Painting Riddles: An Interview with Chen Peiqiu

Author: Chen Qiwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Preface: In the debate over the authenticity of Yan Liben's Procession under the Rainbow (Stephanotis), although doubts about its authenticity had been vaguely expressed before, such as in Shen Congwen's Studies on Ancient Chinese Clothing published by the Commercial Press in Hong Kong in 1981, which discussed the Emperors of Past Dynasties when commenting on it: Compared to the Procession under the Rainbow and the Tribute of Tributaries in circulation, the impression is quite different. The emperors' faces and attire in the Emperors of Past Dynasties are depicted with certainty and great accuracy, with no hesitation in the brushwork. As for the scroll of the Procession under the Rainbow, the group of women around Li Shimin's litter lacks confidence in the brushwork and also lacks character and vitality. However, after conducting an in-depth and meticulous study and analysis of multiple aspects—such as the era's style, the characteristics of the lines, the artistic level, the inscriptions over the centuries, the collection seals, the texture of the silk, the historical background, and the cultural norms—it was decisively concluded that the Procession under the Rainbow is a forgery by Yan Liben, which was still the first time. This made me suddenly realize that verifying the authenticity of traditional calligraphy and painting requires a rigorous scientific attitude. For example, in Doubts about Dong Yuan's Three Paintings, Chen Peiqiu strongly defends the authenticity of Dong Yuan's River Bank (Xiuya), which many consider a forgery, while questioning the authenticity of the Xiangyang River (Xiaoyang), the Summer Mountains (Xiaoshan), and the Summer Landscape at the Mountain Pass (Xiaojingshan Kou Dai), which have been widely accepted as genuine by Dong Qichang and later generations. The term "" here means "to provide evidence." A judge cannot reach a verdict without evidence, naturally based on facts. How could the identification of calligraphy and painting be any different? It is also based on facts. The evidence for verifying the authenticity of calligraphy and painting is often composed of a combination of era characteristics, brushwork and lines, individual style, historical records, the artist's signature, later inscriptions, collection seals, and the texture of silk and paper. From this perspective, the identification of paintings, including calligraphy, is both an effortful and time-consuming, highly detailed, step-by-step, and academically rigorous work that is both beneficial and interesting. At the same time, it is also essential to face and respect objective facts and possess the courage to overturn one's own past identifications or mistaken views. It is said that as early as the late 1980s of the last century, the renowned artist Zhang Daqian entrusted Wang Nanping to pass a message to Xie Ziliu: "Tell Ziliu not to delve into Dong Yuan's Summer Mountains, Xiangyang River, and Summer Landscape at the Mountain Pass anymore. Whether they are by Dong Yuan's hand must be studied." However, unexpectedly, when Xie Ziliu heard this, he not only paid no heed but also remarked, "Ah, Zhang Daqian is old and muddled, getting lost in a corner." Yet, Xie Ziliu truly lived up to his vigor in old age. After repeated research, he finally told Chen Peiqiu in early 1996, "Apart from River Bank, the other three works by Dong Yuan, such as the Xiangyang River, indeed have issues, and Zhang Daqian's views are reasonable." To overturn one's own conclusions, which took half a lifetime of effort to research, requires what kind of immense courage. Xie Ziliu's example further illustrates, from another angle, how laborious and time-consuming the identification of ancient calligraphy and painting can be! Fortunately, the unfinished work of Zhang Daqian and Xie Ziliu has now been resolved by Chen Peiqiu with great effort and the "magic brush" of Chen Jun. In an interview, Chen Peiqiu lamented, "Authority is built on pragmatism. If as an expert, one only cares about their reputation and status without considering the facts, that is irresponsible to history and to one's own reputation. Authorities and experts are first and foremost human, and humans are bound to make mistakes. As I mentioned earlier, Xie Ziliu spent most of his life studying the four works of Dong Yuan, and the key point was that he also believed in the conclusions of the Ming Dynasty's great appraiser Dong Qichang on Dong Yuan's works, which led to his subsequent arguments. However, once he broke free from his fixed mindset and saw many physical artifacts he had never seen before, he began to doubt his own identifications and wavered. This is very normal." What is even more important is that, apart from restoring historical truth, the significance of verifying the authenticity of Dong Yuan's Xiangyang River and the other three scrolls lies in the fact that it will lead to a renewed understanding of Five Dynasties ink-and-wash landscapes, the lineage of the Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty, and the "Southern School and Northern School" issues, potentially even rewriting art history. This book offers a relatively in-depth, meticulous, and objective discussion on the authenticity of Yan Liben's Procession under the Rainbow from the Tang Dynasty and Dong Yuan's Xiangyang River, Summer Mountains, and Summer Landscape at the Mountain Pass from the Five Dynasties.