Zhang Xiaolu, also known by his pen name Zhang Xiao, was born in Liaoyang in 1957. In 1988, he graduated from the "Chinese Comics Newspaper" editorial department of the China Comics Research Association and the "Chinese Comics Training Class" of the Fine Arts Department of the People's Liberation Army Art Academy. In 2007, he graduated from the 22nd Oil Painting Class of the Xu Beihong Studio at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. In the late 1980s, he began creating a series of comic strips featuring humorous, exotic, romantic, and lyrical styles. Works published in "Chinese Comics Newspaper" and "Comics Newspaper" include: "Meeting a Miracle Doctor", "Love Humor", "The Anger of a Beggar", "Anecdotes of Ai Lu", "The Master and the Therapeutic Apparatus", "The Churchgoer Begging for Money", and so on.
张小鲁，笔名张晓，1957年出生于辽阳，1988年结业于中国连环画研究会《中国连环画报》编辑部、解放军艺术学 院美术系“中国连环画培训班”。2007年结业于中央美术学院，徐悲鸿画室二十二期油画班。二十世纪八十年代末期开始创作幽默风趣、异国情调、浪漫抒情、风格各异的连环画系列作品。发表在《中国连环画报》《连环画报》的作品有：《千里遇神医》《爱情幽默曲》《乞丐的愤怒》《艾鲁轶事》《功师与治疗仪》《教徒讨钱》等。 从本世纪初开始，历经五十年余年，创作出历史题材悲情主义巨幅油画系列作品 ：《母之初》《九居图》 《刑场悲歌》《七宗罪》《大屠杀》《民殇》《三户亡秦》《八王乱世》《国难》《文字狱》……
《九居图》 230x570cm 亚麻布面油画 2007年
The iron pen carves the soul of history, and compassion shines upon the world
-- On the historical responsibility and artistic realm of painter Zhang Xiaolu
In the contemporary Chinese art scene, Mr. Zhang Xiaolu stands out as a painter who can simultaneously embody the profoundness of oil painting and the sharpness of printmaking, pointing directly to the depths of history and the core of reality. Born in Liaoyang in 1957, this artist has undergone systematic training at the China Comics Research Association, the People's Liberation Army Art Academy, and the Xu Beihong Studio of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. However, he did not stop at merely mastering techniques. With five decades of dedication, he has constructed a visual epic of tragicism in historical theme oil paintings, and through his "Human Comedy" series of prints, he has demonstrated extraordinary imagination and profound social insight. He has formed a unique artistic language of "using history as a mirror and painting as a blade," becoming an artist in contemporary China with profound ideological weight and humanistic warmth.
铁笔刻史魂 悲悯照人间
——论画家张小鲁的历史担当与艺术境界
观当代中国艺坛，能同时以油画之厚重与版画之锐利，直指历史深处与现实核心的画家，张小鲁先生当属个中翘楚。这位1957年生于辽阳的艺术家，历经中国连环画研究会、解放军艺术学院至中央美术学院徐悲鸿画室的系统训练，却未止步于技法研习。他以五十年沉潜之功，在历史题材油画中构建起悲情主义的视觉史诗，又以《人间喜剧》系列版画展现超凡的想象力与深刻的社会洞察，形成了“以史为鉴、以画为刃”的独特艺术语言，成为当代中国极具思想重量与人文温度的艺术实践者。
油画《气壮山河》 100 x150cm 2021年
In the field of oil painting creation, Zhang Xiaolu has pioneered a unique and profound visual narrative with tragic historicism as its spiritual core. Unlike the typical narrative of historical paintings, Zhang Xiaolu's works transcend the mere reproduction of specific events, directly pointing to the humanistic dilemmas and civilizational paradoxes deep within history.
在油画创作领域，张小鲁以悲情历史主义为精神内核，开创了独具深度的视觉叙事。他的历史题材系列作品，从《母之初》的文明溯源到《大屠杀》的苦难记忆，从《三户亡秦》的权力反思到《文字狱》的思想压迫，构建了一部震撼人心的民族心灵史。不同于常见的历史画叙事，张小鲁的作品超越了具体事件的再现，直指历史深处的人性困境与文明悖论。
油画《大地之爱》180x180cm 2005年
His oil painting language exhibits strong spiritual characteristics. In terms of color usage, he adopts a deep earthy color palette as the base, revealing layers of history through its thick texture. In terms of form processing, the figures strike a balance between realism and expression, maintaining the integrity of the image while enhancing emotional tension through moderate deformation. Zhang Xiaolu has always adhered to the stance of "writing history for ordinary people", casting his gaze on the silent majority in the long river of history, elevating his creation beyond mere artistic expression and transforming it into a cultural practice with a sense of historical responsibility.
其油画语言具有强烈的精神性特征。在色彩运用上，他以深沉的大地色系为基调，厚重肌理中隐现历史的层次感；在造型处理上，人物形体在写实与表现之间找到平衡，既保持形象的完整性，又通过适度变形强化情感张力。张小鲁始终坚持“为普通人写史”的立场，将目光投向历史长河中沉默的大多数，使他的创作超越了单纯的艺术表达，成为具有历史责任担当的文化实践。
If oil paintings demonstrate Zhang Xiaolu's profound sense of history, then the prints from the "Human Comedy" series highlight his ability to confront the cross-section of contemporary society. This set of works serves as a visualized social encyclopedia, scanning the myriad phenomena of the world with unique humor and insight. Zhang Xiaolu demonstrates astonishing imagination and creative transformation ability here - he recombines and reshapes real-life elements: the fusion of human body and machinery metaphorizes the alienation of modern people, and the juxtaposition of traditional symbols and technological products forms a dramatic scene of cultural collision.
如果说油画展现了张小鲁的历史纵深感，那么《人间喜剧》系列版画则彰显了他直面当代社会的横断面。这套作品如同视觉化的社会百科全书，以独特的幽默与洞察扫描人间万象。张小鲁在此展现了惊人的想象力与创造性转化能力——他将现实元素进行重组再造：人体与机械的融合隐喻现代人的异化，传统符号与科技产物的并置形成文化碰撞的戏剧场景。
The success of the "Human Comedy" series lies in its high degree of unity between artistic form and social concern. Zhang Xiaolu perfectly integrates his early narrative talent in comic creation with printmaking language: the composition breaks the constraints of time and space, employing multiple perspectives side by side; the lines are both strong and soft, with a strong contrast between black and white, revealing depth in simplicity and space in a flat plane. The images are both visually attractive and provoke deep thinking. What is particularly important is that his satire never remains superficial, but is based on a profound understanding of human nature - behind the humor is compassion, and deep within the criticism is expectation.
《人间喜剧》系列的成功在于其实现了艺术形式与社会关怀的高度统一。张小鲁将早年连环画创作的叙事天赋与版画语言完美融合：构图打破时空限制，采用多重视角并置；线条刚柔相济，黑白对比强烈，在简洁中见深厚，在平面中显空间。画面既具视觉吸引力，又引发深层思考。尤为重要的是，他的讽刺从不流于表面，而是建立在对人性的深刻理解之上——在幽默背后是悲悯，在批判深处是期待。
《末亡人》 185x190cm 布面油画 2005年
The iron pen carves the soul of history, and compassion shines upon the world. Mr. Zhang Xiaolu, through his artistic practice spanning five decades, tells us that in this era of information explosion and fleeting memories, artists must not only possess the ability to innovate in form but also the courage to shoulder historical responsibility; they must not only have exquisite technical skills but also a profound mind. His works are not merely artworks hanging on the wall, but cultural imprints etched into the fabric of the times - they echo history, reflect reality, and embody an artist's deepest responsibility and love for this land and its people. On this seldom-traveled artistic path, Zhang Xiaolu, with his unique creations, has left an indispensable ideological weight and spiritual benchmark for Chinese contemporary art.
铁笔刻史魂，悲悯照人间。张小鲁先生以五十年如一日的艺术实践告诉我们：在这个信息爆炸而记忆易逝的时代，艺术家不仅要有形式创新的能力，更要有历史担当的勇气；不仅要有技术精湛的手，更要有思想深刻的心。他的作品不仅是挂在墙上的艺术品，更是刻在时代肌理中的文化印记——那里有历史的回响、现实的映照，更有一位艺术家对这片土地与人民最深沉的责任与爱。在这条少有人走的艺术道路上，张小鲁以其独特的创作，为中国当代艺术留下了不可或缺的思想重量与精神标高。
著名书画艺术评论家：刘振明
2026年2月8日书于北京
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