特邀记者/王启峰

俗话说，高手在民间。我在山东省临沂市图书馆参观“红色记忆、沂蒙母亲”——农民画家王玉亮系列油画主题展时，看到《爱的高度》油画前很多人围观，我也凑了过去，想看个究竟，即刻被这幅油画所吸引，我在这幅油画前驻足观看了许久，长时间不愿离去。

画面中一位小脚老奶奶身穿一套沂蒙农村再朴素不过的大襟蓝袄蓝裤，满脸的皱纹和凌乱的白发，呈现出一种时代的沧桑感。老人家站在山坡上眺望远方，从老人家含辛茹苦、饱经风霜的眼神中便能看出她的内心的一种渴望与期盼。

这幅作品内容简洁、主题突出，给人一种无限的遐想，着实令人震撼不已，殊不知，就是这幅耐人寻味的油画，却出自一位普普通通的农民画家之手。

王玉亮1973年生于山东省临沂市莒南县大店镇老龙村，他个子不高，黝黑的脸庞，甚至因为他满口的地方方言，有时会导致语言的交流有些吃力，但在与他交往的日子里，你却真真切切地感受到他是一位朴实善良，脚踏实地干实事的农民画家。

一、年少的爱好，奠定了油画艺术的基础

1989年王玉亮因家里贫穷，初中毕业后便开始在家务农、打工。王玉亮从小就非常喜欢画画，2000年初，这位从未接受过美术科班学习的农村青年，暗自下定决心，决定走油画发展道路。几年过去了，他的画技一直没有多大长进，谈到此时，王玉亮深有体会地回忆起当时的情景，那时的他，为自己不能自我突破感到特别的迷茫和无助，于是他采取“走出去，请进来”的办法，开始到国内一些知名的画家村以及上海、厦门、山东青岛和枣庄等画家聚集的地方走访，2004年，他通过朋友介绍，有幸认识了浙江美院的桑常新老师，这也是他步入绘画艺术的启蒙老师。

二、认真的揣摩、助推了绘画技艺的发展

王玉亮从开始的风景画到后来的人物画，经历了不同风格的尝试，2008年，为了紧跟时代的步伐，他将自己的创作起点确定在抗战时期的素材，那时沂蒙革命老区涌现出一大批可歌可颂的农村妇女，她们送子参军、送夫支前、缝军衣、做军鞋、抬担架、推小车，舍生忘死救护八路军伤病员，默默地肩负起抚养后代的重任，谱写了一曲曲军民鱼水情的赞歌，王玉亮以她们为原型,通过油画艺术再现典型的老一辈沂蒙女性形象，并确定了“沂蒙母亲”、“沂蒙红嫂”和“沂蒙六姐妹”三大系列，这在当时的临沂乃至山东省引起了热烈的反响。用油画的形式不仅是弘扬沂蒙精神的一个重要载体，同时又可以勾起人们对于当年革命战争岁月的回忆，诠释沂蒙精神的深刻内涵。  在与王玉亮的交谈中，笔者特意谈到了《爱的高度》这幅油画的创作过程，他侃侃而谈，讲述了当时创作这幅画的时许多鲜为人知的艰辛，王玉亮说《爱的高度》这幅油画，画的就是当年在沂蒙老区支援前线的丁月香原型，在谈到丁月香老人时，王玉亮的心情无比激动，他说老人家带给他的是母亲的那种坚毅和穿透心灵的震撼。那是2008年正月初五，王玉亮在前往莒南县大店镇采风时，偶遇他酝酿很久的“沂蒙母亲”系列中的原型之一丁月香老人，之后他就把丁月香老人列入到写生计划里。那年他去拜访丁月香老人时，她已95岁，虽已高龄，但她依旧承担起照顾瘫痪在床30年的二儿子，叮嘱家人每天要带着二儿子到外面晒晒太阳。王玉亮得知这些情况后，很是感动，他说创作这幅画时，一定要把丁月香老人“儿行千里母担忧”的形象表现出来，为了创作好这幅作品，他曾十多次到老人家拜访、写生，王玉亮说：每次到丁月香老人家去拜访、写生时，最享受的感觉就是边听她讲故事的同时，也是点燃心中创作激情的时刻。经过近两年的时间，油画《爱的高度》终于出炉了，每每看到这幅画时，不由地让我们再一次感受到母亲在我们的心中，既是平凡的，也是伟大的。

三、刻苦的努力、取得了值得骄人的业绩

为了提高绘画技艺，2012年王玉亮又有幸师从了军博美术创作室主任、研究员李如老师，从此以后，他的画技如虎添翼，得到了质的飞跃。在从事三大系列的创作过程中，王玉亮始终抱着严谨的态度，潜心写生、细心勾画。据统计他先后共完成了10多副作品，他的作品画面生动、栩栩如生，受到了众人的喜爱，有人甚至想出高价从他手中把这些作品买走，但都被他婉言谢绝了。2018年他毅然决定把珍藏的6副“临沂六姐妹”油画捐赠给临沂图书馆。现在，这些巨幅油画，都保存在临沂图书馆里，供游人参观。功夫不负有心人，王玉亮经过二十五年的刻苦努力，他的绘画艺术取得了长足的进步，2010年12月他创作的《盼》在山东省第二届农村文化艺术节农民书画作品大展中，荣获一等奖，2011年8月《爱的高度》在临沂市庆祝建党九十周年美术书法展中，荣获一等奖。为了更好地传承沂蒙文化精神，他聚拢了很多年轻画家，筹划一个“沂蒙画院”，共同为沂蒙山区留下更多的精神食粮。2012年2月在他的呼吁和努力下，经临沂市莒南县文化广电新闻出版局批准成立了“沂蒙油画院”，王玉亮担任院长一职。如今，这个油画院由起初的2～3人，到现在已经发展到8～9人，其中不少人还创作出许多优秀作品。如今的王玉亮已年过半百，他非常热爱自己的家乡，他有一颗炽热的心，他说莒南是养育他的一片沃土，他永远也不会离开这里，如果离开了故土，就像截断了的画笔，再也没有创作的力量源泉。他认为一个人一定要把自己的事业当作一种责任、一种感觉，作为一名临沂农民画家，他有责任把沂蒙精神留下来、传承下去，要让更多的人了解沂蒙精神是什么，沂蒙精神的精髓是什么。他要用手中的油彩笔勾画出更多精彩的沂蒙故事。在谈到今后的设想时，王玉亮不假思索地说道将来除了“临沂母亲”、“临沂红嫂”、“临沂六姐妹”三大系列外，他还要搞记忆系列、豆蔻年华系列，历史和抗战题材的挖掘等。他最大的愿望就是努力传承沂蒙人的奋斗精神，为家乡的文化事业作出自己应有的贡献。我们相信，凭借王玉亮一颗追求艺术之美的心和他那双带着泥土味儿的手，一定会画出更多震撼人心的画。（英文如下）

He Has a Fiery Heart: A Record of Linyi Farmer Oil Painter Wang Yuliang

By Wang Qifeng

Once, when visiting the "Red Memories, Yimeng Mothers" theme exhibition of farmer painter Wang Yuliang's oil paintings at the Linyi Library in Shandong Province, I saw a crowd gathered in front of the oil painting The Height of Love. I joined them and was instantly captivated, standing there for a long time, reluctant to leave. The painting depicts an old mother wearing a simple blue cheongsam and trousers typical of Yimeng rural areas. Her wrinkled face and disheveled white hair convey a sense of historical vicissitudes. Standing on a hillside and gazing into the distance, her eyes—weathered by hardship—reveal a deep longing and expectation. The work’s simplicity and prominent theme evoke infinite reverie, delivering a powerful shock. Few know that this thought-provoking painting was created by an ordinary farmer painter.

Wang Yuliang was born in 1973 in Laolong Village, Dadian Town, Junan County, Linyi City, Shandong Province. Of short stature with a dark complexion, his strong local accent sometimes causes communication difficulties, but those who know him feel his sincerity: he is a down-to-earth, kind farmer painter.

I. Childhood Passions Lay the Foundation for Oil Painting Art

In 1989, due to family poverty, Wang Yuliang started farming and working after graduating from junior high school. He had loved drawing since childhood. In the early 2000s, this rural youth, who had never received formal art training, decided to pursue oil painting. However, his skills stagnated for years. Recalling this period, Wang Yuliang said he felt迷茫 (lost) and helpless about his inability to break through. He then adopted a strategy of "going out and inviting in"—visiting renowned artist villages across China and gathering places for painters in cities like Shanghai, Xiamen, Qingdao, and Zaozhuang. In 2004, he was introduced to Teacher Sang Changxin from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, his启蒙老师 (mentor) with whom he began his artistic journey.

II. Diligent Exploration Drives Artistic Growth

Wang Yuliang transitioned from landscape to figure painting, experimenting with different styles. In 2008, he focused on anti-Japanese war-era themes, inspired by the heroic rural women of the Yimeng revolutionary base area who sent sons and husbands to the front, sewed military uniforms, made shoes, carried stretchers, and raised children—composing moving ballads of military-civilian unity. Taking them as prototypes, he created three series: "Yimeng Mothers," "Yimeng Hongsao (Red Sisters)," and "Yimeng Six Sisters," which caused a stir in Linyi and even Shandong Province. Oil painting became not only a carrier to promote Yimeng Spirit but also a way to evoke memories of the revolutionary era and interpret the spirit’s essence.

When asked about the creation of The Height of Love, Wang Yuliang shared the little-known hardships. The painting is based on Ding Yuexiang, a Yimeng mother who supported the frontline. In early 2008 (the fifth day of the first lunar month), while collecting creative materials in Dadian Town, he met 95-year-old Ding Yuexiang, who had cared for her paralyzed second son for 30 years, insisting he be taken out to sunbathe daily. Deeply moved, Wang Yuliang aimed to capture the image of a mother’s worry for her child. He visited and sketched Ding Yuexiang more than ten times, saying each visit—listening to her stories—ignited his creative passion. After nearly two years, The Height of Love was completed, reminding viewers of mothers’平凡 (ordinary) yet great role in our lives.

III. Hard Work Yields Remarkable Achievements

To refine his skills, Wang Yuliang studied under Li Ru, Director of the Art Creation Studio at the Military Museum, in 2012, leading to a leap in his art. During the three-series creation, he maintained a rigorous attitude, devoting himself to sketching. He completed over 10 works, whose vividness drew praise—some even offered high prices, but he declined, eventually donating six "Yimeng Six Sisters" paintings to the Linyi Library in 2018.

His efforts paid off: Longing won first prize at the 2nd Shandong Rural Culture Art Festival in December 2010, and The Height of Love won first prize at Linyi’s 90th Communist Party Anniversary Art Exhibition in August 2011. In February 2012, he founded the "Yimeng Oil Painting Institute" (approved by Junan County’s Culture Bureau), serving as Dean, which has grown from 2–3 to 8–9 members, with many creating outstanding works.

Now over 50, Wang Yuliang loves his hometown deeply. "Junan is the fertile soil that raised me; leaving it would be like breaking a paintbrush—I’d lose my creative fountainhead," he says. He views his career as a responsibility, aiming to inherit Yimeng Spirit and let more people understand its essence. In the future, he plans to expand beyond the three series to create "Memory," "Youth," and historical/war-themed works, aspiring to contribute to his hometown’s cultural cause with his brush.

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责编/韩好