采访档案 | Erik Leif Ericson
艺术家 | 瑞典，斯德哥尔摩
工作室里到处都是马戏团小丑和狂欢节表演者的彩色、幽默的纸娃娃和纸板娃娃。Leif Ericson是让我们着迷于这样一个充满色彩的独特世界的艺术家。从2D绘画到3D物体，他创作了各种各样的艺术作品，现在他91岁了，仍然是一位活跃的艺术家。
The atelier was full of colorful, humorous paper and cardboard dolls of circus clowns and carnival performers. Leif Ericson is the artist who fascinated us with such a unique world full of colors. From 2D paintings to 3D objects, he makes various types of art and, for all his 91 years, is still an active artist.
他的工作室兼住宅位于距离斯德哥尔摩市中心不远的地方。浅蓝色的墙壁，深红色的窗框和墙壁上的许多图画和绘画，花园里的眼镜和招牌，清晰地反映了主人幽默的性格。Leif在旅行中得到灵感，总是试图创作出能让人感受到音乐的艺术品。这次，我们参观了他那迷人的工作室，看起来就像一个玩具盒子。
His atelier-cum-home is located not so far from the Stockholm city center. With the light blue walls, the crimson window frames and so many drawings and paintings on the walls, glasses and signboards in the garden, the house clearly reflects the humorous character of its owner. Leif gets inspirations while traveling and always tries to make artwork from which people can feel music. This time, we visited his charming atelier which looks just like a toy box.
首先，是什么促使您立志成为一名艺术家？
First of all, what motivated you to aim to be an artist?
我想，我在六七岁的时候就开始创作了。我的父亲是哥德堡附近的一家造纸厂的办公室职员，他过去常常把各种各样的纸带到我们家，而我则通过剪切和粘贴这些纸来制作东西。纸对我来说是最熟悉的材料，因为我从小就在玩高质量的纸。18岁左右，我开始在一所艺术学校学习。那时我遇到了Gunnar和Lisa (Larson)。从那以后，我们一直是好朋友。
As far as I recall, I began to create things at the age of 6 or 7. As my father was office worker at a paper mill in Mölndal near Göteborg, he used to bring various types of papers to our home and I made something by cutting and pasting those papers. Paper is the most familiar material for me because I grew up and had played with quality papers since I was a small boy. Around the age of 18, I started to learn at an art school. I met Gunnar and Lisa (Larson) at that time. Since then, we’ve been really good friends.
您在艺术学校学到了什么？
What did you learn at the art school?
我在5年的时间里尝试了很多不同类型的艺术。绘画、平面艺术和绘画……然后我发现绘画最适合我，毕业后开始当艺术家。我的一些朋友加入工厂做产品设计或图案制作。是的，就像丽莎那样。大约在那个时候，工厂有很多工作机会，包括小工厂。现在可能很难做到，因为艺术家的数量在不断增加，我们周围的工厂也越来越少。那时候，有很多工作机会，即使是像我们这样的艺术学院毕业生，我也和建筑师一起工作过。
I tried so many different types of art in 5 years. Painting, graphic art, and drawing… Then I found that painting suited me best among those and began working as an artist after graduation. Some of my friends joined factories to do product design or pattern making. Yeah, just like Lisa did. Around that time, there were many job opportunities at factories, including smaller ones. It may be difficult to do it now because the number of artists keeps increasing and we have fewer factories around. At that time, there were a lot of work opportunities even for art school graduates like us, I worked a lot together with architects.
但您没有加入工厂。
But you didn’t join a factory.
我不是想当设计师，而是想当艺术家画家。另一方面，我可以有机会举办展览，并以此为生。这也是最大的原因之一。1953年，意大利米兰举办了一场展览，我记得我和Valand Art学校的学生们一起在那里展出了我的作品。那是在战争刚刚结束的时候，整个欧洲都崩溃了，饱受贫困之苦。尽管意大利处于完全混乱的状态，他们还是试图举办一场展览，聚集来自欧洲各地的艺术家。在这样困难的情况下，艺术可能是最不应该考虑的事情，但是巴兰特艺术学校决定参与进来，并坚信我们可以给人们带来希望。我很自豪我们能在混乱时期举办展览。
I wanted to work not as a designer, but as an artist painter. On the other hand, I could have opportunities to hold exhibitions and make my living doing so. That was one of the biggest reasons, too. In 1953, an exhibition was held in Milano, Italy and I remember exhibiting my work there together with colleges from Valand Art School. It was just after the war and the whole of Europe was shattered and suffered from poverty. Although Italy was in a state of utter confusion, they tried to hold an exhibition, gathering artists from all over Europe. Art might be the last thing to think about in such a difficult situation, but the Valand Art School decided to participate in it with a strong belief that we could bring hope to people. I’m proud that we could hold an exhibition at a time of confusion.
到目前为止，您创作了哪些艺术作品？
What kind of art have you made so far?
我的作品从壁画到小木偶应有尽有。公共艺术在瑞典很常见，受委托的艺术家可以在医院、图书馆、学校、医疗中心和游泳池等公共场所创作自己的艺术作品。我曾经在哥德堡郊区的墙上画过户外的画同时在公共游泳池的墙壁上创作了不同的画作和人物。我有时在壁画上作画，有时直接在墙上作画。除了公共艺术，我妻子卡廷卡(Katinka)还为我保存了各种各样的文件，包括包装纸和礼品包装。所以，用那些纸，我画图纸，拼贴画，数字……
My artwork varies from wall paintings to small puppets. Public art is very common here in Sweden and a commissioned artist can make his/her own artwork in a public space such as a hospital, library, schools, healthcare center and swimming pool. I once did painting outdoor on the walls in a suburb of Göteborg, while having created different paintings and figures on walls of a public swimming pool. I sometimes paint in al fresco, and at other times I paint at the wall directly. Apart from public art, my wife Katinka keeps all kinds of papers including wrappers and gift-wraps for me. So, with those papers, I make drawings, collages, figures…
您做了不少艺术作品！您是怎么做到的？
You do quite a few types of art! How do you make it?
我在做艺术品或画一幅画的时候有了一个想法，然后把它和其他想法联系起来。我不是从头到尾都专注于一个任务，而是同时做很多艺术品。我的创作通常以一个突然的随机想法开始，比如“哦，这个怎么样?”例如，我做了一个木偶娃娃，我画了一幅画。每件事都是相互联系的，因为每个故事都是相互联系的。
I get an idea when making artwork or painting a picture, and then connect it with other ideas. I don’t focus on one task from beginning to end, but make many artworks all at the same time. My creation often starts with a sudden random thought like “Oh, how about this?” For example, I make a puppet doll which I painted in a picture. Everything is linked as each story is connected to the other.
您开始制作木偶的原因是什么？
What was the reason you started to make puppets?
其实我一开始是为我的孩子们做的。然后我认为3D对象可能更适合他们玩。一开始，我并不是为了展览或受委托创作的。后来，我的第二任妻子卡廷卡在我们相遇后也对它产生了很大的影响。因为她是幼儿园老师，她让我用我的纸娃娃给孩子们表演一个游戏，所以我们一起做了。随着我为孩子们玩耍的机会增加，我开始制作更多的3D物体而不是2D物体。她也一直在为我收集纸板和纸张。我用那些用过的纸做我的艺术品。它的重量也很轻。她退休后，我停下来为孩子们表演。
I actually made it for my children at the beginning. Then I thought 3D objects might be better for them to play with. In the beginning I made it not for an exhibition or as commissioned work. Later my second wife Katinka also became a big influence on it after we met. Because she worked as a kindergarten teacher, she asked me to perform a play for children with my paper dolls so we did it together. As my opportunities to play for children increased, I started to make more 3D objects than 2D ones. She has been collecting cardboard and papers for me, too. I make my artwork from those used papers. It’s also light in weight. I stopped to perform for children after her retirement.
顺便问一下，您为什么决定住在这里？
By the way, what was the reason you decided to live here?
自从1970年我和孩子们搬到这里以来，我就一直住在这里。我很高兴住在这所房子里，因为我在这里有我的工作室，我可以花时间和我的孩子们一起做艺术品。当我和卡廷卡结婚时，我没有改变住的地方。这房子有点偏，但仍然很舒适(笑)。后面有一个宽敞的花园，我们可以在这里放松一下。一楼有厨房、休息室和工作室，二楼有卧室。我们把半地下室用作洗衣房。
I have lived here since I moved in with my children in 1970. I’ve been very happy living in this house because I have my atelier here and could spend my time with my children while making artwork. I didn’t change my living place when married Katinka. This house is a bit leaning to one side, but still cozy (laughs). With a spacious garden behind, we can have a relaxing time here. There is a kitchen, lounge and atelier on the first floor while bed rooms are located on the second floor. And we use the semi-basement room as a laundry.
您通常如何度过一天？
How do you usually spend your day?
这取决于当天，但我通常根据日出的时间在8:30或早上9点起床。然后我做一些茶，而卡廷卡做三明治。大多数时候，我们会把托盘带到楼上，然后吃早餐，透过窗户看到花园。然后我通常花一天的大部分时间在我的工作室。在瑞典，我们通常在上午10点和下午3点喝茶休息，我想在白天尽可能多地工作。哦，我每周至少烤两次面包。虽然我每天大部分时间都呆在工作室里，但当我厌倦工作时，我就会去厨房烤面包(笑)。这对我来说是个受欢迎的休息时间。
It depends on the day, but I usually wake up around 8:30 or 9AM according to the time of sunrise. Then I make some tea while Katinka makes open sandwiches. Most of the time, we bring our trays upstairs and have our breakfast with viewing our garden through the window. Then I usually spend most of a day in my atelier. We normally take tea breaks at 10AM and 3PM in Sweden, I want to work as much as possible during daytime hours. Oh, and I bake bread at least twice a week. Though I spend much of my day in my atelier, I go to kitchen to bake bread when feeling tired of working (laughs). That’s a welcome break for me.
您的工作室有很多窗户，非常舒适。
Your atelier is really cozy with many windows.
我之所以选择这个房间，是因为它从三面的窗户上获得了很多阳光。看，这个窗户全天都能看到阳光。 如果我的工作室只能从一个方向接收阳光，那么很难长时间呆在那里。 当你看到颜色时，光很重要。 因为冬天的日子短暂，光线对我们来说变得更加珍贵。 这是我日常生活中最重要的事情之一。
I chose this room because it gets a lot of sunshine from the windows on three sides Look, this window gets the sun throughout the day. If my atelier could receive sunlight from only one direction, it would be difficult to stay there for long periods of time. Light is important when you see colors. Because the days are short in winter, light becomes even more precious to us. It’s one of the most important things in my daily life.
您的作品是否随季节而变化？
Does what you make vary with the seasons?
虽然我没有这些意图，但可能就是这样。 在这个工作室里，我主要画画和剪纸或制作3D物品。 在我在达拉纳的避暑别墅里，我通常会在6月到7月期间一直专注于绘画。
Though I don’t have those intentions, it might be as a result. In this atelier, I mainly paint and cut papers or make 3D objects. In my summer house in Dalarna, I usually focus on painting while staying there from June to July.
在这个房间里有什么对您来说是重要的东西，能告诉我们吗？
Please let us know if you have anything that means a lot to you in this room.
没有剪刀我做不成洋娃娃。我最喜欢的颜色是这种蓝色。所以颜色对我来说很重要。我也喜欢钴蓝色。我用这种蓝色和其他明亮的颜色画了我们花园里的人物和汽车。蓝色很漂亮，不是吗？
I can never do the dolls without a pair of scissors. And this paint here, this blue is my favorite. So, the color is really important to me. I love cobalt blue, too. I painted the figures and mobiles in our garden with this blue and other bright colors. It’s very nice blue, isn’t it?
您的创作灵感来自哪里？
Where do you get your inspiration from?
我经常在旅行中受到启发，因为我可以用我的眼睛看到同样的东西。对我来说，声音也是一个非常重要的因素。我让我的艺术作品在我的脑海里听到音乐。我做的许多娃娃也拿着乐器。因为我经常演奏爵士乐，我根据我从音乐中得到的东西来创作，然后我从我刚刚完成的作品中得到灵感，创作出不同的艺术作品。我甚至从自己身上得到了灵感。而且，我一直是查理·卓别林的忠实粉丝。我爱电影。在老电影中，故事发展不像最近的电影那样迅速，而是有适当的情节。我经常受到这些电影中所描绘的动作的影响。我想，我作品中的时间流逝也来自于那些。
I often get inspired while traveling, because I can see the same things with fresh eyes then. And for me, sound is also a very important factor. I make my artwork hearing music in my mind. Many of the dolls I made hold musical instruments, too. Because I used to play jazz, I make things based on what I got from music, and then I get inspired from what I just completed and make a different artwork. I get an inspiration even from myself. Also, I’ve been a big fan of Charlie Chaplin for a long time. I love movies. In old movies, the stories don’t develop so rapidly like in recent ones, but have proper plots. I was often influenced by the moves depicted in such movies. The passage of time in my artwork also comes from those, I think.
您说您的灵感来自于一个动作，但您从中得到的是一幅静止的画面。这很有趣。
You said you are inspired by a move, but what you make from that is a still picture. That’s interesting.
画中有动作和声音。我做的艺术品可以让你感受到这些因素。我的作品都不是自己完成的。我的每一件作品都与另一件作品相连，永不分离，就像一部电影。也许我可以说木偶适合我的工作风格，因为它们是3D的，可以移动。你可以通过木偶而不是绘画来感受动作和声音。
There are moves and sounds in a painting. I make art pieces from which you can feel those factors as you see. None of my artwork is completed by itself. Each piece of my work connects to another and is never separated, just like a film. Maybe I can say that puppets suit my style of work because those are 3D and can move. You can feel the move and sound more from puppets than from paintings.
您认为您创作艺术的动机是什么？
What do you think motivates you to make art?
回想起来，我的大部分工作都与绘画和平面工作有关。但实际上我也喜欢一些过程，比如在一个人物上剪纸和粘贴。我保持我的顽皮的态度和享受乐趣的愿望，因为那是我创造的源泉。
Looking back, most of my work is related to painting and graphic work. But I actually enjoy some processes like cutting and pasting papers on a figure, too. I keep my playful attitude and desire to have fun, because those are the sources of my creation.
您的作品看起来很有生气。
Your artwork almost looks alive.
我每天都在工作室里画画。我觉得继续这样做很有意义，也很重要。我用我的双手创作的所有艺术品实际上都“活”在我的工作室里。
I paint or draw in my atelier every single day. I feel it is very meaningful and important to keep doing so. All the art pieces I have created like that with my hands actually “live” with me in my atelier.
Erik Leif Ericson
Leif Ericson于1927年出生于瑞典Mölndal，1955年毕业于哥德堡的Valand艺术学校。他的创作灵感来自于各种各样的东西，包括五彩缤纷的嘉年华、美丽的街景、木偶剧、马戏团和爵士音乐，他在欧洲各地旅行时，创作绘画、拼贴画和纸制人物。他的作品大多以公共艺术的形式在瑞典展出，也在许多瑞典博物馆展出。
版权归属
Interview © Chizuru Atsuta
Photos © Norio Kidera
