Tong Zhongtao, whose name is Meng Yan, was born in 1939 in Yinxian County, Zhejiang. In 1957, he entered the Department of Chinese Painting of the East China Branch of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, majoring in landscape. He graduated in 1962 and stayed on to teach. Mr. Gu Kunbo, the first teacher of Wuxi, learned the tradition, started from the Ming and Qing dynasties, traced back to the Song and Yuan dynasties, and painted ink freehand and green landscapes. And deeply influenced by his predecessors Huang Binhong, Pan Tianshou, Wu Fuzhi, Lu Yanshao and other gentlemen. He used to be a teaching assistant to Mr. Lu Yanshao, the director of the Department of Chinese Painting, and enjoyed the special government allowance issued by the State Council. He is a member of the China Artists Association, a professor of the China Academy of Art, a member of the Pan Tianshou Foundation, and a member of the Art Committee of the Li Keran Foundation.
Tong Zhongtao, West Lake Scenery Album · Crane Pavilion, 27.5cm×29.5cm, 1962
Mr. Tong Zhongtao's pen and ink body said
Text/Wang Wenjie
At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon of November 26, 2021, I received a WeChat message from Mr. Quan Shanshi, who said, "I watched Tong Zhongtao's exhibition today, and the center was to talk about the brush and ink of Chinese painting, and the academic positioning, publicity and promotion have been done very well. You can go to see his exhibition tomorrow and ask for a copy of "Ying Dao", and you can read his "Ying Dao - Practice and Thinking of Chinese Painting Brush and Ink". Among them, the way of pen and ink is also the spirit of ontological language recourse mentioned in the preface of the preparation of "The Recourse of Language: Hu Zhenyu, Xu Mangyao, Wang Yutian, Cui Xiaodong Four Oil Painting Exhibition". ”
In accordance with Mr. Quan Shanshi's wishes, I took time to visit the Pan Tianshou Memorial Hall to visit the "Reflection of the Road: Tong Zhongtao's Chinese Brush and Ink Transmission Exhibition" sponsored by the Pan Tianshou Memorial Hall of the China Academy of Art.
Tong Zhongtao, South Lake, 108cm×81cm, 1964
This is one of the series of exhibitions of "Mr. Remember" pen and ink research at Pan Tianshou Memorial Hall. This series of exhibitions brings out the core concept of "brush and ink", which is the core concept of Chinese painting, and sorts it out, emphasizing not only the transmission of the language of brush and ink and the inheritance of the spirit of brush and ink, but also the innovation of painters on the basis of excavating and carrying forward the traditional brush and ink.
The first hall of "Yingdao - Tong Zhongtao's Chinese Painting Brush and Ink Exhibition" presents Mr. Tong Zhongtao's brush and ink transmission of Pan Tianshou and other old gentlemen of the Chinese Academy of Art, and sorts out the inheritance relationship of brush and ink. The second and third halls feature 70 works to show Mr. Tong Zhongtao's pioneering and innovative practice, and his attempt to explore a new realm of Chinese brush and ink. It should be said that such an exhibition is quite enlightening and rare in terms of curatorial concept and display value. This is the reason why this exhibition continues to heat up and arouse widespread and lasting attention in the art world.
Tong Zhongtao, Lin Gu Kunbo, Yellow Mountain and Sea of Clouds, 23.5cm×29cm, 1980
In a hall to display Pan Tianshou, Lu Weizhao, Gu Kunbo, Lu Yanshao and other old gentlemen's works, one of the group of Mr. Pan Tianshou copy of the works of Mr. Bada and Mr. Huang Binhong, Mr. Tong copy of Mr. Gu Kunbo's works, quite surprised me, I noticed that in Mr. Tong copied Gu Kunbo's works in the upper right corner of the inscription reads: "December 4, 80 to see the ancestor Gu Kunbo Huangshan sea of clouds small frame slightly past", at that time, Mr. Tong was already a very accomplished painter, but also so serious study, The spirit of his pen and ink is touching and amazing. At that time, I was reminded of an exhibition "From Titian to Rubens" that the Quanshan Stone Art Center had done, Rubens was a huge fan of Titian, and he copied Titian's works at every stage of his life, even though he had achieved a high level of achievement, he still drew nourishment from his practice. In this respect, Mr. Tong and Rubens seem to have something in common. The exhibits in the first hall just reflect the themes of "Mr. Remember" and "Inheritance of Brush and Ink". I particularly like "Ruixue on Tianmu Mountain", "Oriental Dagang", "Lion Forest Qingxiao", "Shimen Wet Cui", and "Longjing Asking for Tea", probably because I have been to these scenes painted by him and have had special experiences, which evoke some memories and feelings in my heart. Of course, there are also several works with a particularly large pattern and aura, and there is a momentum that swallows mountains and rivers, rushes to the face, and hits the heart, such as "Huangshan Pine Wind", "Wuyi Tianfeng" and "Yandang Lingfeng" are such magnificent works.
Mr. Quan Shanshi and Mr. Tong Zhongtao are both from Yinzhou, Ningbo, one of them paints oil paintings, the other paints Chinese paintings, although the types of paintings are different, but they are the same in the spirit of the recourse of the ontological language of painting, so they are related. It is also their tireless pursuit throughout their lives that enables them to "continue to learn for the sake of the saints and increase the height and breadth of the tradition" like Mr. Pan Tianshou, and have won the respect of the industry. The mountains are high and the people are the peaks, and the sea is wide and the heart is unbounded. Their pursuit of the ontological language of painting is endless.
Dochu Fan, Sketch of the Peak of the Goose, 46cm×35cm, 1963
On the afternoon of March 5, 2022, I went to Nanshan Book House to participate in Mr. Tong Zhongtao's new book sharing meeting of "Yingdao". At the sharing meeting of "Yingdao", several intersections with Mr. Tong Zhongtao flashed in my mind: first, when I was just transferred from Lishui to Hangzhou, I became neighbors with Mr. Tong, and in the courtyard of Zhijiang Apartment, I often saw a white-haired old man playing Tai Chi or walking in stride, a fairy wind and bones; Second, when I was working in Changshu, I got a friend to present a copy of Mr. Tong's anthology "What is Chinese Painting", such as a treasure, I read it from time to time, and wrote "Time and space are slightly blurred outside the painting, and the subtlety of heaven and space into the pen" after reading, after returning to Hangzhou, through Mr. Jin Shunfa teacher to Mr. Tong, actually got Mr. Tong's approval, this article was later published in the "China National Academy of Painting" journal; The third is with Mr. Tong's trip to eastern Zhejiang, which is a study tour organized by Mr. Jin Shunfa, which lasts for a week, accompanied by theorist Huang Heqing, collector Li Wenlong and Mr. Tong's son Tong Jie's family. It was during this trip that I listened to Mr. Tong sit down and talk all the way, and the words that impressed me were: Chinese culture is the most universal value; Chinese brush and ink should be combined with the inside and outside, and the two ends of it should be knocked to get it. At the hotel where I stayed, I once visited Mr. Tong alone and asked Mr. Tong for advice on the issue of pen and ink, and Mr. Tong answered them one by one and described the difference between pen and ink with the different forces of a cow and a horse stepping on the ground, and also wrote and drew on paper to explain, and these manuscripts have become my treasure. Fourthly, in the exhibition of Huamao Art Education Museum, Mr. Quan Shanshi proposed to the exhibition hall on the fourth floor that Mr. Huang Binhong and Mr. Tong, Mr. Sha Menghai and his disciples, and Mr. Pan Tianshou and the Zhejiang School should be arranged together to reflect the relationship between the inheritance of brush and ink and art education. Fifth, many years ago, I participated in the opening ceremony and seminar of "The Year of the Rivers and Mountains - Mr. Tong Zhongtao's Hometown of Confucius and Mencius" in Jining Museum, Shandong, and I remember that Mr. Mei Mosheng gave the opening speech at that time, and there was a sentence that was particularly impressive, he said, "Mr. Tong Zhongtao represents the conscience of Chinese painting."
Tong Zhongtao, Sketch of Yandang Lingfeng, 36cm×33.5cm, 1963
At the sharing session of "Yingdao", Mr. Tong repeatedly emphasized that "painting is like its person", pointing out the significance of character and personality cultivation and cultivation for painting, which is the same as what Rodin said: before becoming an artist, you must first do a good job of people, which means the same. When the audience asked how to improve himself because his paintings were not as good as those of other students, his answer was two words: study! Some people also asked how to form their own brush and ink personality and style on the basis of inheritance? He replied: Put the feelings in! Someone else asked how to use Chinese brush and ink to paint high-speed rail and modern architecture. He said: This is not easy to answer, after thinking about it, I still have to have personal feelings, and the implication is that if you have personal feelings, you can paint anything. This reminds me of the fact that at the table of the trip to eastern Zhejiang, when people poured wine and handed cigarettes to Mr. Tong, he accepted it, and said "nothing is indispensable", in fact, "nothing is indispensable" is his painting theory, and it is so appropriate that it has been transferred to life!
The speeches of the experts at the sharing meeting focused on the origin, process and publication of "Yingdao", talking about Mr. Tong's art, and naturally also talking about Mr. Tong's pen and ink, but due to the time relationship, where is the essence of Mr. Tong Zhongtao's pen and ink, pen and ink system, and pen and ink innovation embodied? It seems vague and does not touch the essence of Mr. Tong's pen and ink theory.
Tong Zhongtao, Taihe, 52cm×65cm, 1993
So, after watching Mr. Tong Zhongtao's art exhibition, I flipped through "Yingdao - Practice and Thinking of Chinese Brush and Ink", and revisited his "What is Chinese Painting", reviewed the past and learned the new, and found that Mr. Tong Zhongtao's brush and ink system is mainly reflected in his "Brush and Ink Theory". In the article "Some Questions on Chinese Painting", Mr. Tong said: "The combination of the relationship between pen and ink and pen and ink is combined to form the 'body of brush and ink' in Chinese painting. …… Brush and ink is the 'body', and the specific expression of the pen and ink is called 'use', and the 'use' sees the 'body'...... The specific expression of pen and ink is indispensable. He also said: "Seeing the heart, out of temperament, creating the environment from the heart, condensing the image with the mind, expressing it, is the 'way of brush and ink'; Mr. Tong's "Theory of Brush-and-Ink Style" is a self-contained system and has a logical and inevitable connection with his creative practice, which is the summary of his practice and the construction of theory. I thought that Mr. Tong had sketched out the framework of the theory of pen and ink use. He also followed the path of Neo-Confucianism's "ontology-kung fu-realm" to create and practice, established the concept of the mind and body of Chinese brush and ink, and then emphasized that "the 'flat, staying, round, heavy, and changing' of the brush, and the 'clear, moist, sinking, harmonious, and living' of the ink jointly cast the brush and ink kung fu of Chinese painting." ”
Dochu Wan, Koyuki, 68cm×68cm, 1988
In this way, the lofty and transcendent realm of Chinese painting was opened. It is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
1. The method of pen and ink is the great law
"The Tao is based on the law, and the painting is based on the law." The Tao is the body, and the law is the use. The method of brush and ink is the great method of painting. It is not limited to the "small method" of using pen and ink. Mr. Tong Zhongtao has never written ink for the sake of pen and ink, he believes that pen and ink is not simply using pen and ink. It is not a simple technique, technique, or technique, but a way of experience, enlightenment, and reflection of the Tao with the Tao of technology. Mr. Tong Zhongtao's brushwork is a creative outpouring in the gap between technique and Tao, sensibility and reason, East and West, tradition and modernity, and it is also a mediatic bridge to bridge this gap. Overcoming the duality of technique and Tao, and then achieving the realm of the same use of pen and ink, is the ultimate pursuit of Mr. Tong Zhongtao's exploration of pen and ink.
Mr. Xiong Shili said in the article "On Body and Use": "The use of two words in body is only a word of meaning, but in fact, it cannot be analyzed into two things. …… The husband's body is lonely and active, and there is nothing but wonderful...... Only with deification and virtue, so it is called the body...... Therefore, the manifestation must be used for its ...... Therefore, the husband is the one who uses the body, and the body is also used immediately. ”
Mr. Tong believes that "Tao" and "Law", "body" and "use" are static and moving. "Still" is the body of the Tao; "Feeling and getting through" is the use of the law. A clever painter can grasp the brush and ink from a few slight movements, so that "Tao" and "Law", "Body" and "Use", "Brush" and "Ink" are all unified in "Taiji".
Tong Zhongtao, Tianmu Ruixue, 104cm×129cm, 1998
Second, the "knot" of pen and ink has far-reaching implications
In the article "Cognition of Brush and Ink", Mr. Tong said that when it comes to "knots", this "knots" originate from calligraphy, which has the meaning of realm composition and business location. Mr. Tong believes that brush and ink are actually knots, and knots mean the establishment of a relationship between body and use. He wrote: "...... Although it is said that the use of pen and ink are different, it has exceeded the requirements of simple pen and ink,...... It also refers to the expressive relationship between pen and ink, that is, the structure of pen and ink. In the reversible positive and negative feedback, the self-adjustment, self-referential, self-generation, and self-construction of the brush and ink are the meaningful forms of the knot.
Focusing on the small point of the pen and ink is the use of pen and ink, and focusing on the big picture is the knot. Chinese painting needs to look at things, body objects, playthings, into the chest, the first of the pen and ink, has prepared the body, the brush and ink is from the body to use, so the integration of ten thousand, the pen and the brush germinate, and all changes do not deviate from its origin. Only when the brush and ink are combined with the body posture can there be the power of falling rocks in mountains and thousands of miles of clouds.
Tong Zhongtao, "Shimen Wet Cui", 2012
Third, the pen and ink body is used, and it is endless
Mr. Tong's theories and practices inherit the spirit of Confucian philosophy of mainstream Chinese culture. In particular, he accepts and agrees with the middle-of-the-road thinking of "knocking on both ends and getting the middle". In particular, the concept of "pen and ink treatment" is proposed, that is, the relationship between pen and ink is the same, and it can also be converted, sometimes it is the pen for the body, the ink for the use, and sometimes the ink for the body, and the pen for the use. From the news of the yin and yang of "Zhou Yi", Mr. Tong realized the endless thoughts of calligraphy and painting brush and ink of "rigid and soft pushing, changing in it, all but not even, and changing into writing". He believes: "Chinese painting is a flat structure, so it is particularly noteworthy that the 'push' method proposed by Tsinghua Lin. And put forward two "push methods" of "pushing with form" and "pushing with god". To push high with humility and push deep with shallow, as the "shape push"; "Dense its pen, thick and light its ink, up and down the four sides, obscure and bright, with yin can push yang, with yang can push yin, intuitive like the push of the current, look at it like the moon of the clouds" for the "god push". Pushing each other to change is to be uniform but not uneven, "uneven is a generalization of change." In the grand scheme of things, it is existence and absence, black and white, real and virtual. In detail, it is light, dry, detailed, complicated, dense, disconnected, undertaken, collisional, etc., and the strokes of the pen, light and heavy, Xu urgent, Shun and Bad, frustrated, turning, hiding and Fangyuan, combined with each other...... This is the unity of the pen and ink in the treatment of change. The word "push" grasps the key button of pen and ink, and from this it can launch endless changes. Mr. Tong's "pen and ink body is endless" is also manifested in the heart for the body, the eye for the use, the eye for the body, the hand for the use, the hand for the body, the pen for the use, the pen for the body, the ink for the use, and then, the pen and ink for the body, the heart, the eye and the hand for the use, so that the cycle of giving and receiving endless is the flexible use of capturing positive and negative feedback information in painting cybernetics. This reminds me of the Tang Dynasty's "Taoist Leader" Du Guangting's "Five Distinctions" theory. One is to take nothing as the body, and to use the have; Second, it is said that there is a body, and nothing is used; Third, it is said that nothing is the body, and nothing is used; Fourth, it is said that there is a body, and there is a use; Fifth, it is said that the non-existence and non-non-existence are the body, and the non-existence and non-non-existence are used. In fact, Du Guangting introduced the five ways of combining existence and non-existence to show the relationship between the Tao and all things. The lesson here is that the body and the use are reciprocal, relational, and interchangeable. So why not the physical use of pen and ink? Mr. Tong's exposition of the dimension of relational theory in his pen and ink style also embodies a similar dialectical concept.
Tong Zhongtao, "Wild Goose Swinging Spiritual Peak", 106cm×137cm, 2005
In the trade-off between the aesthetics of rational ontology and mental ontology, Mr. Tong is also balanced and not biased. There is not only an element of rationality in his pen and ink, but even Cézanne's constitutive laws can be seen. At the same time, the wisdom of the heart and the deep devotion of love make the picture poetic and touching. Implicit here is the power of the dialectic of pen and ink. This is also Mr. Tong's "reasonable" view of pen and ink theory. He said: "Painting theory in the narrow sense refers to the method, image, color, etc...... The so-called 'physics', such as the landscape painter's desire to 'study the nature of nature and the subtlety of things', is the life state of things. Painting also talks about 'reasonableness', and 'reason' refers to order and order. Painting is also an activity, whether it is appropriate or not, and the division lies in human affection. ......'Reasonableness' is the rationality of human feelings. Chinese painting skills, temperament, personality, and cultivation are all one. In Chinese painting, the rationale is especially seen in the 'bone method'. Distinguish the superiority of the 'pen', the taboo, and the presence or absence of it, only in this word 'reason'. ”
Tong Zhongtao, Pine Wind in Huangshan, 69cm×136cm, 2005
The body uses the qualifications to observe. The heart of the person who is invested is also, and the person who sees it is also the heart. The pen and ink body is endless, and it is the wonderful sense of the heart that runs endlessly.
Mr. Tong is immersed in Chinese culture, and books such as Ma Yifu, Qian Mu, Xiong Shili, and Jin Yuelin are pillow books that he reads repeatedly. His brushwork practice is showing the style of "Zhengda, force, elegant, smart, and healthy". By combing through Mr. Tong's brush and ink practice and the use of pen and ink from ontology to kung fu, and then reading his paintings, we can more deeply understand and appreciate the new realm of Mr. Tong Zhongtao's brush and ink. Some people use "Yuanzheng", some people use "Qinghou", and some people use "Qingjun" to describe and summarize the meaning of Mr. Tong Zhongtao's pen and ink. Based on everyone's appreciation, and combined with Mr. Tong Zhongtao's brush and ink system structure, I think it is more appropriate to describe it as "Zhengda, forceful, elegant, smart, and healthy", which not only reflects the style characteristics of Mr. Tong Zhongtao's paintings, but also reflects the harmonious mode of thinking of pen and ink theory. At the same time, it also reflects Mr. Tong Zhongtao's orderly inheritance and inner transcendence of the pen and ink spirit of predecessors such as Pan Tianshou and Huang Binhong. This is also the charm of Mr. Tong Zhongtao's theory of pen and ink style and pen and ink creation practice. This is the crystallization of his integration of Chinese and Western aesthetics and painting theory, and the integration of the body with a one-dimensional rational framework and pure experience.
Tong Zhongtao, Oriental Port, 117cm×124cm, 1989
The diachronic nature of the practice of pen and ink and the synchronicity of the use of pen and ink together constitute a huge system of Mr. Tong's pen and ink practice and theory.
The above is only a rough combing of Mr. Tong's theory of brush and ink from an ontological point of view, which is the feeling after reading "What is Chinese Painting" and "Yingdao: Practice and Thinking of Chinese Brush and Ink". Mr. Tong's pen and ink style is also reflected in many fields such as the main body of pen and ink, mediators, carriers, etc., and the words are scattered in various articles in the book, as well as in his daily speeches and notes. I will not repeat myself here, but I will have the opportunity to write a separate article.
Tong Zhongtao, Deep Courtyard, 42×47cm, 2006
Tong Zhongtao, Longjing Asking Tea, 83cm×49cm, 1993
Tong Zhongtao, "Little Dragon Swing", 96cm×107cm, 1990
Dochu Yan, Hokkai Haruyuki, 86cm×71cm, 1988
Yushu Chanting, 77.5cm×68.5cm, 1982