As early as the Jin Dynasty, some painters' creative ideas and artistic pursuits, such as Wang's theory of "painting for me", Wang's theory of "spirit", Wang's theory of "attaching importance to emotion" and Gu Kaizhi's theory of "form and spirit", all originated from literati painting.
Poetry prevailed in the Tang Dynasty. The great poet Wang Wei not only created ink painting, but also introduced poetry into painting, making later generations regard him as the originator of literati painting.
Dong Yuan and Ju Ran in the Five Dynasties pursued simplicity and charm in landscape painting, which provided direct artistic norms for the development of literati painting.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, Wen Tong, Su Shi, Mi Fei and others were widely admired and influenced by literati painting in their creative practice and theoretical criticism, which made literati painting an influential artistic trend of thought and began to distinguish it from academic painting and painter painting. On the basis of Wang Wei's ink painting, Su Shi and Mi Fei practiced and developed their own ink painting skills by painting with calligraphy. At this time, the concept of "literati painting" put forward by Su Shi made literati painting a step towards maturity.
The heyday of literati painting was in the Yuan Dynasty. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty paid more attention to martial arts than literature, which led to a large number of literati paintings. In art, it advocates elegance, simplicity, innocence and seclusion. Theoretically, it advocates "avoiding pen", "not seeking similarity" and "avoiding chest". During this period, the printing of poems and letters gradually entered the picture. It not only constitutes a part of the layout, but also expresses the author's voice more directly. Zhao Mengfu and Ke emphasized painting with books, Qian Xuan put forward the theory of "morale", Ni Zan advocated the idea of "entertaining oneself", and more painters took the symbolic Mei Lanzhuju (known as the "Four Gentlemen" in history) as their subject matter to flaunt their personal sentiments. In this way, the painter's subjective consciousness has been further strengthened, and the artistic concept and aesthetic ideal of literati and officialdom have been more prominent in their creation. Poetry, calligraphy, painting and printing are integrated, and poetry and painting are connected. Poetry is invisible painting, painting is tangible poetry, and poetry is concentrated in painting, which symbolizes the perfection of literati painting.
In the early Ming Dynasty, literati painting continued to develop. In the middle and late period, Dong Qichang, as a theorist and painter, further put forward the theory of "literati painting" on the basis of Su Shi, divided painting into North-South school and literati painting theory, and formally put forward and used the name of literati painting. At this time, literati painting has risen to the leading position in the painting world, which directly affected the basic pattern and aesthetic orientation of painting in Qing Dynasty and formed a painting system with unique national characteristics.
The Qing Dynasty was the heyday of literati painting, and many top painters emerged. The most prominent is the "four monks", among which the eight monks and Shi Tao are the most prominent. As adherents of the late Ming Dynasty, they expressed the pain of the country's destruction and death in their paintings and calligraphy. Shi Tao advocated "pen and ink should follow the times" and "law should stand on its own feet", which had a far-reaching impact on later generations.
Literati painting influenced modern Qi Baishi, Pan Tianshou and others through Zhao and Wu Changshuo.
The characteristics of literati painting are:
1. Literati painting is a humanistic art that organically combines poetry, painting, calligraphy and printing. Literati painters are mostly literati, poets and painters. "Poetry is inexhaustible, overflowing with books and turning into painting", and painting becomes literature and art. Poetry into painting emphasizes the artistic conception of painting with poetry. Calligraphy into painting advocates the exchange of calligraphy and painting, emphasizing the writing of brushwork. Inscription and printing began to become an important part of the content and form of the picture.
2. Literati painting pays attention to painting the soul, which is the temperament of connotation. Literati painters pay attention to expressing thoughts and emotions, emphasizing self-expression of subjectivity and individuality.
3. In terms of painting techniques, literati painting pays more attention to ink than color, and the subtle changes of dry, wet, light, rich and slippery ink show the charm of "light but not thin, thick but not turbid, light but not dry, moist but not slippery". Scholars' planning is also simple, and "planning white is black" gives people endless deep feelings.
4. The themes are mostly flowers and birds, mountains and rivers, hidden fish, etc. Plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, pine and stone are personified to entrust the painter's emotion and spirit.
In a word, literati painting is poetic in its expressive function, natural and wild in its expressive subject matter, freehand in its viewpoint and interesting in its expressive nature. It shows the accomplishment and life course of literati painters, and it is the presentation of a soul.
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Characteristics of literati painting
Before the Tang Dynasty, there were records of painting in the form of ink and wash, but the rise and development of literati ink and wash painting began in the late Southern Song Dynasty, and most of the authors were literati. The characteristics of literati painting are:
1. The authors are mostly scholars, poets and painters. Poetry is inexhaustible, overflowing with books and turning into paintings. Painting has become literary, and inscriptions and seals have become an important part of the content and form of the picture. Painting with poetry emphasizes the artistic conception of painting with poetry. Calligraphy into painting advocates the exchange of calligraphy and painting, emphasizing the writing of brushwork.
2. Literati painting emphasizes the expression of thoughts and emotions, expressing emotions and happiness, emphasizing subjective and individual self-expression, and expressing ambitions and interests by borrowing material meanings.
3. Literati paintings emphasize ink over color, pen and ink interest, deliberately seeking likeness, chic washing, complexity and exquisiteness, and innocence and elegance.
4. personified plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, pine, stone, etc. In order to entrust the painter's emotion and spirit, it has become an important theme of literati painting and has become a common practice.
Representative painters are Su Shi, Wen Tong (Figure 4-8), Zhao, Yang Wuxia, Ke, Li Yan, Gao, Xia Fang and so on. The rise and development of literati painting further improved the tradition of Chinese painting.