In the history of Chinese painting, there are many famous bamboo painters. Bamboo painting began to appear in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, developed in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and famous artists such as Wang Wei and Wu Daozi appeared. It flourished in the Song Dynasty, and reached its climax in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Bamboo paintings from the Western Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties were found in Dunhuang murals. This is the earliest bamboo painting discovered so far. In fact, as early as the Jin Dynasty, there were already the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" represented by Ruan Ji. These talkers relied on the bamboo forest and there should be many paintings about bamboo, but unfortunately they cannot be seen now. In the 1970s, when archaeologists were excavating the tomb of Prince Zhanghuai of the Tang Dynasty, they accidentally discovered several strokes of ink bamboo in a mural called "The Maid and Bamboo", which caused quite a sensation at the time. Tang Xuanzong Li Longji, painters Wang Wei and Wu Daozi all liked to paint bamboo. It is said that in the Five Dynasties, Mrs. Li also created the bamboo ink technique. Legend has it that she often sat on the bedside at night and saw the shadow of bamboo dancing on the window paper, so she copied it along the window paper and created this method. In the Song Dynasty, Su Shi developed the method of painting bamboo, abandoning the double-hook coloring method of previous painters, and painted the branches and leaves with ink, with dark ink for the leaf surface and light ink for the leaf back. In the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, famous bamboo painters emerged in large numbers. As long as they were landscape or flower-and-bird painters, there were few who did not paint bamboo, and began to emphasize the overall momentum of bamboo. However, among many painters, Zheng Banqiao's bamboo paintings are also regarded as unique. Here is a brief introduction to several famous bamboo painters:
Wen Tong (1018-1079), also known as Yuke, called himself Mr. Xiaoxiao, a Taoist from Jinjiang, and was known as Mr. Shishi in the world. He was born in Zitong, Zizhou (now Zitong, Sichuan). Huangyou became a Jinshi and learned about Yangzhou. In the first year of Yuanfeng in the Song Dynasty, he came to Huzhou and died before taking office in the first month of the following year. However, people also called him Wenhuzhou. Good at poetry, calligraphy and painting. He died at the age of sixty-two and wrote "Danyuan Collection". Mr. Wang is good at painting ink and bamboo, and he was not self-conscious at first. He knew how to guard Yangzhou and built a pavilion on it in Yuandang Valley. It was a place to travel day and night, so he resumed work on Mozhu. His close friend Su Dongpo was also good at bamboo painting, and he gave him a poem: "The bamboos cultivated in Hanchuan are as cheap as awnings, and the heavy ax has never forgiven the dragon. It is expected that the poor and greedy prefect has thousands of acres of Weibin in his heart." So it goes like this: Wen's bamboo painting "Be confident". However, the teacher thinks to himself, "I have not yet learned the Tao, and I feel uncomfortable in my mind, but I have nothing to do about it. Therefore, it is a disease that occurs in black bamboo. What can I do now that I am well?" However, he still paints bamboo. The sect that scholars follow is called the "Huzhou School". In the Yuan Dynasty, painting ink and bamboo became a fashion. Famous artists such as Li Chan and Zhao Mengfu were all successors of the Huzhou School and had a great influence on later generations. Mi Fu's essay on painting bamboo says: "Use deep ink as the surface and light ink as the back, and you can start with it." Ink bamboo was still an emerging painting technique in the Northern Song Dynasty, and it is still contemporary with the realistic flowers that were fashionable at the time. Because of this, there is no "introduction" or "claw" style leaf-skimming, nor any continuous calligraphy strokes between the bamboo joints. The general painting method is between "painting" and "writing", which is different from the bamboo writings of literati in the Yuan Dynasty and since.
Gao Kegong (1248-1310), whose courtesy name was Yanjing and whose name was Fangshan. He is good at painting ink, bamboo and landscape. He studied under Wen Tong and Mi Fu and his son. He also absorbed the strengths of Dong Yuan, Ju Ran and Li Cheng to form his own family. There is only one bamboo painting by Gao Kegong handed down from generation to generation. His brushwork is gentle and calm, and the structure is clear. The bamboo echoes the stone under his feet. It can be said that "bamboo and stone have feelings."
Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322), whose courtesy name was Zi'ang, also known as Songxue, and also as Crystal Taoist, was a native of Wuxing, Zhejiang (now Huzhou). The 11th grandson of Song Taizu, after Zhao Defang, King of Qin. In terms of flower and bird painting, he combined the two styles of "Xu Xi's wild life and the Huang family's wealth", and he also worked hard to write. He did not rely on craftsmanship, but was clear and elegant.
Duan Sheng, the wife of Zhao Mengfu, named Zhongji, was from Wuxing, Zhejiang. He is good at poetry, calligraphy and painting, and is good at painting plums, orchids and bamboos. Ink marks handed down from ancient times are rare. Guan Sheng's bamboo painting was quite famous in the Yuan Dynasty. Its characteristics are: there is no change in the use of ink, the bamboo leaves have no layers, and they are completed in one stroke. The strokes are mainly centered, with occasional side strokes. The top bamboo leaf is made in the "Yan Fei style" and is drawn out with Zangfeng brushwork, which is extremely vivid.
Li Chan (1245-1320), courtesy name Zhongbin, also known as Xizhai Taoist, was a native of Jiqiu (Beijing). He is good at painting dead wood, bamboo and stone, especially double-hooked colored bamboo and ink bamboo. Li Qu once traveled throughout the mountains and rivers of the southeast, and was sent as an envoy to Jiaozhi (now Vietnam), where he went deep into the bamboo countryside to observe the growth status of various bamboos. The themes of bamboo paintings are mostly bamboos, trees and rocks, mixed with orchids and wild grasses, which together create an elegant and lively artistic conception of this painting.
Ni Zan (1301-1374), named Yunlin in Ziyuan Town, also known as Huan Xiasheng, Jing Manmin, Xi Yuanlang, Jingming Jushi, Zhuyang Guanzhu, etc., was a Changzhou native and was born in Jiangnan A rich man lives a very prosperous life.
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he sold his family property and wandered around the world. He was eager to learn all his life and specialized in poetry, calligraphy and painting. His ink landscape paintings are from Dong Yuan, and also from Jing and Guan. Most of his works are based on the scenery around Taihu Lake, and the artistic conception is simple and desolate. His painting style had a great influence on the landscape paintings of Ming and Qing literati, and he was one of the "Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty" along with Wang Meng, Huang Gongwang and Wu Zhen. The calligraphy style is simple and elegant, and there are many kinds of writings such as "Danshi Poems" and "Self-written Poems Manuscript" in existence. His paintings include thin and standing lakes and rocks, tall trees and sparse bamboos, and trickling streams. His brushwork is majestic and full of spirit.
Wu Zhen (1280-1354), whose courtesy name was Zhonggui, also called himself Meihua Taoist, Meihua Taoist, and the master of Meihua Nunnery. A native of Jiaxing, with a poor family, Du Men lived in seclusion, was withdrawn, was dissatisfied with the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, and never used paintings to charm the world. In addition to landscape painting, Wu Zhen is also good at touching mountains, bamboos and rocks. He likes to use a bald pen and heavy ink, with a bold and bold style.
Ke Jiusi (1290-1343), named Jingzhong, also known as Danqiusheng, also known as Wuyun Pavilion official, was a native of Taizhou. He is famous for his bamboo paintings and is also good at ink flowers. Mo Zhu's teachers share the same culture, but they are able to create their own ideas. He often uses calligraphy to write on bamboo and stone, combining calligraphy and painting with ease.
Wang Fu (1362-1416), also known as Mengduan, also known as Aosou, a friend of Shisheng. Wuxi people. At the beginning of Hongwu, he was recommended to the Imperial Academy for his ability in calligraphy and painting, and was promoted to a member of Zhongshushe. Wang Meng, a landscape master, painted the distant mountains of the Yangtze River and the clusters of strange rocks, all of which were exquisite. During Yongle period, black bamboo was famous all over the world, ranking first at that time. Some invested money and silk to buy the ruler. Fu is also knowledgeable and good at poetry. Commenting on his bamboo paintings, people said: "He can show his charming posture in the strong energy, and he can see the free and easy movement in the vertical and horizontal directions." His painting can be seen in the square inch, and the beautiful scenery is deep and quiet. His works that have been handed down to this day include "Shanting Wenhui Picture", "Fengcheng Farewell Chant Picture", "Bamboo and Stone Picture" and so on. He is the author of "Collection of Friends of Stone Shanfang". , the bamboos he paints are chic and concise, with high-spirited moods and a quiet and tranquil scene painted by literati. Although Wang Fu's bamboo paintings inherited the legacy of his predecessors Renwen Tong and Wu Zhen's ink bamboo paintings, the charm of his brushwork was more literati. At that time, he was known as the "first hand" in bamboo painting in the country. This painting is a new style after the Yuan Dynasty.
Xia Chang (1388-1470), also known as Zhongzhao, was a native of Kunshan, Jiangsu. He is known as the best bamboo painter in the history of Chinese painting so far. He pays attention to rules and strict structure in his paintings. He starts and ends his paintings in regular script. There are almost no double brush strokes in bamboo paintings. He has a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation, which shows the bamboo forest between the rocky beach and the river slope. The brushwork is strong and vigorous, the composition is dense and dense, and the whole picture looks very elegant and noble.
Zheng Xie (1693-1765), courtesy name Kerou and alias Banqiao, was born in Xinghua, Jiangsu Province. He was a Kangxi scholar in the imperial examination, was elected in the tenth year of Yongzheng, and was a Jinshi in the first year of Qianlong. The magistrates of Fan County and Weixian County in Shandong Province had a political voice and "pleaded for relief for the people due to year-round hunger, disobeyed the officials, and begged for illness." Before and after he became an official, he lived in Yangzhou and made a living by painting and calligraphy. He is good at painting orchids, bamboos, stones, pine, chrysanthemums, etc., and he has made the most outstanding achievements in painting orchids and bamboos for more than 50 years. His paintings were based on Xu Wei, Shi Tao and Bada Shanren, and developed his own style, with sparse appearance and vigorous style. Gong calligraphy uses Han eight-point calligraphy mixed with regular script and calls itself "six-and-a-half-point calligraphy". And integrate calligraphy into painting. He advocates inheriting the tradition of "learning seven out of ten and discarding three", "not following the ancient methods", and attaches great importance to the originality of art and the diversity of styles. The so-called "before painting, do not establish a frame, after painting, do not leave a frame" , still has reference significance today. The poems are sincere and interesting, and are loved by the people. It can also cure seals, "close to Wenhe". There are "The Complete Works of Zheng Banqiao", "Mr. Banqiao's Seal", etc.
Zheng Banqiao once wrote about his experience of painting bamboo: "In the clear autumn in Jiangguan, when I look at bamboo in the morning, the smoke, light, sun, shadow, and dew are all floating among the sparse branches and dense leaves. I feel so excited. There is a meaning of painting. In fact, the bamboo in the heart is not the bamboo in the eye. Therefore, when the ink is rubbed and the paper is put down, the bamboo in the hand is not the bamboo in the heart. In short, the intention lies in the pen, which is the rule. Those who are outside the law, this is the opportunity. It's so easy to paint alone!" Therefore, we can get inspiration from the various natural scenes of bamboo and stimulate emotions. Through the "bamboo in the eyes", we can express it with the help of pen and ink. It becomes "bamboo in the hand" or "bamboo in the painting". Zheng Banqiao's works are mostly extant and widely circulated. Since the Qing Dynasty, they have been admired by experts all over the world and have become treasures that "people compete for treasures".