初读程亚杰的油画,一定会被他的画面中呈现的内容所震撼.无论是构图,色彩,还是表现手法都给人一种出人意料的惊奇.扑面而来的形象,超出视觉常态咄咄逼人,令人不由自主的想伸出手去触摸。
　　待你静下心来,细细品味时,又被其华丽的色彩所迷惑.在整体色调的烘托下,细微的色彩呈现,如印象派的冷暖变化丰富多彩,耐人玩味.华丽的色彩,亮而不艳.固有色与光源色,环境色的相互关系的表现得恰到好处.在极其薄的油彩里溶入于画布之中.这种运用古典技法来表现印象派颜色变化的手段,是程亚杰在维也纳留学期间钻研古典及印象派大师后,逐渐形成的一种绘画风格.由此,令读者从初识的惊慌中慢慢静下心来,悄然进入于技巧与色彩的思考中...
　　随着思考的层层深入,你会赫然发现画面的另一面.这种隐藏于作品下面的秘密逐渐浮现出来,使人不禁再次落入不安之中.“幻想”?“写实”?梦境与现实,孰是孰非?人们又跳出技术的层面,探求作品更深层次的含义.
　　程亚杰就是利用看似优美的画面,向人们诉说着他内心的故事.不难看出“达利”与“达芬奇”对他的影响.构思与技巧是程亚杰一直追求的目标.“达利”的超现实梦想,与”达芬奇“的古典技巧,在程亚杰看来都是同等重要 ,缺一不可.没有高超的技术,你就是有千言万语,也难以完美的表达出来.从程亚杰猎取的题材中,显现出他对世界的多层次的探索与钻研."行万里路"使程亚杰从不同的国家,不同的文化背景中,发现其中的共同点.这种人类的"共性"正是程亚杰探索的主要课题.
　　从原始人在山洞内墙壁刻画, 到古埃及和中国的文字发明, 都是由图画演变而成的. 可想而知, 艺术是全人类最容易沟通的世界语, 艺术跨越种族,文化的差异,直达人们心灵深处而产生共鸣.无论意大利文艺复兴的古典主义,法国的印象派,还是超现实的以及立体主义,现代派等都为人类社会的精神文明做出巨大贡献,这些大师的作品的深深影响了世人,同时中国的艺术也是直接,间接地秉承世界绘画艺术脉络.影响最深的莫过于前苏联的“学院派”,而后的印象派及“怀斯”超写实技术,整整影响了一代人的艺术成长.程亚杰的绘画艺术就是在这种大环境下成长起来的,我们从他的绘画风格中隐约可以看出这些影响的痕迹.素描,色彩,以及造型能力都为程亚杰日后的艺术发展,打下了坚实的基础.然而,当程亚杰走出中国,看到真正的艺术“视界”时,才清楚感受到,以前的所谓基础训练的皮毛功夫,实在难以登上艺术更高峰.共通的艺术语言让程亚杰茅塞顿开,开始钻研纯正的古典油画技术.
　　从达芬奇,安格尔,提香的作品中,程亚杰发现薄油之下不留痕迹古典油 画技术的艺术魅力.为了透彻了解颜色的特性,程亚杰从源头开始,主修颜色的制做课程,由此来提升自己对颜色理解,把握及表现能力.“工夫不负有心人”,我们从程亚杰的作品中已经清楚体会到超薄(隐藏于画布之中),丰富多彩颜色变化带来的视觉震撼.技术是艺术作品成败的根本.即使一幅不被理解内涵的艺术作品,也会因其高超的专业技能,令那些专家沉醉其中.这就是技术带来的艺术感染力.然而,光有技术还是不够的,因为,技术只能取悦于专家很小的范围,可谓“曲高合寡,高处不胜寒”.艺术的最高境界应该是艺术家通过自己掌握的艺术手段,来发现与创作属于他自己独特的艺术语言,向人们传达艺术家对世界的重新理解与诠释.这就需要艺术家在掌握其技艺的同时,提升自己多方面的见识与品位.程亚杰在他的教授胡特(HUTTER)那里得到了“幻想”的真缔.
　　胡特(HUTTER)-维也纳幻想写实画派创始人,程亚杰凭借他在中国大学时代的作品<银花>,被胡特教授破格免试录取,考入维也纳应用美术学院大师级班.由此随胡特踏入“幻想”之路.胡特教授强调艺术的最高境界,不是照相式的“写实”,而是顺应人类的不断求新求变的需求,这就靠所谓的“幻想”.开创照相与现实不可能呈现出的“超现实”的艺术“视 界”.要达到这一境界，首先，就要提高自己的艺术修养，要“读万卷书，行万离路”。透彻了解各时代大师的不同风格与技巧。如此，理出一条清晰的美术史脉络，从而，根据自己的艺术“品位”确定自己的艺术架构。
　　古典的技巧,现代简洁的构图是程亚杰油画给我们的第一印象.然而,当观众走近画面细察究竟时才猛然发现里面丰富多彩的“视界”.这就是程亚杰追求的幻想世界。程亚杰听进了胡特教授的教诲，在追求技巧尽善尽美的同时，用画笔向观众诉说心中的故事。这故事中有对现实的理解，对生活品位的诠释，对未来世界的创造。这一切一切都需要充实自己后的“幻想”再现。好的艺术作品就是从技巧的完美性和意念的创造性给人以享受和启迪。程亚杰追求的就是这一最高境界。
　　创新是每个艺术家追求的目标,程亚杰也不例外.我们不难从他的成长历程中看到他对艺术求新求变的例证.早期他还在天津美院油画专业求学阶段,就创造出<银花>这似梦似真的幻想作品.早期萌芽中呈现出的幻想愿望,在维也纳幻想写实主义创始人胡特的引领下逐渐形成他独特的“幻想”风格。这种画风最大的特点就是突破照相式的写实风格，而在客观现实中加入艺术家主观的幻想元素。这种似是而非的表象下隐藏着艺术家对世界的认识，理解与诉说。这种超前的幻想力量推动着世界不断进步，程亚杰从而创作出《天际》，《维也纳圆舞曲》，《想往》等不同凡响的佳作。
　　我们读程亚杰的幻想油画不单被他唯美的画面所吸引，更沉迷于他高超薄的古典技巧。并随着他奇妙构思，走入他神秘的“幻想”世界。
 　　新加坡国家艺术馆 副司长  周昌耀
 
　　The secret hidden beneath the classical façade
　　You are always struck with awe upon initial contact with the content presented on Cheng Yajie's oil canvases. Whether it is the composition, color or presentation style, they all create an unexpected surprise. The images seem to leap out of the paintings, with its hyper realist visual effects, resulting in an almost instinctive urge to reach out with your hands. 
　　However, as you settle down and calmly savour the works in detail, you find it very arresting, enjoying it repeatedly, due to its luxurious and harmonious combination of the color palette, reminiscence of the French Impressionists, with their warmth and color dynamism. While luxurious, the color palette used is not loud nor overpowering, but grounded in a fine balance of interplay between light and colour.
　　Through the use of a thin layer of oil, this is a classical technique to present impressionist color changes which is unique to Cheng Yajie who researched both the Classical and Impressionist Masters when he was studying in Vienna, where he developed his distinctive style, leading the viewer of his artworks from initial awe to a calm disposition, while slowly entering his private world of technique and color.
　　As we peel through the layers of thoughts beyond the superficial surfaces of Cheng's paintings, we discover another side to his works. This is the secret hidden within Cheng's artworks as objects not earlier noticed or details not previously seen gradually float up, out of the paintings, opening up another dimension within the paintings, causing one to uncontrollably fall into discomfort. What is fantasy and realism? The lines seem to blur and we can no longer distinguish between Cheng's dreamscape and reality. Finally, we are lured beyond the mastery of technique and colour, to return to the deeper exploration of the philosophy and meaning behind the artworks.
　　Cheng Yajie uses this superficial sense of beauty to tell a story from within his heart and it is not difficult to see the similarities to Salvatore Dali's Surrealism and Leonardo Da Vinci's Classical techniques, and their influences on his thought processes.  This, then, is Cheng's lifelong pursuit. To him, artistic philosophy and mastery of technique are all equal in importance and cannot be isolated from each other.
　　Even if you have a million words to express, without a strong foundation and mastery of medium and technique, it will be almost impossible to convey it fully via the visual arts medium. From Cheng's choice of subject matter, we can have a sense of Cheng's view of the world and his conceptual exploration and research. Exposure to different countries and cultures caused Cheng to discover commonalities that existed among these different countries and cultures. This shared commonality of humanity is exactly the main subject of research and exploration for Cheng Yajie.
　　Since time immemorial, art has always been by far one of the earliest and easiest forms of communication used by all humanity. From the etchings on cave walls during the cro magnon period to the hieroglyphics of Egyptian civilisation and the written language of the ancient Chinese; they all have a basis in pictorial representation.
　　Throughout history, art has transcended time and bridged race and cultures, reaching deep into people’s souls to generate commonality, whether it was Italy’s Renaissance Classicism, or French Impressionism, Surrealism or Contemporary Hyper Realism etc, they have all contributed to the development of the human civilization and spirit.
　　The works of these great masters deeply affected the world, and at the same time, this global pulse of visual arts development also greatly influenced the visual arts landscape in China, both directly and indirectly, of which the deepest influence would come from the Russian academic style, expedited through the shared political, economic and social ideologies between China and the Soviet Union, and later the French Impressionist and Andrew Wyeth's hyper realist techniques.
　　These developments in an increasingly globalised visual arts world all contributed to the artistic maturity of an entire generation of visual artists in China, and Cheng Yajie grew up in such an environment. As we examine Cheng Yajies sketchings, use of colours and composition, we are able to discern that he has received formal training in the visual arts and his skill stems from a strong foundation in oil painting.
　　But, when Cheng left China and encountered the visual art world beyond the boundaries of China, he then clearly understood the limitations of his past foundational training and realised that there were higher artistic peaks to scale. The commonality he found in the visual art language through his encounter with the global visual arts world opened his mind and he decided to research into the classical techniques oil paintings.
　　From the works of Da Vinci, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and Titian, Cheng Yajie discovered the attraction of the classical painting technique of using only a thin layer of oil, which leaves no trace. And, to further his understanding of the characteristics of colours, Cheng majored in Colour Production when he was studying in Vienna so as to enhance his color handling and presentation capabilities. This is evident from Cheng's works where we can clearly appreciate the super thin layer of oil (embedded within the canvas), his rich colorful dynamism and the visual awe that his works command.
　　To Cheng, the skill of an artist is an inherent basic requirement, because even if the philosophy of his works cannot be understood, if it displays a high level of professional competence, it will still attract the admiration of critics and experts. This is the influence of skill for the visual arts.
　　But, while skilful technique will win the admiration of a small circle of critics, it is not enough. The highest form of achievement for any artist to strive for would be to create a visual arts language that belongs exclusively to the artist through his own mastery of the artistic skills and his own creativity, conveying to his audience a renewed interpretation and understanding of the world. 
　　However, this would require an artist to enhance his knowledge in many other areas, in addition to the mastery of artistic skills.
　　Taught by Professor Wolfgang Hutter, one of the founders of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, Cheng Yajie learned from his professor, the essence of "Fantasy". Impressed by Cheng's award-winning artwork, "Silver Flower," during his university days in China, Hutter admitted Cheng to the Masters programme in the Vienna Applied Arts College and waived the requirement of an entrance exam for Cheng. That was when Cheng Yajie took his first step onto the road of "Fantasy".
　　Professor Hutter emphasised the highest frontier of visual arts and not just the realism of photographs, but an endless pursuit of the human need for innovation and change, which depends on the human capacity for imagination, and hence, "fantasy". For example, creating a photographic realist work cannot present the visual world of surrealism. To achieve that, firstly, one must enhance one's own artistic upbringing, which is the necessity to read widely on diverse subjects and extensive travels, to experience different cultures, as well as to study and understand the different artistic styles and techniques of master painters through the ages.
　　It is through this arduous process, that an artist develops a clear understanding of the historical development of visual art, and then based on his own artistic experience and maturity, evolves and confirms his own distinctive artistic values and philosophy. 
　　With his use of classical techniques and simple contemporary composition, Cheng strives in pursuit of creating a unique fantasy world, filled with colours and details that invite the viewer to look deeper beyond superficiality. Absorbing Professor Hutter's advice, Cheng's tells the stories with his heart through his art brush and canvas, which represents his perspective of reality, interpretation of daily living, and also his philosophy of a future world.
　　This then is the Holy Grail that Cheng Yajie pursues - the creation of works that arises from a mastery of technique and composed with conceptual creativity to provide enjoyment and inspiration to the viewer. 
　　Through the evolution of Cheng Yajie's art creations over the decades, we are able to see his dedication to the pursuit of innovation and change. From his early years at the Tianjin Academy Oil Painting class, he created "Silver Flower", art piece that was grounded in realist techniques and contained elements of fantasy.
　　Under the tutelage of Fantastic Realism founder Professor Wolfgang Hutter, Cheng Yajie developed an interest in the "fantasy" and gradually evolved his own distinctive fantasy style.
　　The greatest differentiating factor of Cheng Yajie's fantastic realism philosophy is his breakthrough in delicately balancing and harmonising photo-realism techniques with the subject matter of objective reality, while infusing it with subjective "fantasy" elements from his inner, private world. 
　　This presentation of the dimension that exists between reality and dreams hides within it the artist's awareness, understanding and interpretation of the world around us. It is this avant garde power of fantasy and imagination that has been motivating the constant evolution and progress of civilisations throughout the history of mankind.
　　Some of Cheng Yajie's inspired representative artworks include "Horizon", "the Vienna Dance" and "Aspiration".
　　In encountering Cheng Yajie's artworks, not only are we attracted to his harmonious presentation on the canvas, we are also more deeply entranced by his mastery of the classical technique of the thin oil layer. Together with his delighful "fantasy" concepts, Cheng Yajie sends an invitation to the world to take a walk into his mysterious 'fantasy' world.