<h1>Relive the innovative ideas in ancient Chinese painting theory</h1>
"Creation" and "inheritance" are a pair of contradictions in Chinese painting theory, and they are also a problem worthy of attention in the current creation of Chinese painting. Many old painters think that without attaching importance to inheritance, it is impossible to say that Chinese painting innovation is not possible. There are also many people who have studied Western painting, especially after coming into contact with the ever-changing Western modern art genres, thinking that Chinese painting has aged and become obsolete, and should be completely renewed and started a new stove. This major issue must be discussed separately, and it is not useless to explore the relevant arguments only from the perspective of creation and inheritance in the ancient painting theory of our country.
Ancient painters and theorists who were deeply influenced by Chinese philosophy have always attached great importance to the creative spirit, and have produced many outstanding painters with creative spirit in the long course of history, all of whom reflect this idea of innovation and originality. Let's try:
"Every day is new, every day is new, every day is new." (Li Ji Tang No Pan Ming)
"Entering and leaving Liuhe, traveling in Kyushu, coming and going alone, is unique." The unique person is the most precious. (Warring States, Zhuangzi in the eleventh chapter of Yu)
"Communicate with the spirit of heaven and earth alone, and not with all things." (Warring States: Zhuangzi Tianxia 33)
"Fu Danqing is wonderful, not easy to say, although the quality follows the ancient meaning, and the text changes to the present." (Southern and Northern Dynasties Chen Yao's "Continuation of Paintings and Prefaces")
"To speak without doing is not to paint first." (Qi Sheikh of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, "Catalogue of Ancient Paintings and Preface")
In our opinion, the inscriptions on bronze ware in the Shang Tang Era show a very firm attitude towards the new (or innovation): one day the "new" cannot be satisfied, and it must continue to be "new" and always "new". It is really the spirit of the founder; Lao Zhuang Thought has a tremendous influence on the painters of later generations in our country (especially the landscape painters), he takes "man" and "nature" as one, and he must "communicate with the spirit of heaven and earth alone", be a "unique person", and "come alone" between heaven and earth. I would like to ask how many artists who advocate innovation in ancient and modern China and abroad can have this ideological realm? How much can they embody in life practice and creative practice?
Among the painting theories of the painters of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there is Zong Bing's "Chang Shen" theory and Wang Wei's "with a pipe of brushwork, to imitate the body of the void." Although it is not explicitly said that it is "original" or "unique", its transcendent and uninhibited spirit is consistent with Zhuangzi's thought. As for Sheikh and Yao's most demanding painting creation, it is very simple and clear. Although Xie's "Six Laws" has the method of "passing on the model", it also points out that it is necessary to "do" (that is, to have a new meaning), and not just "describe" (refers to repeating the creations of predecessors). Yao's most "change of culture to present feelings" is also to make the literary style of painting suitable for the current fresh feeling.
The painters of the Song Dynasty further elaborated on the relationship between creation and inheritance. In the early Qing Dynasty, Shi Tao gave full play to the importance of the original spirit:
"The study of painting by man is no different from the study of books." Now take Chung, Wang, Yu, and Liu, and will be like it for a long time. As for the adult masters, if they are not in one family, they will be able to absorb and discuss and discuss the examination widely, so that I can become a family of my own, and then I will get it. (Song Guo Xi, "Lin Quan Gao Zhi")
"In ancient times, it is impossible to create oneself, and to create oneself." (Song Liu Dao's "Commentary on famous paintings of the Holy Dynasty")
"Today's people do not know this, and the movement is that a certain family can stand on its own, not like a certain family of landscapes cannot be passed on for a long time; a certain family can set up a product, not like a certain family of craftsmanship is just entertainment." It is me who serves a certain family, and it is not a certain family that uses it for me. Even if it looks like a certain family, it also eats the residue of a certain family, so why should I! ...... I am what I am, and I am in myself. The ancient eyebrows cannot give birth to my face, and the ancient intestines cannot enter my intestines; I spontaneously take my lungs, expose my eyebrows, even if I sometimes touch a certain family, it is a certain family that I am, not me, so I am a certain family, naturally teach it, why do I teach in the ancient world and not transform it? (Qing Shi yuanji, "Quotations from the Painting of the Bitter Melon Monk")
"Neutralize the spirit in the sea of ink, decide life under the pen edge, replace the hair and bones on the scale, and release light in the chaos." Even if the pen is not pen, ink is not ink, and painting is not painted, I am myself. (ibid.)
"Mountains and rivers make yudai mountains and rivers also, mountains and rivers are born from Yuya, yu is born from mountains and rivers, search for Qifeng to play drafts, and mountains and rivers meet the spirit of Yu and traces." (Ibid.)
"It is possible to teach the ancients, but it is absolutely impossible to be a slave of the ancients" (Qing Shi Yuanji)
Guo Xi thought that learning painting and learning calligraphy were the same, and the average person could be roughly similar. However, people with higher requirements must "absorb and see" and widely absorb the strengths of others in order to achieve self-reliance and success. Liu Daool's thought should be more liberating, he thinks that painting did not have certain laws in ancient times, but he can create his own ideas and seek to express the laws of the universe. It also contains the meaning of Zhuangzi's "independent spiritual exchange with heaven and earth".
Shi Tao's emphasis on originality and personality is unique not only in ancient China, but also in modern painting, that is, in the western modern speech advocating the expression of personality painters, there is no such alarming and moving language. He not only despised the imitation of his predecessors, calling it "eating the scraps of a certain family", but also believed that the eyebrows and intestines of the ancients could not grow on their own bodies. To "establish the spirit" and "replace the bones", you can be desperate, as long as "I am there"! This "I" can speak in place of the mountains and rivers, and it is no longer clear who is "born" for whom. Here again embodies the spirit of "forgetting oneself", which is the realm of Zhuangzi's heaven and earth being one with me. "Solipsism" and "forgetting" are the characteristics common to many painters with original spirit.
Shi Tao is not completely negating learning from the predecessors. He also emphasized that you can learn from the ancients, but you must not be a slave to the ancients. His works have eloquently illustrated this point. It absorbs the essence of the techniques of Dong Yuan, Fan Kuan, Yuan Sijia, and Ming Wumen, and uses them flexibly and freely, with unpredictable changes. This attitude of learning from his predecessors is also deeply influential and has his own experience compared with some of his later excellent painters. as:
"The origin of the ancients' brushwork, its most different, the most consistent. Li Beihaiyun: 'Those who are like me are sick', and they are seeking the same in different places, not seeking similarities in different places, and those who are similar to each other are also sick. (Yun Shouping's "OuXiangguan Painting")
"Painting must be superior to the ancient law, vertical and horizontal, in order to be able to shed the time path, shampoo new fun." (Ibid.)
"Learning must not be unfamiliar, and it must not be unprepared, and then it will have its own face." (Qing Fang Kaoru's "On the Painting of Mountain Tranquility")
"Whoever paints a certain painting method is a word proposed by posterity. The painter has no intention, but only imitates and creates. My heart has its own creation, quietly seeking it, the benevolent see the benevolent, and the knower sees the knowledge. Mud is not there. (Qing Dai Xi's "Paintings of Xi Kuai")
"The figures, galleries, and boats in the painting are easy to flow into craftsmanship. Write it with your own will, and the craftsmanship will be self-extricating. There is a teaching that must be customary, and there is no teaching that is ya. (Qing Kong Yanyu," "Ishimura Painting Tips")
"After believing in the present, how can we let the ancients alone?" (Qing Shen Zongqian's "Mustard Boat Study Painting Compilation")
Yun Shouping borrowed the words of Li Beihai, a great scholar of the Tang Dynasty, to illustrate that the predecessors should "seek common ground in different places", that is, they should not only seek appearances, but also learn their spiritual backbone. If you have gone deep into the fa of the ancients, you must boldly let go and strive to get rid of it, in order to get "new interest". Fang Kaoru uses "ripeness" and "transformation" to illustrate this process of forming "one's own face", and its spirit is completely consistent with Nantian's theory.
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Dai Xi pointed out that some of the "painting methods" created by his predecessors were also created by the teacher, "my heart has its own creation", how can it not be "mud ancient". Kong Yanyu believes that especially certain subjects, such as simple imitation of predecessors, are easy to flow into "craftsmanship", and they must be original in order to achieve the style of "elegance". Shen Zongqian's simple two sentences show that originality should always be the mainstay, and the appropriate ending of this paragraph can be used to show that Chinese artists have always advocated creation and regarded it as the highest realm.
Two
Although it is very important to attach importance to the spirit of "originality" and "uniqueness" mentioned in the previous section, it is also very important to come into contact with some techniques and learning objects and nature, but it is mainly about the importance of subjective spirit and carrying forward individuality. After all, painting creation cannot be successful based on subjective wishes alone, and how can the object of its research and expression, that is, the objective source of creation, be ignored? Ancient Chinese painters and theorists have long noticed this problem:
"The creation of foreign teachers, the source of the heart." (Don Zhang Xuan)
"Rather than his teachers, he is not as good as his teachers." Rather than the creation of the teacher, it is better than the teacher's heart. (Song Fan Kuan)
"Mo Shen is good, Mo is diligent, Mo is more than full of food, the calendar is listed in the chest, but the eyes do not see the silk, the hands do not know the pen and ink, the lei is falling, the desert is indifferent, and it is not possible to paint." (Song Guo Xi, "Lin Quan Gao Zhi")
"Chengsuo has been watching the landscape of Xiangzhong since childhood, traveling long distances to the Three Gorges Gate, or water or land, doing his best, for a long time and then consciously powerful. Ink scholars, must know also. (Song Li Chengsuo's "Painting Talk")
"The stroke pen in the middle of the leather bag, or in the good scene, see the tree is strange, and the bento model writes", which has the meaning of occurrence. (Yuan Huang Gongwang's "Tips for Writing Landscapes")
The famous saying of Zhang Xuan, who was good at painting pine trees in the Tang Dynasty and carrying pens with vitality, became the motto of many painters throughout the ages. The number of words is small, but the meaning is profound. In particular, he put the "master's creation" in the front and the "source of the heart" in the back, which is more in line with the objective law of feelings in the front and emotions in the back, that is, the objective law of taking matter as the first meaning. Fan Kuan, the great landscape painter of the Song Dynasty, proposed that the importance of "teacher creation" is more important than "teacher"; but the last two sentences seem to say that "teacher heart" is more important. Of course, we cannot use modern logic to demand the ancients. He regards the "heart of the teacher" as the final point, and has its own profound connection with the theory of valuing the spirit of originality mentioned in the previous section.
Another outstanding landscape painter, Guo Xi, pointed out that although his love and diligence in landscape painting are very beneficial, it is more important to "enjoy the food" in order to forget the silk and ink when creating, and get great freedom! Li Chengsuo talked about his own experience: after experiencing the famous mountains and rivers in Hunan, Sichuan and the Three Gorges, painting was "conscious and powerful". They all regard observing nature and gaining objective feelings as the first priority. If we must evaluate them in modern terms, it can also be said that they all contain the spirit of "realism". But the "realism" of Chinese painting is by no means a mechanical or purely objective imitation of nature.
Huang Gongwang, one of the Four Greats of the Yuan Dynasty, also recorded his sketching experience in his writings, because in order to do so, it can be more vivid and inspire people's imagination. This is the saying of the painters of the 13th century, and we still practice it today. Of course, the tools of sketching and the artistic conception and technique of expression are different. At that time, the scenery of the West had not yet sprouted.
"My master's heart, my heart's master's eye, my master's huashan." (Ming Wang's "Huashan Tu • Preface")
"Whoever learns to paint, sees the real mountains and real waters, and has a very long learning." When people take off their sleeves, there is no writer's tacky. (Ming Tang Zhiqi's "Micro-words on Painting Matters")
"Dong Yuan took the true landscape of Jiangnan as the manuscript; Huang Gongwang hid Yu Mountain, that is, wrote Yu Mountain, which was full of color, and the sun sac pen was Yan, and when he met the clouds, he was not willing to give up; Guo Heyang went to take the real clouds and surged, and the mountain momentum was especially exquisite. It should be known that the manuscripts of the ancients, in large blocks, in the bitter heart, the discerning people can look at themselves. (Ming Shen Hao, "Painting the Crane")
"The painting fountain should be powerful, and it seems to sound." Even if you have seen and copied it in the paintings of the ancients, you must also look at the real scene to get it. (Qing Gongxian's "Painting Tips")
"Knowing that there are famous deeds, it is better to borrow the view, to absorb its charm, to grow my knowledge, and to visit the famous mountains, I feel more natural pictures, enough to open up the heart, natural Qiu Andhana, the beauty of the wrist, and become famous." (Qing Wang Yu's "On Painting in Dongzhuang")
"Gu Yun: Do not break ten thousand volumes, do not go thousands of miles, can not compose, that is, there is no way to paint, sincerely speak." Such as Wuyue, Sizhen, Taibai, Kuanglu,...... Now with a few pens and inks, I want to argue its status, show its divine beauty, exhaust its mysteries, seize its creation, not experience it, take the qi of the mountains and rivers, and blend it into it, and an can distinguish this. Although he knew the key to the grammar in the painting, the work of the young gods was vivid, and it was inevitable that the words of the soldiers on paper would be criticized. (Qing Tang Dai, "Painting Incidents")
"The curiosity of pen and ink must be the portrayal of mountains and rivers." The good teacher teaches the chemical industry, and the bad teacher caress the muslin. Those who are law-abiding guard their homes, and those who are not law-abiding change the court. (Qing Shigemitsu, "Painting Raft")
"The painter can't miss the good scenery in front of him. Cover the old people's manuscripts, all are plate law; only the natural scenery is lively and lively. (Qing Shandashi's "Journey to the Mountain")
Although Wang Lu's aphorisms in the Ming Dynasty are obviously intrinsically related to Fan Kuan's famous sayings, his three-level theory takes "heart" (including creative motivation, creative desire and personality) as the starting point, "purpose" as the medium, and the object of study (that is, objective things) in the most important position. This seems to be more in line with objective truth than Fan Kuan's placing the "heart" in the most decisive position.
The remarks of Tang Zhiqi, Shen Hao, Gong Xian, and others who attach importance to observing the real mountains and rivers all inherit Huang Gongwang's ideas and experiences and have their own play. Or think that you can get rid of the "pen sleeve" (that is, the so-called "formulaization", "stylization" and "writer's tacky" (that is, the lack of the ever-changing vitality of nature), or take Guo Xi's "cloud head" ("take the real cloud to make the mountain situation") as an example, indicating that the painstaking creation of the ancients came from nature. Both Gong Xian and Wang Yu thought that even after copying the famous relics of the ancients, they had to observe the real scene.
"Read ten thousand books, walk ten thousand miles" is a famous quote put forward by Dong Qichang. Tang Dai gave play to it here, believing that the "vividness of the gods" of the famous mountains and ravines must be experienced by himself, and cannot be "talked about on paper." After pointing out that it is necessary to teach nature, Shigemitsu concludes that the painting methods of those who guard the predecessors are only "guarding the family" (like slaves of the housekeeper), and only those who are "informal" can make the courtyard have a new atmosphere. Shandashi also said: "Only the scenery of nature is lively and lively." It can be seen that all the painters and critics who are open-minded and accomplished are vigorously advocating the importance of observing and experiencing objective things, while reactionary blindly copying others and making things behind closed doors.
Most of the remarks introduced above focus on the experience or general generalization of excellent landscape painters. This is no exception to the creation of various subjects such as figure painters and flowers, birds, grasses and insects, which requires intensive study of objects. Try:
"Whoever learns to paint a flower places a flower in a deep pit and looks at it from above, then the four sides of the flower will be completed." Those who learn to paint bamboo, take a branch of bamboo because the moon and night shine on its shadow on the plain wall, then the true shape of the bamboo will be revealed. (Song Guo Xi, "Lin Quan Gao Zhi")
"The servants are in the house, and the royal horses are all in the house." Every time the time passes, it will be seen all day long, and there will be no time to speak with the guest. Probably the painter must first have the whole horse in the chest, if you can accumulate the spirit, appreciate its god horse, for a long time, there is a whole horse in the chest. Faith and intention fall into the pen, nature is super wonderful, the so-called intention is not differentiated, but the concentration of the gods is also. (Song Luo Dajing, "Crane Forest Yulu")
Zeng Yun undoubtedly painted grass worms, and became more refined in old age. Yu Asked what was passed on? No doubt laughing: 'Is there a way to pass it on!' When I was a child, I took a cage of grass worms and looked at it, and I did not tire of painting it at night. Fearing that his gods would not be finished, he would look at them between the meadows, and so he began to have his heavens. When Fang Qi's pen was written, I didn't know that I was a grass worm? Grass worms for me yeah? This is no different from the opportunity to create living things, how can there be a way to pass it on! '" (ibid.)
"But all things can be mastered, life is in hand, the flower dock medicine bar, the pro-drill appearance; the pink whiskers and yellow leaves, the self-facing." Why do you need to powder the book, do not falsely transfer, naturally resemble, self-reliant interpretation also. (Qing Yilang, "Painted Things carved worms")
Although Guo Xi is an outstanding landscape painter, he also has a lot of research on painting flowers. He proposed a wonderful way to comprehensively observe the abundance and form of flowers from all angles. As for painting bamboo, he also agreed with the wonderful truth that bamboo shadows can be cut into simplicity and go to the essence of the bamboo shadow. Luo Dajing took Li Gonglin's painting horse as an example of attaching importance to observation, praising him for reaching the realm of "not distinguishing between intentions and intentions, but concentrating on God", and also recorded his dialogue with Zeng Yunchao, a famous artist who painted grass worms, explaining the importance of observing the dynamics of grass worms in various environments, and even reaching the state of self-forgetfulness. Lang Lang's conclusion is also to get the "true interpretation" of painting flowers, only the teacher's physical object, grasp its inner life. Chinese painters attach importance to observing and studying objective objects, which have a long tradition and have their distinctive characteristics, which are quite different from the so-called "sketching" of today. The main point is, first of all, to require a more comprehensive observation and understanding, rather than a one-sided or partial image record. Only on this basis can we "win The Gods", take its essence, and freely express itself and enrich the changes without violating objective laws. Sometimes because we have a deep understanding of its growth laws and image characteristics, we dare to eliminate complexity and simplify or exaggerated changes, and strengthen the characteristic performance of its beauty. Whether it is landscape painting or figure painting, flower and bird painting, the pursuit of objective object spirit, essence of the beauty, but also with the author's thoughts, feelings, personality consistent with the beauty, is by no means a mechanical imitation of objective things.
Three
The spirit of innovation and the importance of teacher creation have been talked about a lot, what is the meaning of "teachers before"? In Sheikh's Treatise on the Six Laws, the "Transmission of TheImotor" lists the last dharma. Therefore, it has always been generally believed that this only refers to copying the works of predecessors, which is a means of learning or copying the works of predecessors. Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty said in his "Records of Famous Paintings of Past Dynasties and On the Six Laws":
"As for the transfer of the mold, it is the painter's last thing. However, today's painters are good at writing appearances, and if they get their shape, they have no charm; with their color, they lose their brushwork. ”
Seeing that this law was listed at the end, he had no choice but to agree that it was "the last thing for the painter." But the following sentences seem to say that this law is very important. Because of this deficiency, the "present painter" has very poor skills, and the things he draws cannot be regarded as paintings ("I know how to paint also"). This contradiction is difficult for us to accurately speculate in a thousand and hundred years later. However, Zhang Yanyuan also said in "On the Six Laws": "Ancient paintings may be able to move their shapes and still retain their backbones." He is a big collector from a bureaucratic family, and he must have seen a lot of excellent works of his predecessors, and from the section on the use of bone methods, it can also be seen that he attaches great importance to the so-called "bone qi", and even exceeds the "transfiguration". Therefore, if the "transmission of mold writing" is only to depict the superficial image, it is the least important in the Six Laws.
As for Sheikh himself, he was a portrait painter. Successive generations of folk professional painters have also often used "conveying the gods" and "photographing" instead of portrait paintings. In many literature, there are also terms such as "transmission of paintings", "moldings", "transfer paintings", "imitations" and so on. That is, as quoted above in a comment by Zhang Yanyuan, in various versions of the lineage, it is either "transferred to the mold" or "transferred to the mold". Therefore, the meaning and boundaries of this term are difficult to determine, but it mainly means that there should be no problem in copying and learning the works of predecessors. This method is extremely important for ancient portraits and figure painters, and the Sheikh still ranks it last, and it is also very rare to highlight the "vivid charm" and "bone brush". Let's look at the attitude of later painters to studying the works of their predecessors:
"The husband wants to pass on (investigate) the dross of the ancients, to reach the mysteries of the former sages, and there is no self-ability without learning, and to believe in si yan." All scholars should first adhere to the family's body law, and the achievements of learning can become easy to become already Gus. belch! Those who have a long history, and those who are at the end of the table are right, then they learn to create wonderful arts, and they are all refined. If only the one with the book is covered. (Song Han's Complete Collection of Pure Landscapes).
"Painting is expensive and has ancient meaning, if there is no ancient meaning, although the work is useless." Nowadays, people know that the pen and ink are slender and the color is rich, so they think they are capable. As everyone knows, the ancient meaning is both a loss and a hundred diseases, and it is not impressive. My paintings seem to be simple and frank, but those who know it know its recent antiquity, so they think it is good. (Yuan Zhao Mengfu)
"LutaiYun: 'Painting is not ancient, like walking at night without candles, there is no way out.'" Therefore, the first learning must be based on the ancients. (Qing Qin Zuyong, "Painting Of Jinliang")
Han Humble thought that it was impossible to understand what was the dross of the ancients, and to inherit the excellent traditions, it was impossible not to learn from the predecessors. It is necessary to start from the school, and with the results, you can develop into your own style. "Those who come from afar" mean that they must learn deeply in order to have greater development. It is also necessary to choose a good teacher and take its essence in order to "create a wonderful art", which can also be seen in the fundamental importance. He regarded the tradition of art as its source and must develop on it. In the long history of the evolution of Chinese painting, this theory has had a huge impact.
Zhao Ziang of the Yuan Dynasty emphasized that "painting has ancient meanings" and believed that his own paintings were like this. In fact, although his green figure paintings inherit some of the technical traditions of the Tang Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty, there are also some new creations (such as the combination of heavy color and pastel). He repeatedly advocated "ancient meaning", probably because he was originally a descendant of the Song Dynasty, but he had already become an official in the Yuan Dynasty, of course, it was inconvenient to directly inherit the painting style of the Southern Song Dynasty. Many literati painters, such as Wang Lutai and Qin Zuyong, compared the importance of "Shigu" with the candlelight of nocturnal travel, which is very clear and easy to understand. But for how to take its essence, to remove its dross? How to innovate? Not much attention was paid. This also reflects that although there were a large number of literati painters in the Qing Dynasty, most of them were satisfied with copying the ancients and the prevalence of the custom of building cars behind closed doors. Of course, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were also many literati painters who put forward some valuable opinions on how to learn from their predecessors:
"Mi Yuanzhang said: 'Books can be copied, and paintings can be copied and not copied.'" Cover the momentum, imitate the shape. Painting but taking shape, it is reduced to craftsmanship, and its way is lost. (Ming Li Rihua,"Purple Peach Xuan Miscellaneous")
"To imitate the ancients, not to the neighbors, but to the gods." Spotlessly clean. Similar but not similar, not similar but similar, inconceivable. (Ming Shen Hao, "Painting the Crane").
"The paintings of the ancients have become my paintings." There is hatred for me not seeing the ancients, hating the sigh of the ancients not seeing me! Therefore, Lingu always has to be moderate in style, using the rules and methods of the ancients, and not using the hills and valleys of the ancients. The trick is: 'The pen should be old, and the scenery should be new.' 'Why not take off the ancients. (Qing Tang Dai," Painting The Story of The Micro).)
"Copying is the transmission of the six laws, but it must be used by the ancients, but it is not wrong. Otherwise, it is different from the shu tong print. The words of the sages are fixed by the wise; the words of the wise men are false and fallacious. After copying, the thin person gradually fattens, the curved one has been straight, and it has been copied dozens of times, which is not the original face. This is not to seek physiology, and the painting method is not clear. Can take off the manuscript, the shaft to the carrier, Fang Xu copy, copy is also easy to say! (Qing Zou Yigui's "Small Mountain Painting Notation")
"Painting requires teaching the ancients, visiting all the families, and then specializing in one or two families." Copying and playing, familiar with it for a long time, I can look at it differently, and I am not bound by the path of my predecessors. The ancients meant that the pen was the first magic, scholars from the pen and ink to seek the degree of law, from the pen and ink to seek the divine reason, but also from the pen and ink to participate in the degree, from the pen and ink to the theology, a few proposed gods, into the skill! (Qing Qin Zuyong's "Painting of Jinliang").
Li Rihua repeated Mi Yuanzhang's view, thinking that painting can only get "potential" by putting the original painting on the lin (that is, putting the original painting aside, watching it learn to paint, not necessarily painting exactly the same,) is to learn the overall momentum of the original work. If you copy it (cover it with the original work and draw it like a gourd, or imitate it in other ways), you can only get the shape, there is no life, and you become a replica of the craftsman. Shen Hao went further, thinking that copying and studying the works of his predecessors, focusing on the "Divine Society", to achieve the same and not to look like, to seek similarity in taste and style, to be considered clever.
Tang Dai talked about the experience of copying, first of all, it is necessary to communicate emotionally with the ancients, as if the works to be copied are their own works, and then there must be a purpose and a focus on learning its essence, in order to "get rid of the ancients" and innovate the realm. Zou Yigui also stressed the need to "get the intentions of the ancients", rather than simply and mechanically imitating. Qin Zuyong said it more comprehensively, and after reading the various families, he could conduct in-depth research on one or two. Copying and viewing are combined to understand and grasp the mysteries of the works of the ancients, such as the law and theology, and "be able to look at each other.". This is both an important learning method and a general illustration of the process from inheritance to innovation. Of course, there are also some different views or additions on this issue:
"Those who study painting must copy it, and the study of literature must be pondered and passed on, and it can be between spiritual images, as I intend, so that I can learn it." If you ask for its shape, how different is it to copy the previous text and think that it has been written. ...... If you keep it in accordance with the family, you will have a habit for a long time, or even you will not be able to go against it. Gou can know that its drawbacks cannot last long, so it is self-conscious, self-explanatory spirit, with the rules of the ancients, to open up its own life, not to attack, and the natural yi, can be the same as the ancients, that is, it can be passed on to the future generations without shame, and then it will be established for me. ...... Let it be dedicated to the Xiao family, will there be Chung Chung after Chung Sui, and after Xi Zhi, there will be Xi Zhi? Or maybe there is, it's just a slave book! Calligraphy and painting together, that is, this can be deduced. (Qing Shen Zongqian," "Mustard Boat Study Painting Compilation")
"If its food is ancient, it will overflow into the heart; the next pen is natural, and a breath can pass through the ages." (Ibid.)
"When painting by the ancients, they must first examine and play with it carefully, so that the path and the pen, ink, and intention are stored in the chest, and then they naturally rush to the wrist." There is no need to look at the next pen, nor can it get the magic of its divine will. (Qing Qiandu," "Songju Painting Memories")
"Those who are good at painting can merge with the ancients, and those who can be separated from the ancients will be able to communicate with them." (Qing Yun Bingyi's Preface to Shan Dashi's "Journey to the Mountain")
"In terms of his disposition, his character, his teacher's inheritance, and his family law, each has his own merits in relation to the nearest." He who has obtained his work has the best quality, those who have obtained his transformation have the divine product, and those who have obtained his supermanship have the most leisurely product. Later generations often forge their predecessors, and their paintings can be faked, and their best places cannot be faked. (ibid.)
"The ancients had to take the law, and they had to choose the good and follow it. There are some unconscionable things that can be changed. Those who cover their occasional neglect do not have to blindly follow, nor do they have to erase everything in this way. God is clear and exists in man. (Hyundai Chen Hengke)
For example, Shen Zongqian thought that if he kept the family, it would be easy to become a "habit", and he should "use the rules of the ancients to open up his own life." "It's natural to be a family of its own. If Wang Xizhi produces the same Wang Xizhi later, it is only a "slave book"! He demanded that the food be eaten and transformed, so that "the next pen is natural, and one breath can pass through the ages"! Qian Du advocated first observing the good effects of the predecessors and understanding them in depth without having to face them. Yun Bingyi believes that learning from the ancients should be able to merge and get their essence. Whoever copies or makes a fake painting will not be able to obtain its subtleties. The modern Chen Hengke said that to learn from tradition, we must "choose the good and follow it", and we should experience it according to our own understanding, discard its dross, and do not have to blindly follow it.
China has always attached great importance to the issue of inheriting traditions. In the field of art, those who are more abstract, such as music and calligraphy, must follow the example of the works of their predecessors. From shallow to deep, from learning to other schools, the wise can gradually be original, and generally can continue the beauty of tradition, maintain the national culture without falling, and carry forward the prosperity of the world. Plastic arts are slightly different, its performance objects are objective entities, scholars in addition to paying attention to the art of expression (that is, the mastery of formal beauty), the objects of expression are ever-changing, and everything in society and nature is constantly evolving. The author's thoughts, feelings and aesthetics are also evolving and different, so while refining traditional techniques, it is necessary to "walk thousands of miles" to deeply observe and understand the image and spiritual characteristics of the subject matter to be expressed. The same is true of the demands of the great painters and theorists of the past. The purpose of innovation is to "innovate" and "gain god", but in terms of means, it is necessary to learn excellent traditional techniques and observe and understand the object of expression, both of which are indispensable.
The learning steps: The traditional habit is to first copy the predecessors, learn the expression techniques (the same as music, drama, calligraphy, etc.), and then deeply observe and study the objective objects, integrate and understand, and have some originality. Many literati painters after the Yuan Dynasty, who are satisfied with copying their predecessors, will inevitably lose their vitality and creative spirit, and even fallacies and mediocrity, which will stain the brilliance and outstanding achievements of traditional art. However, since the late 19th century, Western painting has been introduced to China, and there are many scholars, whose steps start from sketching, and to the advanced stage, they are generally often "sketching is creation". Depicting changes in light becomes an important factor. Various genres have emerged in various periods, from attaching great importance to "form" to completely abandoning "shape" and pursuing absolute abstraction. This is "not similar" to the chinese painting requirements, which makes the author's personality, emotions, spiritual life of the expression object and the technical form of spiritual transformation into one.
Since modern times, a number of painters have emerged in the Chinese painting industry who have successfully innovated in terms of pen and ink techniques, style forms and subject matter, we may see Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong, Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Zhang Daqian... Each of them has a deep grasp of painting techniques and a profound understanding of traditional painting theory, and it is based on these knowledge, mastery and understanding that successful innovation in creation has been produced in the future. These innovations are also the changes of the times, the progress of social life, the gradual changes in the aesthetic needs of the public, coupled with the artist's diligent thinking, bold attempts and repeated practices and gradually mature and perfect, rather than imagining or creating in a short period of time. The excellent works of these artists are also related to their personal cultivation and aesthetic superiority, and are not "new is good".
Chinese and Western painting has its own characteristics due to different philosophical thinking, different cultural traditions, different aesthetic habits, and different social conditions, and it has been despised by many outstanding contemporary painters without analyzing the essence and dross of each other, and blindly sacrificing what has been followed by people. Therefore, we revisit the praise of traditional painting theory and make a little comment in order to pursue the true spirit of artistic creation.