courtyard.

關於顏貽成

｜畫花，不是為了花開
我畫花，也畫草。不是為了描繪它們的形狀，而是它們讓我找到一個開始的方式。不是讓花草去說些什麼，只是讓某些體悟，自然地發展。我的畫像似寫生，其實是寫意，更是我對理想生活的一種回應，一筆一劃，偶然天成。

｜顏料是風，線條如雨
我喜歡用壓克力也喜歡油彩，更喜歡讓顏料自由開展。不刻意安排，順手即順心。在濃淡之間，如自然呼吸。線條不一定是枝枒，團塊不一定是花朵。有些東西，畫出來時我才明白，留下些什麼，又不留下什麼。

｜畫就是一種生活
我畫的，是泡茶時的韻，是彈琴時的音，是讀書時的趣，是我漫長追尋與冒險的旅程。有些事，不需解釋；有些情，不用證明。你看見的，不一定是花，不一定是草，更可能是我留在心裡的東西。

Painting Flowers, Not for Them to Bloom
I paint flowers and grass, not to capture their exact form, but to find a starting point. My expressive, sketch-like work lets insights unfold naturally, reflecting my ideal life through spontaneous strokes.

Paint is Wind, Lines are Rain
I enjoy acrylic and oil paints but love letting paint flow freely. I don’t plan rigidly, simply following the natural movement of light and shadow. Lines aren’t always branches, and shapes aren’t always flowers. Sometimes I only understand my work afterward, learning what to keep or let go.

Painting is Life
I paint the rhythm of brewing tea, the melody of the guqin, and the joy found in reading, reflecting my long journey of exploration and adventure. Some things need no explanation, and some feelings need no proof. What you see may not be flowers or grass, but what lives in my heart.