与同仁兄相识忽忽四十余年矣。1957年我入美院读美术史系，越明年，转中国画系。同仁高我一班，应称学兄。知其从学黄胄，名师高徒，信为不虚。
　　同仁质朴其外、高华其内；冰清其性、烈焰其情，具有大艺术家不可或缺之素质。而为人又笃厚诚挚，自少及长，自长及老，凡生活中琐碎事、麻烦事、劳而无功事、无名无利事皆加诸其身。彼毫无怨怼，欣然而往，此种情状，令我不平，而同仁惟憨笑而已。
　　他又是一位敏于所感、情至笔随的天才。1995年他来巴黎，一日携数百张水墨画至我乡间别墅，令我瞠目久之。所画为希腊、罗马石刻，为非洲黑人木雕，为狮虎象豹之类、怪兽异禽之属。且皆画于极为粗糙的糊墙纸上，用笔跌宕奇妙。从艺半世，未见有画家如此想，如此画。始而以为荒诞，继而为之激赏，最后剩下钦佩。钦佩其童心未泯，钦佩其不鹜名利，惊叹其具有一双善于发现“真”的眼睛，一支欣于表现“善”的画笔。伪恶者必丑，同仁本能拒绝；真善者必美，同仁则趋之不及。同仁之成功，盖源此心灵素质。
　　某日于同仁家中，忽抱来一大捆巨作，室小画大，惟有铺地观赏，再一次令我结舌久之。画面施以浓、焦、枯墨，所画为甘藏人物，为晨曦黄昏、为荒原野草、为耕牛骆驼。印象是苍莽、豪纵、姿肆，《庄子》所谓“深闳而肆”者也。其中亦偶有碧眼黄发之洋人、深皱皓髯之老翁。其笔力之深雄浑厚，足可以令怯懦者振而起、令狂骄者愧而战栗。杜工部“语不惊人死不休”，同仁是其俦焉。唯见线条如屈铁、如古藤，刻入缣素，力可扛鼎。初亦以为离谱，继之为肯定，最后只有拜服。“奇音在爨，庸听惊奇妙响”，自以为识见不凡而“庸听”如我，对王同仁必欲自立门户、不寄前贤时彦篱下的不断探索，实在至为欣赏。
　　王同仁艺术道路略类高低栏之障碍赛，必自设阻隔而飞跃之，一而再之，再而三之，至今不以标榜风格为目标，而以随心所欲为惬意，恒变不居，以60岁之翁时有异想天开。非天赋颖异、笑傲一世之豪杰不敢以艺术生命作此孤注一掷之远游。同仁以为远游之目标既定，则可舍弃一切为世人所赏而早已为己所鄙弃者。在美的领域，艺术家应是“来吾导夫先路”的开拓者，而不是俯就时俗，甚至挤眉弄眼之辈。这就是同仁的抱负，同仁的尊严之所在。
　　希腊古哲赫拉克利特有云：“人生不能两次跨进同一条河流。”同仁深感目下画界惰性之可恶：不只反复跨进自己的一条河，踯躅不前；更可笑的是不断跨进别人的河里，还以为发现了什么东西，张扬之、鼓吹之，成为滑稽的公众人物。在这一点上王同仁经常用“知耻近勇”来勉策自己，决不肯做一个从俗沉浮的“知名”画家。
　　看王同仁的风发才情，似“生而知之”者；看他跋山涉水，刻苦自励，又似“困而知之”者。总之，天才加奋斗，造就了王同仁。
　　“博学之”，言其勤奋也；“谨问之”，言其谦和也；“慎思之”，言其求索也；“明辨之”，言其敏悟也；“笃行之”，言其质实也。有了这样的品格，同仁兄的艺术天地必然广阔，他精于国画，兼通油画、版画、水彩；他是画家，又擅于籀篆行草。“人一能之，己百之；人十能之，己千之”，这就是同仁的本领。仅借《中庸》篇概述其身，并总结此文。
　　1999年11月14日 于巴黎 雪夫汉寓
　　CONSTANT CHANGES IN CREATION
　　AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ALBUM OF WANG TONGREN’S PAINTINGS     
　　by Fan Zeng
　　More than 40 years have slipped by since I got to know Wang Tongren. In1957, I was admitted into the Department of History of Fine Arts, CentralAcademy of Fine Arts and the year later, I switched to the Department ofChinese Painting where Wang Tongren, whom I should call a senior fellowschoolmate, was a year ahead of me. Simple and unadorned in appearance, hewas superior in heart; while he might be unassuming in character, he wasvery ardent in feeling. In short, he possessed all the necessary qualitiesof a great master. Since young, he was always honest and sincere, and nowin his old age, he continues to do those trifling, troublesome, fruitless　things that have little impact on his fame or interests. Yet he never　complained when I told him that life had been unfair to him, he would just　laugh it off.  
　　Wang Tongren is a talent with sensibility and able to express his feelings　with a brush. In 1995, he came to Paris and visited my villa one day with a　few dozen pieces of his art. I was so surprised to see his ink and wash　paintings of Greek and Roman stone statues, African wooden carvings, as　well as animals and birds. Even though all of his creations were on rough　paper, his skill with a brush was really revealing. Being engaged in the　artistic creation for as long as half a century, I had never seen any　painter think or express in this way. His work might be considered absurd　at first glance, but inevitably would make you feel appreciative. Finally,　you cannot help but admiring. You admire his untarnished childlike　innocence and his pursuit of art never for the sake of fame and benefit. I　marveled at his eyes that could find the ‘‘true” and his brush that is　capable of expressing the ‘‘good”. The truth and the good are inevitably　beautiful and that is something Tongren would aim to portray in his art. On　the contrary, he would by all means avoid any form of falsehood or anything　bad in his work. His success all came from the nature of his heart.
　　On another occasion at his home, Wang Tongren suddenly took out a large　roll of paintings to show me. The creations were too big for the small room　and had to be spread out on the floor. Once more I was captivated for a　long time. Using different applications of ink-thick, burned, or withered,　he painted Tibetan figures, scenes of dawn or dusk, landscape of wild　grassland, oxen and camels that left impressions of boundlessness,exhilaration and boldness. This reminded me of the ancient Chinese　philosopher, Chuangtse, who said, ‘‘the passion of nature comes truly　from the heart”.
　　Occasionally, Wang Tongren would capture different cultures in his work　such as the blond-hair, blue-eyed foreigners or wrinkled old men with long　beards.  Undoubtedly, the profound and vigorous skill of his brushwork　could inspire the insipid and humble the arrogant. Du Fu, the great poet in　the Tang Dynasty, said, ‘‘I would rather die if I fail to get the　expression of elegance.” In his effort to aim high, Tongren must be his　counterpart. The lines in his paintings, as one could see, look like hooked　iron bars or old rattan, as strong as cutting into silk pieces, as mighty　as carrying a heavy burden. At first, you might feel that they are out of　place, but you would inevitably be gin to understand, accept, and finally,　be convinced of his talent and peculiar form of expression. ‘‘The　wonderful music would make the mediocre person surprised”, I regarding　myself to be rather knowledgeable, truly appreciate Wang Tongren’spersistent exploration and creation of his own style, confining neither to　the tradition nor to the current fashion.
　　Wang Tongren’s artistic career is, in a sense, similar to a hurdle race.
　　He has to jump over one obstacle after another in pursuit of self-　improvement. Until today, he does not restrict himself to a style that has　become popular and well known to others. Instead, he prefers to venture　where his heart prompts him to go. He keeps changing, even in his sixties,Wang Tongren can still spontaneously come up with new creative ideas.
　　Anyone who can drive himself in this manner must be extremely gifted and　dedicated because he is not afraid of risk for the sake of art. Once he　sets himself a clear goal, he does not mind to give up what normal people　would enjoy or desire for. In the field of aesthetics, the true artist is　one who dares to tread on upchartered territory and not someone who follows　a conventional course or to appease the public opinion. This is where Wang　Tongren’s aspirations and dignity lie.Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher, once said, ’’One cannot cross　the same river twice.” Like the water in a flowing river, imagination and　creativity should move forward and never stand still. Wang Tongren detests　the laziness that inundates the field of art today. There are those who　repeatedly step into the same river and stay there, not daring to move　forward. There are also those who step into other rivers and claim to have　found something new to exaggerate themselves under false pretenses. These　types of so-called artists eventually become the objects of ridicule.
　　Different from those, Wang Tongren often urges himself forward, realizing　that ‘‘Having a sense of shame is akin to courage.” He refuses to become‘‘famous” by conforming to the prevailing popular regard of art. Based on his creation, Wang Tongren may seem to have been born with the　gift of imagination. But in fact, his talent was forged through hard workand experiencing challenges in life. Diligence, coupled with a grain of　talent, has contributed to the success this artist enjoys today.
　　He is diligent, so he is well informed; he is modest, so he loves to learn.
　　He seeks knowledge, so he is good at contemplating. He is sensitive and　self-aware, so he can make a clear distinction of things around him. He is　simple and honest, so he is persistent in his practice. All these personal　characteristics broadens and enriches his creativity. He is proficient in　Chinese painting and simultaneously, he is also skilled in oil painting,water colours and engraving. He is a painter, a calligrapher and a master　in the art of seal carving. It is rare when one is good in one thing but　extraordinary when one is skillful in many. That is Tongren, is it not a　good summary of him?
 　　In Paris, Nov. 14th, 1999