Album of Song Ren Paintings, Collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei
On the right are the four arts of the literati's piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, followed by hanging paintings, and on the left are incense burning and tea ordering, which are combined into the four arts of life
As far as the flower arrangement itself is concerned, Chinese often regard a flower arrangement work as a whole of cosmic life in which heaven and man are united, and the flower arranger, based on the love of flowers, will transfer the wonderful flowers and trees to the treasure vase, so that it can be "opposed to Wu Cao, not destroyed by the old rain and wind, and not insulted by blunt men and rough women, and can be stationed in color and guaranteed to the end" (see Ming Sweep Hua tou Tuoba's "History of Bottles"). Once moved to the flower utensils, these flowers and trees are gradually rearranged into a beautiful and vivid new world of life.
In fact, Chinese flower arrangement itself is a very complete "orientation" art. "Fang" is the direction, "bit" is the position; Fang pays attention to the development of the "Heavenly Dao" between the flowers and branches, and the "bit" emphasizes the situation that the flowers and branches are entrenched in the "tunnel".
Flower vessel "tunnel" diagram
On the issue of "authenticity", Chinese since ancient times, there have been two major concepts of flower utensils as the earth and the flower house (or ashram). The idea that the flower vessel is the earth originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Tang Dynasty. There are nine important footholds on the earth, the midpoint is called the "pole", which is the core of the earth, and it is also the mother point of all artistic forms and life, which reflects the heavenly heart. With the "pole" as the center, the horizontal vertical painting of a cross, the horizontal line is called "middle rope line", the vertical line is called "meridian", the meridian and the middle rope line constitute the northwest, northeast, southeast, southwest "four", A, B, C, D four points are distributed in the core of the four clouds, the ancient name is "earth" or "pillar of heaven", also known as "four corner points", its ancient name "house leak" "eunuch", "窔" "Ao", is a commonly used stronghold of painting, architecture, Go, art, etc., as for A', B', C', D', called "four punctual points", Slightly less important than the former, it is also the most important foothold for flower arrangement.
Qianlong made Suzhou prints in the 10th year of the Qing Dynasty
There are four kinds of flowers: plum, pine, tianzhu and camellia, which are Chinese concept flowers
In the vast land, there are infinite resources ---- water that nourish all things, so that all things grow. The earth is bred by different life depending on the region or personality or texture, such as the round flower often harmonizes with the curved flower material, and the strange flower tool echoes the jagged flower material; when cutting, the choice of flower material must depend on the taste of the flower tool.
Ming Dynasty Chen Hongshou painting "Year Dynasty Map"
The flowers are camellia, plum, magnolia, daffodil, orchid, and the flower color is more ancient
As for the concept of using flower utensils as flower houses, it originated from the Ming Dynasty and was caused by the psychology of cherishing flowers and trees. Once the flowers and trees are welcomed home, they should be properly treated, and when inserted, the flowers should be accommodated with flower utensils, and the high flower materials should be used, such as high ancient ceramics, bamboo ware, etc., which are called "fine houses" in ancient times; and such as gorgeous bronze, enamel or lacquerware, ancient called "Hua Wu". If the peony is luxurious, it should be equipped with "Hua House"; the dry vine is thick and heavy, and it is not appropriate to use copper bottles. The orange stem is elegant, it is advisable to place pottery and bamboo, if inserted in enamel or gorgeous bronze, it will not show his strange character.
In the early Ming Dynasty, Longsheng Concept Flower was painted by Sun Kehong, which is now in the National Palace Museum in Taipei
The flowers are pine, bamboo, plum, cypress, camellia, daffodil, Ruixiang, moon season, bamboo, sesame stem
As for the concept of "Heavenly Dao", flowers and plants have always been endowed with rich humanistic imagery, and the space contained in the outside world belongs to the scope of Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao contains the sun and the vast infinite space, while living beings have both the nature of the sun and the water. The east and south are yang, and the west and north are yin, and the interlacing and angle of the flowers and branches in between hint at the meaning of the Heavenly Dao.
Orientation and yin and yang relationship
The I Ching is the first of all the scriptures and the mother of the ancient encyclopedia, and art is no exception. All things in the world do not have to explore the true meaning of the universe and the traces of manifestation, in order to confirm the path of heavenly opportunity; qi, which explores the power of movement between heaven and earth, in order to measure the length and opportunity of life; and number, in the perspective of the combination of the proportion and mass of heaven and earth. The flower arranger considers the above list of facts, uses flowers and trees as materials, and intuitively reflects his experience on the flower utensils. At this time, the flower material has become an organic combination of facts. Or used to symbolize natural scenery (such as writing scenery flowers); or to imply social order (such as idea flowers); or to reflect personal mood and interests (such as heart elephant flowers); or only as a new life of aesthetic modeling performance (such as modeling flowers), forming the four most important flower types of Chinese flower arrangement. No matter what kind of flower type, in addition to the geographical management of each flower branch, we also consider the direction of the Heavenly Dao, and pay attention to the corresponding virtual reality everywhere, and the beauty of rigidity and softness. Therefore, in the matching of a Chinese flower arrangement material, it can often show a person's personality, as well as the allegorical outlook on life and philosophical imagery, which is righteous and intriguing.
Will be to the Yaotai moon
Flower materials: peony, cypress, bandai orchid, evergreen, ganoderma lucidum, chalk wood, stone
Flower type: writing scene shape
Interpretation: Peony is called the national color, and the pine cedar is called a hundred woods, heroic and beautiful, which complement each other perfectly. There are only three peony flowers, but the expressions are different, in the cypress bushes, quite Li Baishi", if it is not the jade mountain head to see, it will meet the Yaotai moon", with orchids and evergreens, the more aware of the immortal fetus extraordinary, high ancient dust.
Dark incense floating moon dusk
Flower materials: plum, blue cedar, silver chicken tail, rose, maple wood
Flower utensils: pottery plates
Flower type: mental image writing scene
Interpretation: Mei Su wins with high rhyme, oblique insertion is more rhymed, with wild game flowers, and leaves a sparse branch foot, which is the most suitable for expressing the poetry of Lin Kui's "dark incense floating".
Ode to the New Year
Flower materials: chrysanthemum, rose, jianlan, pine, plum, camellia
Flowerware: Antique celadon pot
Flower type: Neutral concept flower (Liuhe)
Interpretation: The structure of the liuhe and the ten-full insertion method are very flat, which is the most thorough comprehensive expression of symmetrical beauty and balanced beauty, magnificent and subtle, lively and unruly, and is most appropriately applied in solemn or formal occasions. This piece takes the han chrysanthemum as the main flower, the double plum as the "heaven", the color body is thick, especially with its five colors, there is a positive sense of congratulations, the most suitable for the New Year to insert
There is a phoenix
Flower materials: star flowers, alpine sheep teeth, bamboo, rattan, large maple wood
Vase: Millstone
Flower type: landscape modeling
Interpretation: The whole is composed of maple wood, which is dotted with colorful star flowers and light sheep teeth, which soften the function of the noodles and strengthen the beauty of the texture. Use shadows to make the structure powerful and spatially deep.
Flower arrangement is the expression of the author's personality, so the flower materials selected are always different from people, events, places, things, and times, generally speaking, the flowers are mainly high and triumphant, the woody is thin and strange, and the herbs emphasize the full strength of God. Pine, bamboo, plum, chrysanthemum, orchid, peony, daffodil, camellia, etc. are the most common, interlude is to respect the branches, stems, flowers, leaves of the flower material of each function, in line with the occasion and timing, in order to emphasize the integrity of natural life and spatial meaning.
The sun is cold and loose
Flower materials: pine, cypress, wheat straw chrysanthemum, small chrysanthemum, honey peach blossom
Flower utensils: clay pots
Flower type: Mental image concept flower
Interpretation: This is a literati-style hall flower. The beauty of the heavy branches of the literati flower arrangement emphasizes the natural posture of the material, the color is simple, the structure is illusory, and the material is mainly based on the strange hui of rich wild game. In addition to the pine cypress, this piece is dominated by small wildflowers, which have a hidden wild interest, and the branches and leaves are natural, and the pine branches that return from the southwest and are sparse form a strange wild effect. In particular, the flower utensils are high-pitched, very unconventional, with a calligraphy screen, quite a scholar's charm.
In addition to the flower material, the water in the flower vessel is also an important part of being appreciated. Generally speaking, the water level of summer flowers is higher, and the water level of winter flowers is lower, in addition to the need for water absorption of flower materials, there is also the role of timing. In short, the basic concept of flower arrangement is fully reflected in the expressive purpose of the work.
Lotus on four sides and willow on three sides
Flower materials: water lilies, reed grass, tamarind, water stone
Flower utensils: oval pottery plates
Flower type: Write the scenery flower
Interpretation: The old remnant travelogue describes Daming Lake as having the sentence "peach blossoms on four sides and willows on three sides". In the summer heat, lotus pond willow bank is the best place to cool off. This piece replaces the lotus flower with a water lily to show the flatness of the water surface, while the tamarind willow branches are delicate and soft, and the willow shade is deep in the shade of the willow with multi-point insertion, and the branches and feet are added to the grass, which feels deeper and more natural. The gentle breeze reminds people of Tang Taizong's beautiful meaning of "the ship moves the fine waves, and the wind scatters the floating incense".
The picture is selected from Mr. Huang Yongchuan's book "The Art of Chinese Flower Arrangement"