One. The development of Chinese landscape painting
Chinese landscape painting, as one of the traditional art categories in the mainland, was formed during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but at that time it was not completely separated from figure painting, and began to become an independent discipline in the Sui and Tang dynasties, and matured during the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty, becoming an important painting discipline of Chinese painting.
Southern Song Dynasty Anon
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, in Gu Kaizhi's "Luoshen Futu" and "Female History Zhentu", we can see the rudiments of landscape painting, but the landscape at this time only plays the role of the background of the picture, so it has the characteristics of "people are greater than mountains, and water cannot be panned". In the Sui Dynasty, due to the role of painting in "becoming indoctrinated and helping others", the art of painting received high attention, and landscape painting began to develop into an independent painting discipline. At that time, Zhan Ziqian's "You Chun Tu" is considered to be the official beginning of landscape painting, this painting is big green, simply outline its shape, in terms of perspective began to pay attention to the relationship between near and far and the proportion of the landscape of the characters, solving the problem of space treatment in the Wei and Jin dynasties. This kind of painting method developed into the father and son of Li Sixun and Li Zhaodao in the Tang Dynasty, which formed a green landscape and became a unique style of painting in Chinese landscape painting.
Sui Zhan Zi Qian You Chun Tu Beijing Palace Museum Partial
During the Tang Dynasty, art was fully prosperous and developed, and landscape painting also began to mature, and two major genres of style were formed: one was the green landscape represented by Er Li, and the other was the ink landscape represented by Wang Wei. Wang Wei's landscape is mainly rendered, with a concise and unrestrained pen, emphasizing the exertion of ink efficiency, even if the color is set, it also pursues the realm of natural lightness and subtlety, so Wang Wei is considered to be the founder of "Nanzong". During the Five Dynasties of the Northern Song Dynasty, landscape painting developed unprecedentedly, first the northern painters represented by Jing Hao and Guan Tong painted more of the lofty mountains in the north, while the southern painters represented by Dong Yuan and Ju Ran wrote more about the hills and clouds in the south, and the two were very different in style. Fan Kuan and Li Cheng of the Northern Song Dynasty also became their own family, and the "Mi's Yunshan" of The Father and Son of Mi Fu and Mi Youren in the later period, coupled with the contributions of Su Shi and others in painting theory, made landscape painting reach the first peak in history.
Five generations Dong Yuan Xiaoxiang figure partial
During the Southern Song Dynasty, landscape painting underwent great changes, especially Ma Yuan and Xia Gui, who often left large blanks in the picture, so it was called "a corner of the horse and a half of the summer". In the Yuan Dynasty, due to Zhao Mengfu's arm-raising, artists paid more attention to the concept of "painting with books" when creating, so in the works of the Yuan Sijia, we see more of a kind of pen and ink interest than a true reproduction of landscapes. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, although there were the true insights of Dong Qichang and others in the theory of painting at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and there were also the brilliance of the Four Houses of the Ming Dynasty and the Four Kings of the Qing Dynasty, on the whole, they did not break away from the shackles of their predecessors.
Southern Song Dynasty Ma Yuan Ta Ge Tu Beijing Palace Museum
Two. watch
Guo Ruoxuan of the Song Dynasty said in his "Pictorial Insights and Chronicles":
Or ask how modern art is similar to the ancients? Answer: In modern times, there are many ancients, but there are also some. If we talk about Buddhist figures and ladies, cows and horses, we are not as close as ancient times; if we talk about landscapes, forests, stones, flowers, bamboo, birds, and fish, we are not as close as ancient. ”
In the quotation, he records the main development direction of painting at that time with an objective and unbiased tone. In Guo Ruoxuan's view, during the Northern Song Dynasty in which he lived, the development of painting art was no less than that of the Tang and the era before the Tang Dynasty. At least in the two types of subjects he highlighted- landscapes, forests, stones, flowers, bamboo, birds and fish, the development of painting art maintained a strong momentum.
Song Anon. Peach Blossom Mountain Bird Figure National Palace Museum, Taipei
Although a great tradition of figure painting was created in the tang and pre-Tang dynasties, in Guo Ruoxuan's time, landscapes, flowers and birds became the most popular subjects, especially landscape painting, which was universally loved by those literati living in the upper class. I think this shift is a good illustration of Chinese's deep understanding of the way we treat landscapes, or nature.
Northern Song Dynasty Fan Kuan Xishan Travel Map Taipei National Palace Museum
To this day, when we are confronted with a painting depicting nature, I believe that most Chinese still choose to call it a landscape painting rather than a landscape painting. Is there really a big difference between "landscape painting" and "landscape painting"? This is a self-evident question for those who have had comparative experience with Chinese and Western painting, but here I must also emphasize that "landscape painting" and "landscape painting" refer not only to conceptual differences, but also to the difference between Chinese and Westerners' overall approach to the problem in art.
Northern Song Dynasty Li Cheng Qingluan Xiao Temple Figure Nelson-Atkins Art Museum
In Western languages, the landscape is a part of nature, and it can be said that as far as the line of sight is, the landscape is as big as it is. But in any case, it is local, the face of the land that people can see at a glance. However, Chinese never looked at nature from such a fixed perspective, but regarded the most view of nature as an interaction between the two poles, such as: dynamic and static, high and low, thick and thin, dense and so on. "Landscape" symbolizes the huge energy formed under such many dual combinations, and it is precisely the opposing elements in the painting that echo each other, making the whole painting full of vitality. Therefore, in the paintings of Chinese landscape painters, what they depict is not a corner of the world, but rooted in the intersection of the many opposing elements that make up the world. At this time, the painter himself has actually integrated into a certain landscape that he loves.
Starting from this kind of viewing, ancient landscape painters gradually moved away from the focus on "shape", when depicting landscapes. In their view, the landscape cannot be objectified, it is not like a figure walking beast, it has a concrete, external form, it is uncertain. Therefore, Su Shi, a great scholar of the Song Dynasty, said: "People, palaces, and utensils all have a constant shape", but "mountain stone bamboo wood water waves and clouds, impermanence and common sense". Figures, rooms, etc. often have a definite shape, once there is a slight difference, the viewer will immediately perceive; mountains and stones, smoke clouds are different, they have a variety of forms, but no matter how their shape changes, as long as you understand the structural principle of the inner combination, that is, "common sense", you can create an excellent painting depicting natural mountains and rivers. Subsequently, Su Shi explained the difference between "constant form" and "common sense": "The workers of the world may be able to bend their form, but as for their reason, non-high people cannot distinguish it." In Su Shi's view, when facing these natural objects such as landscapes, the "craftsman" may be able to depict his objective "shape", but for the deep painting theory contained in it, or the charm and spirit of the landscape, only a master with sufficient cultivation can understand.
Therefore, the cognition of the landscape Chinese never look at it as an external form, nor as a specific landscape seen from a specific point of view, but as a binary combination that contains everything, and what they want to capture is the huge energy generated by the dual combination of opposites.
Northern Song Dynasty Wang Yi Fishing Village Xiaoxue Map Beijing Palace Museum Partial
Three. Guan Dao
When we wander through nature, its magnificent scenery always impresses us. This impression is often intuitive and profound, but how should we understand or even express the reverie caused by beautiful landscapes, or what kind of connection should we maintain with nature? This reminds me of Zong Ping's statement.
Zong Bing, a painting theorist and painter of the Five Dynasties period, loved landscapes, and "every time he travels to the landscape, he forgets to return". His wife Luo Shi also had the same hobbies as him, like to travel far and love mountains and rivers, and the two had been west of Jing, Wu'er Mountain, and south of Hengyue, and decided to settle there. Zong Bing's life has repeatedly refused the appointment of the imperial court, and when he finally returned to his former residence in Gangneung, he sighed: "The old and sick are all over the place, and the famous mountains are afraid to see everywhere, but when Cheng Huaiguan Dao is concerned, he lies down and swims." Whatever you walk, you will find in the room. When it was difficult to go out that night, Zong Bing hung the landscape painting on the wall and regarded it as a real landscape, "lying down and swimming." In his later years, he wrote a "Preface to Painting Landscapes", and through his words, perhaps we can better understand landscapes.
Southern Song Dynasty Muxi Xiaoxiang Eight Views - Fishing Village Sunset Illumination Nezu Art Museum Partial
In the Preface to Painting Landscapes, Zong Bing regards landscapes as a manifestation of the "Tao", a useful intermediary for people, which connects people with the Tao, so Zong Bing's opening chapter says: "The saints contain the Reflection of the Tao, and the sages have the taste of the image." He also stated in the form of a rigorous battle: "The saints of the husband are in the way of the divine law, and the sages are through; the mountains and rivers are in the form of the tao, and the benevolent are happy." ”
Therefore, in Zong Bing's spiritual world, Shanshui plays an important role, that is, "Cheng Huai Guan Dao". The appreciation of true landscapes exists in Zong Bing's view as a way to "see the Tao". At this time, Zong Bing's perspective of observation has been greatly influenced by Buddhism, and in his view, everyone has the ability to cultivate his own "Buddha-nature", his own bodhichitta, in his heart.
Therefore, Zong Bing tells us that the work of landscape and water is not meditation and reading, it can also make people reach the Tao; all meditation is not a detour, but directly integrated with the Tao. Moreover, by renewing itself with a brush, landscape painting immediately connects us to the Tao. In dealing with the relationship between man and landscape, Zong Ping integrates his own survival into the natural landscape without any limitation or isolation. It is in this way that the "Tao" can be tasted and experienced, and the landscape itself has an ability to elevate and transcend the literal meaning.
Northern Song Dynasty Guo Xi Early Spring Figure National Palace Museum in Taipei
Four. Look at the painting
Jing Hao, a master of landscape painting at the end of the Tang Dynasty, in his "Notes on Brushwork", used his own hypothetical dialogue with Yamanaka Zhisuo to show his thinking on "why painting":
"Painter, Hua Ye." But it seems to be really expensive..." Shu Said, "Not so." Painter, painter also. Take the object as it is..."
The concept of "measuring things as they are and taking their truth" discussed by Jing Hao fully reflected the thinking of the literati of that era on the "reason" and "sex" of all things in the universe. What it emphasizes is not to transcend objects to obtain reality, nor is it that the artist wants to give life to the object, but to emphasize that the value of art lies in the existence of life itself. Therefore, the landscape paintings of the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty present a majestic style that grasps the mysteries of the universe. At this time, a series of representative painters appeared: Jing Hao, Fan Kuan, Li Cheng, Guan Tong, etc., all of whom intuitively realized and observed aesthetic objects with this concept. In particular, the discussion in Guo Xi's "Lin Quan Gao Zhi" and his "Early Spring Map", completed in 1072, both explain the concept of landscape painting in the Northern Song Dynasty, that is, landscape painting is not only a medium for expressing natural beauty, but more importantly, it conveys people's deeper understanding of natural order.
Southern Song Dynasty Mi Youren (Chuan) Yunshan Ink Opera Map Beijing Palace Museum Partial
In the eleventh century, a new class of literati represented by Su Shi appeared, and they began to make a fundamental difference between "normal form" and "common sense". In their view, painting is self-expression rather than objective reproduction. The "charm" emphasized by the Sheikh in the five generations is also classified as a personal and unique quality of the artist. At the same time, Guo Ruoxuan also emphasized the inevitable connection between the painter's "character" and "qi rhyme" in "Pictures and Pictures". In other words, the painter qualities emphasized by Su Shi, Guo Ruoxu and others are actually a limitation of the identity of painters: not everyone can become a good painter, only the literati Gao Shi is recognized as a real painter.
Under the recommendation of these new scholars, the literati of that time began to change their treatment of landscape painting. Mi Fu once created the exquisite landscape of the "Yunshan" series, and this kind of sketchy painting method and the free attitude towards landscapes have brought profound inspiration to the painters of the Yuan Dynasty. In a passage discussing painting bamboo, Ni Zhan responded to the question of the "shape" of painting:
"Yu Zhizhu chats to write about the breath in the chest, is it more similar and wrong, the complexity and sparseness of the leaves, the obliqueness and straightness of the branches?"
Yuan Ni Zhan Rong Knee Zhai Tu Taipei National Palace Museum
Ni Zhan's writing shows that in painting, it cannot be treated only as a shape, which also reflects the thinking of most painters or painting theorists at that time. The great advance made by the painters of the Yuan Dynasty in painting was that they abandoned the close attention to "shape" and paid more attention to the meaning of "outside the shape" or "beyond the shape". Luo Yue said in the face of the distinction between Song and Yuan landscape paintings: "Song Dynasty painters used their own style as a tool to solve the problem of how to depict landscapes; Yuan Dynasty painters used landscapes as a means to solve the problem of how to create styles. Therefore, the transformation of landscape painting in the Yuan Dynasty meant that painting was more inclined to calligraphic and subjective forms of expression, and this form of landscape once became popular.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, pen and ink gradually became the core element that the literati valued, especially in the era of Dong Qichang. In his own famous quote about the difference between true mountains and real water and landscape painting, it is also implied that the cloud:
"In the strange theory of the environment, the painting is not as good as the landscape; with the subtlety of pen and ink, the landscape is by no means as picturesque."
Dong Qichang's remarks show that pen and ink occupy an important position in landscape painting. In fact, the attention to brush and ink in painting was emphasized since the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties, this style was even worse. Therefore, Luo Yue summed up the landscape paintings of the Ming and Qing dynasties as "the art of art history", when painters were keen on the classic patterns of previous generations of painters without obvious creation. Until the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the "Four Kings" still adhered to the traditional formula, and even "one tree and one stone, all connected with the blood of the ancients".
Yuan Huang Gongwang Fuchun Mountain Residence Map Taipei National Palace Museum Partial
Five. brief summary
Indeed, Chinese's treatment of landscapes has contained a special emotion since ancient times. From the earliest landscape poetry and landscape literature to the later landscape paintings, each change reflects people's deep thinking on landscapes. For the landscape itself, they hint at or echo each other: water is the "vein" of the mountain, the mountain is "vivid" because of the water, and the mountain is the "face" of the water, making the water obvious. The mountains also use water to convey affection, and the water is also based on the mountain, and the two complement each other and are full of harmonious rhythm. When landscape painting is transformed into landscape painting, landscape painting has become an important medium between man and nature, "natural mountain nature is my nature, mountain love is my love", "whoever paints landscape, the most important thing is to get the landscape temperament", and the painter and nature have also established the most intimate connection.