Song Dynasty Paintings · Landscape Scroll

Author: Duan Bin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Although the Northern and Southern Song dynasties were a continuation of the same feudal regime in terms of geographical succession, they had distinct cultural metaphors in the history of painting. From the Five Dynasties to the Northern Song, landscape painting techniques and categories became fully mature, with a succession of master painters and evolving styles, reaching unprecedented heights. Figure painting continued to improve on the achievements of the Tang Dynasty. Flower-and-bird painting, as an independent genre, rapidly matured during the Song Dynasty, especially with the rise of the Hanlin Painting Academy, which led to the decline of classical realistic style in the mainstream of Chinese painting history. Additionally, in terms of technical form, Southern Song painting adapted to the times, no longer being obsessed with the perfect visual enjoyment brought by realistic styles, but instead shifting towards poetic moods and the expression of literati's personal emotions, completing the necessary technical foundation for the subsequent development of literati painting. This is the difference the two Song dynasties demonstrated in the history of painting. The historical transformation of Song painting led to the gradual decline of classical realism in Chinese painting around the 11th century, with literati painting, centered on the aesthetic interests of intellectuals, dominating the subsequent history of painting.