为《小山》作小序

几年前，天德告诉我，他的下一个展览名称已经想好，叫《小山》。他特地强调：顾名思义，展览与你有关。在展览作品尚未确定的情况下，先有蛋后有鸡，这是他做事的典型风格：不按常理出牌。天德为人处世一向严谨。这一点，熟悉他的人都是知道的。尤其在创作上，几乎讲究到了自虐的程度。这是好的。许多画画的人潦潦草草，不修边幅，却自以为潇洒，让人无语。

《小山》的展出时间应该是2021年春季。之所以蹉跎两年，用官话解释，叫做不可抗力。好在岁月照常，转眼之间，一切皆抛到了身后。《小山》重启，也是适逢其时。按天德的说法，任何时候，任何条件，他只做一件事，把作品做到满意为止。当有人怨愤，有人躺平。对天德而言，没时间抱怨和躺平——停下步伐，意味着最大的失去。说到底，时间是最公平的，你怎么对待它，它就怎么回馈你。《小山》里的很多展品，是天德新近之作。从中可以证明，什么叫做一分耕耘，一分收获。

天德在水墨领域有一种特殊的存在感。他不大声嚷嚷，不做夸张举动，但是在众人心目中，他的分量沉甸甸地摆着，谁也忽视不得。他每个阶段的作品，如《水墨菜单》、《中国服装》、《数码系列》，都是独一无二的。天德自信、自足，又平静、坦然。不像圈子里的很多人，本事不大，口气不小，老子天下第一。天德曾经说，别人有别人的好，我的好与众不同。这是一个好艺术家该有的基本态度。自吹自擂只能令人反感，自知和谦逊才是教养和美德的体现。

昨天我就展览的事给天德打电话，电话里听到繁闹的背景声——电锯声、敲击声，天德告诉我，他正在和工人一起忙活，弄得一身大汗。是的，这是他的作派：亲力亲为、一丝不苟。他简单描述了关于画作、关于装置、关于布展等等构想。我毫不怀疑，这将是一个开放、精致又有趣的展览。祝贺天德。祝愿他的展览成功呈现。

    李小山

2023·3·8

A Preface to “The Lesser Mountain”

 A few years ago, Tiande told me that he had already decided on the title “The Lesser Mountain” for his next exhibition. He emphasized that the exhibition is related to me, as its name suggests. Even when the selected works were not finalized, he named the exhibition as if the egg came before the chicken. This is his typical style of doing things - not playing by the rules. Tiande has always been rigorous in his personal and professional life, which is recognized of by those who know him. Particularly in terms of art creation, he strives for perfection to the point of self-torture. It should be praised, while many other artists are careless in their work, thinking that they are free-spirited but making others speechless.

The exhibition “The Lesser Mountain” was originally scheduled for the spring of 2021. The delay of two years was due to force majeure events, as explained in official terms. Fortunately, as time passed, everything was left behind. The relaunch of the “The Lesser Mountain” project comes at the right time. In Tiande’s words, he only focuses on one thing at a time, and under any circumstances, he keeps working on his art until he is satisfied with the result. While some people are complaining or slacking off, Tiande never has time for that because stopping one’s steps would mean losing everything. In the end, time is the fairest in the world, because it will reward you as you treat it. Many works in the selection of “The Lesser Mountain” are Tiande’s recent creations, which proves the adage that you reap what you sow.

 Tiande has a unique presence in the field of ink painting. He doesn’t make loud voices or dramatic gestures, but in everyone's mind, his weight is palpable and cannot be ignored by anyone. His works in different periods, such as “Ink Banquet,” “Chinese Costumes,” and "Digital Series," are one-of-a-kind. Tiande is confident, self-fulfilled, calm, and open-minded. He is not like many people in the art circle who have big talk but have little substance or claim themselves to be the best. He once said that everyone had their own strengths, and his are unique. This is the basic attitude of a good artist. Bragging only causes disgust, while self-knowledge and humility are expressions of culture and virtue.

 Yesterday, when I called Tiande to talk about the exhibition, I could hear the background noise over the phone—the sound of electric saws and hammering. Tiande told me that he was busy working with his assistants, drenched in sweat. Yes, this is his style: hands-on and meticulous. He briefly described his thoughts about the paintings, installations, and exhibition layout. I have no doubt that this will be an open, refined, and interesting exhibition. Congratulations to Tiande. I wish him a successful exhibition!

Li Xiaoshan

March 8th, 2023