不少人问我：“为什么现在不画人物只画山水了?”

　　我想了一下，大概有如下一些原因：

　　首先，现在人物画画得好的人太多了，我觉得画不过别人，也超越不了过去的自己，见好就收啊，往下画肯定是要出自己的丑了，于是决定不画人物画了。

　　更重要的是现在的心境变了。现在有了一个超脱纷争的宁静心态，对一切发出的噪音的东西都不感兴趣，而一切的噪音都是人制造出来的，所以对嘈嘈杂杂的人群确实有点烦，不想再画这个烦人的东西了。

　　很自然这就把我引向山水。我就出生在黄山附近的某一条山沟里，山灵水秀的环境早就浸透了我的灵魂和骨肉，我对那里的一草一木，石头苔藓有着与生俱来的深情厚意，我对无言的伙伴，这生养我伴我度过童年的山沟里的的一切，哪怕是溪边的青草沙石都有说不清的依恋。青山绿水啊，伟大美妙的大自然啊，我回来了，浪子回头了!我又回到你的怀抱，我向你致敬!有生之年，我要描绘你，歌颂你，礼赞你，描绘你永远的美丽与青春!

　　去年，记得有一位记者曾经问我：“放下人物画风景，是不是想图个轻松，吃老本啦?”

　　我说：“放松一下，有这个想法。但风景人物也无轻重之分，只有精力尚可，眼不花、手不抖，上天也没有那么快召唤我回去，我还真想在风景画上弄点什么名堂出来。我现在才刚刚过七十，还不算老，我的同乡黄宾虹老先生(同是黄山地区人)最好的作品都是在七八十岁、八九十岁的年纪才画出来的。我如果错过机会，早早收摊，岂不可惜!”

　　对于我今后的艺术走向，朋友们也甚是关切，我说：“第一，不吃荤只吃素，光画风景不画人。第二，要现代意识但决不走进观念，不赶时髦也不保守。”

　　艺术创作现在进入一个十分活跃的时代，在这个中西结合交汇的巨变时期，山寨林立，到处摇旗呐喊，各种主义、流派和观念，都在寻求自己的一席之地。我是一个看热闹的人，觉得这一切都很有趣，很好玩，但我不想跑到里面去和他们一起玩，我只玩我自己的。我现在只是以画为乐，以画为寄，欣赏古代画家的那种悠然自得和一以贯之的平静心态。醉翁之意不在酒，在乎山水之间也。

　　邵增虎

　　2008年

　　In Mountains and Rivers

　　Many people have asked me, “Why do you only paint landscape instead of potraits now?”

　　I thought about the question for a while, and here is my answer below.

　　First of all, too many people paint portraits well now, I think I could not be any better than them, nor could I get beyond my past. I should change after getting good opinion, and not lose face on continuing my figure painting without new progress.

　　However, the more important thing is my mood has changed now. I have peace in mind now, and I’m not interested in all disputes, and all the things making noises. All the noise is made by people, so I am really getting tired of the noisy crowd, and I do not want to paint the annoying things again.

　　This naturally brings me back into landscape painting. I was born in a valley near Huangshan Mountain, where its aura and delicate environment has long soaked my soul, flesh and blood. I have brithright deep feeling with the plants, stones and even mosses. I have deep love to my silent partner of childhood, the valley raising me up, and even all the grass and gravel by the stream. Green mountains and rivers, great and wonderful nature, I am back! Your prodigal son comes back! I am back to embrace you, and I want to pay tribute to you! With the rest of my life, I would like to portray you, to praise you, to eulogize you, and describe your beauty and youth forever!

　　A journalist once asked me last year, “You have given up portraits and began painting landscape, Does it mean that you want to be relaxed, and to rest on your past laurels?”

　　I said, “To relax, I have thought about this, but there’s no priority lying between landscape and portraits. As long as I have the energy, without presbyopia and shaking hands, nor God calld me back so quickly, I really would like to make some achievements on landscape painting. I am just in my seventies, and am not very old. The best works of my town fellow Huang Binhong (We were both born in Huangshan Mountain area) came out in his seventies, eighties and nineties, isn’t it a pity if I missed the opportunity and ‘wind up my business’ too early?”

　　My friends are very concerned about the future direction of my art. I answered, “First, I decided to be a vegetarian and to give up portraits to paint landscape only. Second, I will have modern idea, but I’ll never indulge myself into concept art, and I will be neither fashionable nor conservative.”

　　Artistic creation is now entering a very active era. During the great combination of art of China and the West, mountain fortress and flags are seen everywhere, and all kinds of philosophies, schools and concept are seeking their own place. I am a bystander, and find these plays interesting. However, I do not want to go inside to play with them, but just play on my own. I am just enjoying my painting, and living on my painting. I admire the leisurely, contented manner and consistent peaceful attitude of the ancient Chinese painters, as it is said in an ancient article that the intention of a drunkard lies not in alcohol but in mountains and rivers.

　　Shao Zenghu (Translated by Tan Chang)

　　In 2008