几年前，海粟老人在北京饶有兴味地看完得意弟子汪易扬的一组人物画，对笔者说：“书画分家已久，今人搞返祖实验实有必要。然若重形轻意，必然难入高境。易扬走其反道，引书法线之表现力入画，篆情隶味草法蕴藉，并已有自己面目，十分可贵。”
青灯偏爱苦耕人。泳过茫茫墨海，化繁为简，在自我否定中筛选，积累渐变，追寻天籁，易扬是一番求索一番新。
遥远的梦温馨。易扬生于厦门鼓浪屿。那是音乐家的摇篮。天风、海涛、素月、繁花，诗之岛的灵乳，同样也滋养着画家的赤子之心和他那渐入妙境的笔。他从小便喜爱涂抹，进入上海美专之后，好似一条小鱼游进艺河。建国之初，正当他的创作走上新台阶的时候，遇到了那场“运动”，踏上了人生的坎坷之路。他在挥汗如雨的劳动中重新认识世界，也更加贴近了普通劳动者。他作曲、编舞、写剧，保持乐观本色。春回大地之后，他重操书画，而当年抚慰过他心灵的歌舞、戏曲却又给他的书画添了养分，转化为墨弦的节奏韵律，弹之有声，掬之有情。海粟大师曾为他著诗赞道：“万转墨弦着意求，前人肩上上层楼，灵襟书卷山川出，废画三千得自由。”
易扬爱刚正不阿的历史人物，喜欢民间文学中那些神仙、侠士、巧匠以至钟馗的形象。理想之光增加了这些人物形象的高度，他作丈二巨人为八仙，或雄健，或飘逸，或狂放，或冷峻。男子高得扎实而气宇非凡，女子高得灵动而窈窕俊秀，各有寄托，反映了艺术家在追求美的过程中闪现的人性光芒。他作画要有较长的腹稿时间，在心中酝酿这些巨灵们的千姿百态。他善取要领，洗去冗笔，乘兴一挥，顷刻成画。在一线之中构成人物形体、结构、动态、性格以至完成浓、淡、干、焦、湿的笔墨韵致。他很向往苏东坡“当其落笔风雨快，笔所未到气已吞”的境界。他的人物画一旦被放在争奇斗艳的百家画中，总能以其超凡的独具风韵而分外惹眼。
他也作数日方可结笔的现代风景画，也写客体世界给他的感受。但他不是只摹形再现对象，而是通过光的狂舞，线与彩的跌宕交融，把山山水水人情化，诗意化一一尽力表现为和我们对话的朋友。热得深沉，笑得活脱，是易扬，又是大自然的本色。 
BYMEANSOFCURSIVEHANDTO
STRIVEFORWONDERANDIMPOSING
——SeeYiyang'sRagingGrassandFigurePaintings
Severalyearsago,inBeijing,aftergoingoverasetoffigurepaintingsbyhisfavouritepupilWangYiyang,thegreatagedmasterHaiSuhadwithgreatinteresttoldtheauther:"CalligraphyandpaintinghavelongsineebeenSeparated,itisquitenecessaryforpeopleofoureratoengagethemselvesinataristicexperiments.Butifoneputsstressonformandbelittlesconception,Surehecannotscaletheheights.Yiyangfollowstheoppositedirection,heintroducestheforceofexpressionofcalligraphiclinesintothepaintingthetemperamentofthesealandthetasteofthescript,thecursivehandtemperateandrefined,whichalreadyhasitsowntruecolours.afeatindeedhighlycommendable."
Thegreenlanternhaspartialityforthosewhoworkhard.Afterswimmingthroughthevastseaofink,simplifyingbyweedingoutSuperfluities,Yiyangscreenedhimselfduringself—negation,heaccumalated,bringingforthgradualchangesinpursuitofthesoundsofnature,andconceivednewideaseachtimeheobtainedwhathesoughtafter.Lately,hebroughtseveralrecentworkswithhimforanotherexhibitioninthecityoftheRamsforanexchangewithsouthernscholars.Ipartookwithallotherstheunquenchablejoyofviewingthepaintings.
Remotedreamsarethefondest.YiyangwasborninGulangyu,anislandbeyondXiamen,Fujianprovince.Thatisthecradleofthemusicians.Theheavenlywind,thebluewaves.thequietmoonandtheluxuriousflowersmadethemiraculousmilkofthepoeticislandaswellasnourishedthech1dishheartofthepainterwithhisbrushbecamemoreandmoredelightful.HelovespaintingLongfromhischildhood.After,enteringtheShanghaiInstituteofFineArts.Likeasmallfishheswamintotheriverofarts.whenhisartisticcreationhadjuststeppedontoanewstage,thereaccuredtheterriblemovement,HewaspersecutedasaRightistandsenttothecountryside.Hesoonwalkedonaroughwayoflife.Hehadtounderstandtheworldagaininthelabourthatdripedwithsweat.andhewasnearertotheordinarylabourerHewrotemusic,compileddances,wrotedramaforkeepingupthecolourofanoptimist.Whenspringreturned,aftertheCulturalRevolutionwasover,hepickedupcalligraphyandpaintingagain,andthesongthedanceandtheoperawhichhadconsoledhisheartinthosetroubleyearsprovidednutrienttohiscalligraphyandpaintingultimatelyittransformedintotherhythmandrulesoftheink—strings.Itsoundedwhenplacking;becamesentimentalwhenscooping.ThegreatMasterHaiSuhadwrittenapoempraisinghim：Pluckthemomentumthrough.ThousandsTurningsofink—trace.Ascendahigherstairsupfrom.Theshoudersofpredecessors;Readbooksagreatlot,Andbeinspiredbypoetsoldandnew;BeingYourownmasterthathadThousandofpaintingseverbeenannuled.
Yiyangadmiresuprighthistoricalpersonagesandisfondofthosecelestialschivalrousknightsandskilfulcraftsmeninthefolkliterature,downtotheimageofZhongKui.Thelightofidealhasincreasedtheheightsofthesefigures.Hepaintedthemtogiant.Somerobust,someelegant,someunrulyandsomeicy.Themalesaresteadilytallandtheirtemperamentareuncommon：thefemalesarenimbleandagile.Eachofthemhastheirdifferentspiritualsustenancewhichreflectstheradianceofhumanitywhattheartistinhiscourseofbeautyseeking.Healwayshadaratherlongperiodforthementalnotesinordertoplaythedelineationinhismindwhichwithvariousmanners.Heiswelltograsptheessentials,washingofftheunnecessarystrokesandwieldinghisbrushwhileinajoyfulmoodandfinishesthepaintinginalmostatwinkling.Hehasbeenableinasinglelinetoconstitutetheformofafigure;structure.developmentsanddispositiondowntotheaccomplishmentofthethickthepale.thedryorthewetofthebrush'slastingappealoncehisfigurepaintingdisplayedamongthepaintingsscramblingforariotofcolourandcombatingfortheoddityfromhundredpaintingscholars,hisworkwouldbeloudlyconspicuouswithitsstyleovertheothers.
Thepainteralsoworkonmodernlandscapepaintingwhichwouldtakehimseveraldaystofinish.Healsowritesaboutthefeelingsdevelopedinhimbytheobjectiveworld.Noteonlydoeshemakethesimalationstoreproducetheobjectbutthroughthecrazydancesofthelight,theboldnessandblendofthelinesandcolourstohumanizepoetizethemountainsandrivers.asfullyaspossibletomakeourdialoguefriendsdeeplywarmedandlaughedcontentedly.ThisshouldbethenaturalcolouraswellastheYiyang's.