Early Modern Masters' Critical Biographies - Volume One

Author: Wang Senran
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-11-01
Features: Excerpts from the book: The thoughts and personalities of scholars differ, and the level of artistic practice varies, hence the differences. Now, if there is a painting like this, and the person holding the brush makes others view it, they will only see trees, mountains, water, bridges, and buildings. To go further, the distance of trees, the undulations of landscapes, the positions of bridges and buildings, all seem to have a certain coherence. As for the schools of painting, the composition, the artistic conception, the charm of painting, they are all obscure. Why? Because they lack the concept of painting, the study of painting, and the feelings about painting. Therefore, not all scholars can paint, and not all painters can be scholars. If a scholar's painting is viewed by others, there may still be a barrier, let alone those who are not scholars? If a painter's painting is viewed by a painter, there is almost no barrier, but the differences in schools and systems may still not satisfy. If a scholar's painting is viewed by a painter, even if they may argue and criticize afterwards, they cannot but admire its unique aspects. If a painter's painting is viewed by the common people, they may not be able to distinguish between them, or they may even think that the scholar's painting is inferior to the painter's painting. Alas! People generally prefer neatness and dislike roughness, prefer luxury and dislike simplicity, prefer softness and dislike stiffness, prefer detail and dislike simplicity, prefer richness and dislike elegance, this is the nature of ordinary people. Can the realm of art be determined by mere appearance? As for regarding weakness as grace, roughness as profundity, stiffness as depth, and superficiality as distance, these are common phenomena. Ignoring the pursuit of artistic spirit, rhythm, bone structure, and method, and being meticulous about these things, shows that one does not understand the essence of scholar's painting. Scholar's painting has a long history. Since the Han Dynasty, figures like Cai Yong and Zhang Heng were renowned for their paintings, though their actual works are not seen, they are recorded in history. During the Six Dynasties, the teachings of Zhuangzi and Laozi were popular, and the scholars of that time had transcendent thoughts, desiring to break free from material constraints and express their free sentiments,ing them in lofty and tranquil realms. Figures like Zong Bing and Wang Wei emerged in landscape painting, expressing their thoughts and personalities, hence both had painting theories. Su Dongpo had poems on Zong Bing's paintings, showing the harmony between scholar's thoughts and painting. The Wang family, including Wang Yi, Wang Xizhi, and Wang Xianzhi, were clear in their stance and gradually developed into a trend by the Tang Dynasty, with figures like Wang Wei, Zhang Qian, Wang Zai, and Zheng Qian becoming a prominent style, with Wang Wei being the ancestor of the Southern School. At that time, poetry and discussions were closely related to painting, and this influence continued through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, with their dedication being imaginable. The Northern and Southern Song Dynasties saw a flourishing of literature, with scholars, poets, and lyricists emerging in large numbers, and their thoughts becoming highly developed, hence painting also flourished accordingly, with each excelling in their own ways. Ouyang Xiu, Mei Shiyu, Su Dongpo, and Huang Shangfu all had poems on painting, showing their appreciation. Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, and Zhu Xi were also famous in painting history, showing the close alignment between scholar's thoughts and painting. The ink plum of Huaguang Monk and the ink bamboo of Wen Yike were prominent during this time. Plum and bamboo are just one type of flower and plant, and the method of ink plum has never been heard of before, while ink bamboo was said to have existed since the Tang Dynasty. Qiang Zeng, Zhang Li, and Sun Wei left ink traces, and the Later Liang Emperor's iron hook and gold had already changed the traditional methods. Later, Wen Huacheng's bamboo style opened the doors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and Su Dongpo recognized its charm. Scholar's painting was not limited to landscapes; nothing could escape the scholar's interest. This book includes not only the well-known masters of cultural and intellectual thought in modern times like Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Zhang Taiyan, Yan Fu, Lin Shu, and Lu Xun, but also great figures from the literary and poetic circles of the late Qing Dynasty, such as Chen Baochen, Wang Yanyun, Shen Zongzhi, and Yi Shundeng, who are now forgotten but whose works are preserved in this book. The biographies and critiques preserved in this book provide a valuable perspective for understanding these overlooked figures who left no collected works.