Dashi Studio. Tang Yun -- Talking about Art with the Master

Author: Zheng Zhongzhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Tang Yun (1910-1993), also known as Yao Cheng, Xia Chen, styled Hong Weng, Ke Yao, Dashan Mountain Person, studio name Dashan Studio, native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Served as professor at Xinhua Art College and Shanghai Art College, council member of the China Artists Association, vice chairman of the Shanghai Artists Association, and council member of the Shanghai China Association. "Talking with Masters about Art" is an oral series that records the artistic experiences and reflections of Xie Zhiyao, Tang Yun, Cheng Fa, and Chen Peiqiu. I have interacted with them for decades, either watching them paint at their desks or engaging in free-flowing conversations. Through listening to their words and observing their actions, I gradually realized that the differences in their brushwork, ink, water, and color use stemmed from their distinct inner experiences and emotions. I thought it would be better to let them "speak and paint for themselves," reconciling their inner experiences with their expressed artistry. Wouldn’t this be better than others’ critiques? Driven by this underlying motivation, they spoke without intention, and I listened with care, thus forming the "Talking with Masters about Art" oral series.
The theory of Chinese painting often originates from the artists' experiences and emotions. Gu Kaizhi’s "Theory of Conveying the Spirit" can be considered a mature work in Chinese painting theory. Initially, when painting women on walls, though the bodies might be aesthetically pleasing or unpleasing, they lacked vitality. Later, he had an epiphany: "The essence of conveying the spirit lies in this point (‘adu’ refers to this)," and the figures he painted on the walls came to life. Later generations changed "adu" to "du," meaning the same thing. Other concepts like "wielding five strings with the hand while sending flying geese with the eyes" and "obtaining profound inspiration" also stemmed from his experiences.
Zong Bing of the Southern Dynasties traveled and painted landscapes on walls for his "waking tours," practicing "clarity of mind in observing the Dao" and "savoring images with a clear mind," allowing "all interests to merge into his spiritual thoughts." He deeply reflected, "What else can I do? Only to delight in the spirit." This self-reflective approach expressed his inner experiences and proposed the concept of "delighting in the spirit," becoming a foundational and mature work in landscape painting theory.
Xie He synthesized the ideas of "conveying the spirit" and "delighting in the spirit" to propose the "Six Principles," bringing Chinese painting theory to systematic completeness. However, his own experiences were far less profound than those of Gu Kaizhi and Zong Bing. Xie Zhiyao strongly agreed with the saying "the eye is higher than the hand," believing that only when the eye is superior to the hand can the hand be elevated. The concepts of Gu Kaizhi’s "conveying the spirit" and Zong Bing’s "delighting in the spirit" marked the peak of Chinese painting theory. Whether their paintings themselves reached an artistic peak is debatable, but under their theoretical guidance, Tang and Song Dynasty painting reached its zenith, an undeniable fact.
In the late Tang Dynasty, Zhang Bo still followed Gu Kaizhi and Zong Bing, emphasizing experience and achieving the fusion of subjectivity and objectivity. It can be concluded that without the "eye’s superiority" (theory) of the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the peak of Chinese painting might have appeared later. Since the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese painting has declined, not only due to the decline in technique but, more importantly, I believe, due to painters’ detachment from experience or their superficiality.
The four works in "Talking with Masters about Art" focus on (excavating the experiences of veteran painters) and the evolution of their styles, which is not just a change in technique but a transformation that occurs as their experiences deepen. The painter’s experience, as a crucial factor in painting, is often overlooked today. I am slow-witted and not very perceptive, understanding only the surface of what the masters discuss, and can only take notes as they speak. What is recorded here is merely a fraction of what they discussed, with many omissions and potential errors. Please forgive any shortcomings.