Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition
Zhou Fang's "Picture of a Lady with a Hairpin Flower" (partial) courtesy of Zhejiang University Press
Song Huizong's "Red Indigo And White Goose Diagram" (partial) courtesy of Zhejiang University Press
Xie Chufang's "Qiankun Business Map" (partial) of "Complete Collection of Yuan Paintings" Courtesy of Zhejiang University Press
Jin Xiaoming photographs a yuan painting at a Japanese temple
"Stream Bank Map", "Emperor Map", "Trick Diagram"... A few days ago, the "Prosperous Cultivation Ceremony - 'Special Exhibition of Pre-Qin, Han, Tang, Song and Yuan Paintings' co-sponsored by the Propaganda Department of the Zhejiang Provincial Cpc Committee, Zhejiang University and the China Academy of Art" is being held at the Zhejiang Art Museum, focusing on more than 1,500 pieces of published proofs of pre-Qin, Han, Tang, Song and Yuan paintings, allowing the audience to feast their eyes.
It is reported that the "Great Department of Chinese Painting of Past Dynasties" (hereinafter referred to as the "Great Department") was compiled and published by Zhejiang University and the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, and was launched in 2005, which is a major national cultural project with a huge scale, running through history and spanning China and foreign countries. Using advanced photography and image processing technology, the "Great Department" has taken pictures of 12,479 major ancient Chinese paintings from more than 260 cultural institutions at home and abroad. On this basis, the "Great Series" team launched the "Complete Collection of Pre-Qin, Han, and Tang Paintings", "Complete Collection of Song Paintings", "Complete Collection of Yuan Paintings", "Complete Collections of Ming Paintings" and "Complete Collections of Qing Paintings" with a grand volume of more than 240 volumes in 66 volumes, and reproduced the development process of ancient Chinese painting in a panoramic manner.
Behind the huge numbers is the intensive cultivation and hard work of the "big department" team in the collection, collation, compilation, publishing and other work for decades. Especially when collecting ancient Chinese paintings that have been scattered overseas, they face unprecedented challenges.
Create a legacy
Jin Xiaoming, deputy director of the Research Center for Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting of Zhejiang University, has been involved in the compilation and overseas collection of the project since 2005. He told reporters that this cultural project was expanded from the earliest "Collection of Song Paintings of the Palace Museum on Both Sides of the Strait" to the "Complete Collection of Song Paintings", and was expanded and extended to the "Chinese Painting Series of Dynasties" project in 2010.
Why start with Song painting? "Song painting is the peak in the history of Chinese painting. However, the so-called paper life is thousands of years old, and if we do not do rescue sorting, these surviving works are likely to be damaged due to various factors such as disasters. Jin Xiaoming said.
For thousands of years, ancient Chinese painting has spread to the rest of the world in various forms throughout the ages. The collections in different regions present different characteristics. For example, influenced by the aesthetic preferences of Zen Buddhism, the Collection of Japan has a large number of works on Buddhist subjects, while the collection history of Europe and the United States, especially in the United States, is relatively short, and its main way is to collect the collections of Chinese collectors. "The diversity of collection preferences and methods makes the collections of various regions complementary. Therefore, collecting and sorting out ancient Chinese paintings scattered around the world is of great significance for understanding the whole picture of Chinese painting. Jin Xiaoming said.
However, it is not easy to determine the collection list of overseas collections. Compared with the current convenient search of information, 2005 is far from reaching digital informatization. Many overseas materials can only be checked, sorted out and summarized from documents, research results, exhibition catalogs of major museums, and various scattered information. At the same time, the team fully discussed with art history experts at home and abroad, and finally compiled the first catalogue of the "Complete Collection of Song Paintings".
Create a legacy work with the heart of the world. The project team positioned this as early as 2005. "We started by striving to be 'world-class' and hoped that we wouldn't be left behind in 10, 20 or even longer. Therefore, the technical standards established were also ahead of its time. Jin Xiaoming said, for example, try to use an 8× 10-inch large-format camera to shoot the original to present the rich layering of the painting. Jin Xiaoming told reporters that today, 17 years later, this standard has still not been surpassed, ranking first-class in the industry.
Advanced technical standards mean extremely difficult operation. How to knock on the door of overseas cultural institutions and get them to agree to collect collections according to this standard has become a difficult problem facing the project team.
Persistent communication
Lin Lishuo, the current head of overseas liaison of the "big department" team, told reporters that when applying for image shooting, most overseas cultural and museum institutions will ask a question: Why do your publications need such high-definition images?
Because publications that use such high-definition images are extremely rare. In order to provide readers and researchers with the possibility of getting as close as possible to the original work, the "big series" displays the work through three levels: the overall map, the original big picture and the local enlarged map. "The single page of the large series of books is 30.5 cm × 43.5 cm large folio, and the local picture will appear very large." Lin Lishuo said that because not only to restore the level of ink and the texture of the brushstrokes as much as possible, but also to clearly show the details such as inscriptions and seals.
The high standard of shooting meant that the original needed to be opened in its entirety. And every time it is opened, there is a certain risk for the original work that has gone through thousands of years of vicissitudes.
In order to persuade overseas cultural institutions to open up filming, the "Big Department" team has experienced many unknown hardships. Lin Lishuo clearly remembers contacting the National Museum of Canada in 2017 to photograph the Stony Brook "Stone Room Three Streams Map" in its collection. "At the beginning, the other party did not agree to provide high-definition images, so we specially sent a sample book of "The Complete Works of Yuanhua" to let them understand the high quality level of the books of the 'Big Department' project, and tirelessly told them about the significance of the 'Big Series' for cultural development and for the exchange and mutual learning of world civilizations." Lin Lishuo said that with such unremitting communication, things took a turn for the better, and the National Museum of Canada finally agreed to shoot according to the standard of "large department" after many meetings and discussions.
Gradually, the "Big Department" team has established good cooperative relations with more and more overseas cultural institutions. The Excellent Dunhuang Turpan Remains of the Asian Art Gallery of the Berlin State Museum can well reflect the history of the spread and evolution of Manichaeism and Buddhism in the western region of the mainland during the Middle Ages. In September 2017, the Relocation of the Asian Art Gallery at the Staatsmuseum in Berlin shows that it no longer accepts any applications for filming. "Because of the long-term cooperation, they still helped to shoot works that had not yet been moved during the relocation, and also took the initiative to contact curators, provide academic materials, and help confirm the information of the works as much as possible." Lin Lishuo said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many overseas museums have stopped opening and even started laying off staff. However, many institutions still give strong support to the "big department". For example, the British Museum, which was closed for half a year in 2020, completed the shooting of all more than 390 Dunhuang paintings in April 2021 under the condition of repeated opening and closing. Lin Lishuo told reporters that during the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, there were still more than 40 overseas cultural and museum institutions that maintained contact with the "big department" team.
Trek through thousands of mountains and rivers
If unremitting communication is the first step in the long march, then the next journey through thousands of mountains and rivers to collect images is more considered for the patience and resilience of the "big system" team.
Except for a small number of image acquisition commissioned by cultural institutions to shoot in accordance with technical standards, most of the images need to be taken by the "big department" team in person.
Chinese paintings exist in Japan and are scattered throughout Japan in nearly 100 collections. Among them, the Sijin Kurokawa Institute of Ancient Culture filmed the treasure of its town hall and the representative work of the five generations of Dong Yuan, "Hanlin ChongtingTu", which became an unforgettable experience for the "Big Department" team.
In 2006, after getting in touch, the two teams carried equipment and climbed the mountain road to the Kurokawa Institute of Ancient Culture. Because the negatives provided by the other party could not meet the requirements of the "big series" and did not agree to re-shoot, the negotiations failed after 3 hours. The team did not give up, and went again by appointment for the second time, but still did not negotiate. After returning to China, the team repeatedly wrote to express their intentions, and the Japanese side finally agreed to take a picture of the whole, so there was the third trip to Kurokawa in 2007.
Kim took over the collection of Japanese collections in 2007. At that time, after he and his colleagues completed the overall picture of "Hanlin Chongting Map" in "Kurokawa", the director of the Kurokawa Institute of Ancient Culture came. "I explained to him why we needed to shoot a lot of parts. In Chinese painting, in addition to the sense of wholeness and breath, many details of brush and ink can explain the authenticity of the work, artistic standards, etc. Jin Xiaoming said. The director was touched by the spirit of the team and agreed to help state the reasons for the re-shooting of the partial picture at the board meeting. In July 2008, the team entered "Kurokawa" four times and finally completed the required local shooting.
From 2005 to 2015, the team responsible for filming the Japanese collection went to Japan several times a year. Carrying more than 100 kilograms of equipment and luggage, they have traveled through 70% of Japan's prefectures and encountered typhoons and earthquakes. However, they are pleased that the Chinese Tang, Song and Yuan paintings collected in Japan, as well as representative Ming and Qing paintings, are basically included in the "great series".
The long list of cultural institutions where the "Big Department" is included in the collection confirms the team's footprint around the world.
Overseas collections also have unexpected surprises. In April 2015, when the "Big Department" team was filming Xia Chang's "Spring Rain in the Xiangjiang River" at the Asian Art Gallery of the National Museum in Berlin, Taiwanese scholar Wang Jingling and his teacher Wei Zhiqiang pointed out that there were 5 fingerprints on the scroll, and they believed that such clear fingerprints could only be left when the ink was not dry, so these 5 fingerprints were likely to come from the painter himself. The "Big Series" team recorded the details of this new discovery in high-definition photography.
Incarnate into thousands of homes
With the efforts of the "Great Department" team, 3569 pieces (sets) of Chinese paintings collected overseas, including Dunhuang Tibetan Scripture Cave and Heishuicheng paintings, were digitally gathered with 8910 pieces (sets) of domestic collections, which together constitute a magnificent picture of ancient Chinese paintings that span more than 2,000 years.
"From the macro level, bringing together the collection of ancient Chinese paintings at home and abroad in the 'big department' is itself a reunion; from the micro level, it can be said that it is a reunion of works of a certain era, a reunion of the works of a certain author, or a reunion of a certain piece (set) of works." Jin Xiaoming said.
For example, the "Great Department" compiled 7 (biographical) Dong Yuan paintings, including the "Xiaoxiang Tu" of the Palace Museum in Beijing, the "Xiashan Map" of the Shanghai Museum, the "Xiajing Mountain Pass To Be Crossed" of the Liaoning Provincial Museum, the "Hanlin Chongting Map" of the Kurokawa Institute of Ancient Culture in Japan, and the "Creek Bank Map" of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States. The styles of these works vary greatly. Because of the systematic collation, collection and publication of the "big department", scholars can make Dong Yuan's image constantly clear in the future in the future comprehensive analysis and in-depth research of one-by-one comparison.
Among the images collected by the "Great Series", there are many such cases. For example, the original work was divided into 4 sections and stored in four museums in the United States, respectively, the "Palace Map" of zhou Wenju, a painter of the Southern Tang Dynasty of the Fifth Dynasty, was re-recorded this time. Another example is the reunion of Qianlong's "four beauties". At that time, the Qianlong Emperor treasured four of his favorite famous paintings in Jing Yixuan in the Jianfu Palace of the Forbidden City. Among these four paintings today, Gu Kaizhi's "Female History Zhen Scroll" of the Eastern Jin Dynasty is stored in the British Museum, Li Gonglin's "Shuchuan Map" of the Song Dynasty is stored in the Friel Sackler Art Museum in the United States, the Song Dynasty Li's "Xiaoxiang Lying Tour" is hidden in the Tokyo National Museum, and the Song Dynasty Anon.'s "Nine Song Scrolls" is stored in the National Museum of China.
Precious paintings often have the problem of "Tibetan-use dilemma". The "Grand Series" offers the possibility of getting as close as possible to the original. Turning the page, whether it is the feathers of birds and finches or the buds of the branches, the subtle changes in brush strokes are very detailed. Now, in most cases, there is no need to open the original work, and the basic research needs can be met by using the "big system". At the same time, the "Great Series" makes full use of digital technology to successfully identify and extract the original erosion and dull, hard-to-discern pictures, inscriptions and seals in many ancient painting images passed down from generation to generation, realizing the "damage-free" restoration of cultural relics collections and opening up a new space for further "activation" and utilization.
Now, the compilation of the "Great Department" is coming to an end. Wang Lijian of the Propaganda Department of Zhejiang University said that through the "big department", Zhejiang University has built an international platform for studying Chinese art history, and even an image platform for studying Chinese history. In the next step, through public education at home and abroad and more exhibition activities, more and more people will understand China's splendid ancient civilization. For example, he said, at present, Zhejiang University has more than 3,000 fine paintings on Buddhist themes, and a little collation can comprehensively and clearly show the process of sinification of Buddhism, so as to further promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and enhance friendly cooperation between China and other countries in the world with the help of the platform built by the "big department". (Reporter Lai Rui)
People's Daily Overseas Edition ( 2022-03-31, 12th edition)