This set of "Antique Landscape Albums" is the work of Xi Gang, but from the perspective of using pen and ink and position management, it seems that there are many similarities. Of the five frames selected, three frames are almost identical, with only slight adjustments in the details. And the inscription in the painting is weak and weak, which makes people wonder whether this is Xi Gang's real handiwork. Xi Gang has a nickname called "Tie Sheng", which is of course to describe his character. Calligraphy works best show the rigidity in the character, but they do not show it.
In the face of the above doubts, why should we appreciate this album? The reason is very simple, the content of the painting is very reasonable, saying the charm of traditional landscapes, but also speaking of the voice of Xi Gang and even the literati painters of the Qing Dynasty. From this point of view, this set of albums, whether true or false, is worth savoring.
The five-frame works imitate Huang Gongwang, Cao Zhibai, Wang Fu, Yun Shoupingren, which shows the development and evolution of literati painting and the Qing Dynasty painters' understanding of elegance. The ancestor of literati painting was Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty, and at the end of the Tang Dynasty, ink painting and ink breaking methods appeared. During the Five Dynasties period, the rise of Dong Yuan and JuRan made the literati painters see the charm of the technique and understand that creation should entertain themselves. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo formally proposed the concept of literati painting.
Su Shi said, "Poetry and painting books are the same, heavenly work and freshness. "Yuan Dynasty painters along this road, found an elegant and transcendent aesthetic taste. Since then, elegance has become the pursuit of literati painters, who have communicated through poetry and painting, so that the invisible and untouchable elegance has become a figurative image appearing in front of the eyes.
Xi Gang painted antique landscape albums, and he imitated Cao Zhibai, Wang Fu, and Yun Shouping, using similar compositions. This shows that although the above three famous artists live in different eras, their understanding of elegance is the same. Literati painting emphasizes shen yun and does not value shape. Similar compositions can be ignored, and the feelings expressed in the painting are the focus.
Yuan Dynasty painters like to tell depressed, Ming Dynasty painters like to pour out the depressed knots in their chests, and Qing Dynasty painters like to express the cold and warm self-knowledge of mountain residences. In different dynastic contexts, elegance has different cultural connotations. This is the point that Xi Gang wants to express, and this is also the merit of the Antique Landscape Album.
Xi Gang's creation is of a summative nature, and he draws beneficial nutrients from the works of previous painters to complete his creation. At this time, the "Antique Landscape Album" has a more esoteric theme, and the artistic style is closely related to the changes of the times.
Seeing this, I no longer dwell on the authenticity of the album, but continue to appreciate the works along the painter's creative ideas. Shi Tao said, "Pen and ink should be contemporary. "The painter's pen and ink technique is similar to the literati's technique of writing poetry, and each era has its own unique ethos. From the perspective of creative ideas, Xi Gang's insight is quite sharp.
Xi Gang had multiple identities, in addition to being a painter, he was also a seal engraver, calligrapher, and critic. Profound cultural literacy allows him to see the essence of things and understand the true meaning of creation in creation. When the orthodox painter of the same era was still clinging to the image of the ancients, he had begun to comb through the characteristics of the ancients and look for the characteristics of the times.
People often use the word "Chaoyi" to describe Xi Gang's artistic style, after excluding the touting factors, it can be found that Xi Gang understood the Qing Dynasty literati's understanding of elegance, and he found the commonality in order to draw the characteristics of the times.