Chen Banding

Author: Chen Banding (paintings)/Zhu Jingsheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: This book compiles over 180 of Chen Banding's classic paintings, calligraphy, and seal-carving works, providing a detailed introduction to his life and artistic journey. It also includes essays that express Chen Banding's artistic philosophy and painting theories, as well as his life chronology and excerpts of reviews on his paintings by various critics. Together, these elements comprehensively showcase the artistic charm and personal demeanor of this great artist, who faced a tumultuous life.
As a painter, one draws upon the spiritual essence of heaven and earth and fashions it with the ingenuity of the human heart. A painter stands between heaven and earth, surrounded by all things. With a fusion of thought and delight, they suddenly draw forth, writing directly to capture what they see, hear, and feel. With a resounding cry, they create works in myriad forms, achieving excellence. Our nation's painting tradition has deep roots, dating back to Gu Kaizhi of the Jin Dynasty. For over a thousand years, countless schools have emerged, with masters of each generation. From the south to the north, talented craftsmen have appeared, each with distinct styles, forging their own unique paths. The vast Yangtze River and the majestic Kunlun Mountains cannot begin to describe their lofty heights. Later generations wish to understand them in detail and glimpse their wonders, yet it is difficult. I was born too late to be a painter, but by observing the works of ancient and modern masters and their inevitable changes of the times, I have come to understand that learning from the rules can lead to the understanding of unrule.
An old saying goes, "This path allows one to their aspirations—so it is, is it not?" Reading through the masterpieces of past generations, one realizes that their methods are like reflections in a mirror or ripples in water—apparent yet elusive; while their unrule is like the boundless blue sky and clear water—vast and endless. Our society gathers works from ancient and modern times, selecting the finest from each era, detailing their lives, artistic theories, technical characteristics, and their legacy. This allows readers to see a glimpse and grasp the whole, to know one painter and understand an entire generation of art, and to read collections of dozens of painters and grasp the of our nation's thousands of years of painting civilization.
Because of the passage of time and frequent wars, countless famous paintings have been lost or damaged. There are masters whose paintings no longer exist, there are paintings that survive but are scarce, and there are painters who were famous but whose lives and deeds are not recorded. As a result, few works and images remain, and introductions cannot be complete. Thus, compiling a collection of several individuals is better than having nothing at all.
In the past, Ouyang Xun compiled The Art and Literature Collection and wrote, "I wish to make every household rich in (pearls from the Sui Dynasty) and every person possess (brocade and jade), so that each predecessor's collection can express their own thoughts." This collection embodies that very idea.