History of Song Dynasty Paintings (Series of Dated Histories of Chinese Painting)

Author: Xu Shucheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-12-01
Features: The History of Song Dynasty Painting, primarily focusing on Song Dynasty painting while also encompassing the Five Dynasties, Liao, and Jin periods. The period from the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty was a significant turning point in Chinese painting. This book first reviews the Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty flower-and-bird painting schools of Huangquan and Xu Xi, along with the "Three Mountaineers" landscape painters Jing Hao, Guan Tong, Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, Li Cheng, Fan Kuan, and other masters, as well as the status of figure painting. It then discusses the "realistic" painting in the Song Dynasty imperial court, including the painters and works of various genres, and provides an overview of the Five Dynasties and Song Dynasty imperial painting academies. Further, it explores the origins of "literati painting," reviewing the "expressionistic" literati painters such as Su Shi, Wen Tong, Mi Fu and his son, as well as the masters who bridged the gap between "imperial court style" and "expressionism," such as Wang Xuan, Zhao Lingrang, Zhao Boyu, Ma Hezhi, Liang Hao, and Fa Chang. It also provides an in-depth analysis of the aesthetic characteristics of the literati "expressionistic" style. Special attention is given to the painting of the Liao, Jin, Western Xia dynasties and their major painters. Finally, it reviews the works of painting history and theory books from the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, such as Jing Hao's Brushwork Monographs, Chunruo Xu's Records of Famous Paintings, Deng Chun's Paintings Continue, and discussions on literati painters like Su Shi and the Mi family.