Wang Meng

Author: (Yuan) Wang Meng (painter) / Wang Kewen (editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features: The painter, drawing upon the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, unites with the wondrous imagination of the human heart. Standing between heaven and earth, the painter is surrounded by all phenomena. With a fusion of thought and interest, suddenly and swiftly, the brush is set in motion to capture what is seen, heard, and felt. A sudden exclamation, a boundless expression—thus are masterpieces born. Our nation's painting has deep roots, dating back to Gu Kaizhi of the Jin Dynasty. For over a thousand years, countless schools have emerged, with outstanding masters in every generation. From the north to the south, talented artisans have appeared, each with distinct styles, forming their own unique traditions. The vast Yangtze River and the majestic Kunlun Mountains are not enough to describe their lofty heights. Later generations, wishing to understand their details and marvels, find it difficult. I was born too late to be a painter, but by observing the works of masters from ancient times to the present, along with the inevitable changes of each era, I have come to understand that learning the rules leads to understanding the lack of rules. The ancients said, "This path allows one to their aspirations—was it ever so?" Reading through the masterpieces of past generations, one realizes that their methods are like reflections in a mirror, water in the moon—apparent yet elusive; while their lack of rules is like the boundless blue sky and clear water, vast and endless. Our society gathers the essence of both ancient and modern times, selecting the finest works of masters from all eras, detailing their lives, artistic philosophies, technical characteristics, and lineage. This allows readers to see a glimpse and grasp the whole, to know a painter and understand an era of painting, and to read the collections of dozens of master painters and grasp the of our nation's thousands of years of painting civilization. Due to the passage of time and frequent wars, countless masterpieces have been lost or damaged. Some famous painters left no works behind, some paintings survive in only a few copies, and some painters, though renowned, left no records of their lives—hence, the number of surviving images and introductions is limited. Therefore, compiling a collection of several painters, though incomplete, is better than having nothing at all. As Ouyang Xun once said while compiling Yiwen Lüju, "May every family be rich in rare pearls, and every person carry jade brocade in their hearts, as each contributes their own thoughts." This collection embodies that very spirit. This book compiles over 80 of Wang Meng's masterpieces, providing a detailed introduction to the life and artistic journey of this great painter who greatly influenced Ming, Qing, and even modern painting. It also includes Wang Meng's own life chronology and excerpts from reviews of his paintings by various scholars.