From the Song Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, the prosperity of the landscape was unprecedented. It develops in many directions, and its forms and methods of expression are also more diverse. Due to the development of social economy and the needs of various factors such as superstructure, courtyard painting and literati painting have been further developed during this period. The ideas of courtyard painting and literati painting are in the ascendant, and they will definitely appear in the painting theory of the Song Dynasty. reflected in it. The painting theory of the Song Dynasty, in turn, theoretically perfected courtyard painting and literati painting. This article will try to start from the landscape painting of Song Dynasty courtyard painting and literati painting, and explore and explain the similarities and differences between the two and their influence on Song Dynasty painting.
About courtyard painting and literati painting
When it comes to landscape painting in the Song Dynasty, we must focus on the two major Chinese painting departments of courtyard painting and literati painting. At this time, both courtyard landscape painting and literati landscape painting had developed greatly and were becoming increasingly perfect. Therefore, it is necessary to talk about academic painting and literati painting first.
Academy paintings refer to the paintings of palace painters and painters of the painting academy set up by the palace. According to Zhang Yanyuan's "Records of Famous Paintings of the Past Dynasties: Narrating the Rise and Fall of Paintings": "The Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established a secret pavilion to collect books. The Ming Dynasty's elegant name was Danqing, and he opened a studio separately. He also founded the Hongdu School to collect strange things, and the strange things from all over the world gathered together." But this can only be regarded as the beginning of the later establishment of painting academies in the palace. Formal painting academies appeared in the Southern Tang and Western Shu in the Five Dynasties. During the Song Dynasty, courtyard painting formed a complete theory and form. In order to cater to the needs of the emperor's court, these works mostly use flowers and birds, landscapes, palace life and religious content as their themes. The paintings pay attention to the law, pay attention to both form and spirit, and have a gorgeous and delicate style. Because the fashionistas of the times and the painters were good at different things, the painting styles were different and each had its own characteristics. Lu Xun said: "In the courtyard paintings of the Song Dynasty, the weak and charming parts should be abandoned, and the meticulous and meticulous parts are desirable." ("Qie Jie Ting Zawen? 6? 1 On "The Adoption of Old Forms")
The expansion of the subject matter content of courtyard paintings in the Song Dynasty is closely related to the politics, economy and culture of the time, as is the evolution of painting styles. It cannot completely transcend the times and find a new way. It has both an inheritance relationship passed down from generation to generation, as well as transformation and new development. This development was directly controlled by the aesthetic orientation and aesthetic concepts of that era. The development of Chinese painting to the Song Dynasty went through a long stage in which people hoped to accurately depict objective objects. It was a Chinese-style stage with the purpose of "portraits".
Literati paintings are paintings with literati taste in the painting and literati thoughts outside the painting. Literati painting occurred in the Jin Dynasty and flourished in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was a group and multi-style creation, and the paintings were done for self-entertainment, not for celebration. It is a painting art that emerged with the rise of metaphysics integrating Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism and the development of literati poetry and literati calligraphy. In terms of creative thinking, it got rid of the shackles of politics and religion and embarked on the path of pure art. To detach oneself from objects, to express one's feelings towards landscapes, and to borrow objects to express one's emotions is the ideological basis for the emergence of literati paintings. After being affirmed and promoted by Zhang Yanyuan in the Tang Dynasty, the theories of "writing the spirit with form" and "vivid charm" in literati paintings were further developed through the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty. Since then, literati paintings have emerged in large numbers and have exerted a great influence on the development of literati paintings in the Song Dynasty and later generations. It has had a great influence on poetry, calligraphy and painting, all of which emphasize the importance of the subjective mind, making the art of painting shift from expressing the objective to the subjective mind.
Comparative study of courtyard landscape painting and literati landscape painting in the Song Dynasty
First, the starting point and attitude of painting are different: because most of the painters of courtyard painting are for the purpose of "salary payment" Professional painters, so in terms of art form, the main characteristics are stereotyped, stylized, life-like and decorative. The biggest feature of courtyard landscape painting is its emphasis on careful observation of objects. As Teng Gu said, "Whether it is the "courtyard style" of the Northern Song Dynasty or the "courtyard style" of the Southern Song Dynasty, the word "precision work" is inseparable from the landscape, which reflects the requirements and interests of the royal family's culture, and is also the inevitable result of the establishment of the academy and the teaching of painting. "Compared with courtyard paintings, literati landscape paintings have a larger space for freedom. There are no restrictions. They are mostly painted for themselves and do not have direct political or social utilitarian purposes. They often use landscapes to express their soul and personal feelings, and also express their resentment against foreign oppression, social injustice and political corruption. It emphasizes the expression of the author's personal inner emotions, which is also one of the important features of literati landscape painting.
Second, the observation methods are different: academic landscape paintings and literati landscape painters are very different in their true and specific observation experience of nature. "The body is covered with mountains and rivers, and the meaning of the mountains and rivers can be seen.
A true landscape of rivers and valleys, you can look at it from a distance to get its momentum, look at it up close to get its quality..." ("Linquan Gaozhi Collection" Song Guoxi, Guo Si) This is a typical observation method for courtyard landscape paintings. For huge To see real mountains and rivers, you have to go in person, look at them from a distance and observe them closely, so as not to miss out on anything in your creation. The form of a "travelable" or even "livable" reality must be the same. A more realistic painting language, while the literati painters of the same period had a different view: "Observing the paintings of scholars is like reading horses from all over the world." It can be seen that the observation method of literati painters is special, and it can also be said to be a kind of "getting fish and forgetting". "筌"-style observation method.
Third, the artistic techniques are different: in terms of artistic techniques, courtyard landscape paintings emphasize color atmosphere and color rhyme, and pay great attention to the use of brushes, composition, and rich and precise colors. In carvings, the aesthetic characteristics of "elegant physique and clear and smooth painting" formed by "vigorous brushwork" and "strict coloring" are vividly expressed in "Wansong" written by Li Tang, Liu Songnian, Zhao Bosu and others. "Palace Map" says: "In the painting, there are a group of pines and a ravine. There are square peaks on both sides, low on the left and high on the right. On the left, there is flowing water coming out of the pine ravine. On the right, there is flowing water coming out of the palace. The lower section of the stone slope is cracked with axes at the end. The top cover of the upper section is straight and straight, with a clear and smooth painting method and a delicate structure. It is Li's divine product. "Literati landscape painting emphasizes the spirit of ink, the rhyme of ink, and the expression of style. The expression method is not bound by formula and varies according to needs. Its representative, Li Cheng, pays special attention to the charm of ink. The changes in ink method are subtle and colorful, especially Able to grasp the effect of light ink. Mi Di once said: "Li Cheng's light ink is like a dream in the mist, and the stone is like a cloud." Fei Shu once used the four words "cherishing the ink like gold" to describe Li Cheng's ink method.
At the same time, the landscape painters of the academy advocated that "one way of using the brush cannot be used as a brush, and another way of using ink cannot be used as a tool for ink. The brush and the ink person are superficially related, and they don't know how to manipulate them, so how can they be achieved?" How wonderful! Or: What is the use of ink? The answer is: Use burnt ink, use permanent ink, use withdrawn ink, use elasto ink, none of them are enough, and you can get the result if you don't use the same ink. " It advocates that brush and ink should definitely serve the shape, and should not be used for the sake of brush and ink. The literati mountain painter advocates "putting ink first and focusing on expression". Emphasizing color over color is an important feature of literati landscape painting. He believes that there is no need to use color to make pure The use of ink brushes can achieve the purpose of borrowing objects and writing about the heart, which is a unique and rare style feature of Chinese painting. For example, Mitty's "Landscape with Rice Points" that uses ink to express the scenery of southern mountains and forests is a masterpiece.
Fourth, the main artistic characteristics are different: Compared with the literati landscape paintings, the courtyard landscape paintings of the Song Dynasty have the artistic characteristics of "the objects resemble the truth, and the shapes resemble the meanings." This is mainly a discussion of "truth" and "similarity". . Most of the academy painters focus on sketching. To sketch, one needs to observe nature deeply, and to observe nature from the outside to the inside, that is, observe from the outside and nurture from the inside. Mountains and waters are not only deeply experienced, but also able to derive meaning from the form of the painted objects. Different from the literati landscape painting, they emphasize the spirit but not the form, and advocate "describing the spirit with form, and having both form and spirit." ". It does not pursue techniques such as lines, colors, etc., so that the landscape paintings of the Song Dynasty can achieve free spiritual changes, and then achieve the artistic state of "external teachers are inspired by nature, and the source of the heart is obtained", and "the techniques are left behind, and the meaning is mysterious."
Ma Yuan and Xia Gui, representatives of the vigorous school of ink painting in the academy's landscape paintings, form another artistic feature of the academy's landscape paintings - "exquisite brushstrokes and a clear and vigorous spirit". Their biggest characteristic is their emphasis on application. The use of ink is like using a brush, and the bones of mountains, rocks, and trees are all visible, and the charm is found in the bones. It can be seen that the use of brushes in modeling is very particular. Another artistic feature that distinguishes literati landscape painting from courtyard landscape painting is the pursuit of "simplification" in modeling. ". Guo Ruoxu said: "The simpler the pen, the stronger the spirit, the fewer the scenes, the longer the meaning." He expressed his praise for the simplicity of the image.
"Decoration creates the environment, the beauty of wealth" is the Song Dynasty Another important aesthetic feature of courtyard landscape painting. The main characteristics of the decorative environment are rich colors, realistic images, and strong visual sensory beauty. The colored landscapes of Li Sixun and his son in the Tang Dynasty pioneered the aesthetic characteristics of courtyard painting. In the subsequent courtyard landscape paintings, he has won, focusing on the beauty of visual senses, Chinese and foreign beauty, and focusing on the painterly nature of the works. Corresponding to this is the "wild beauty", which focuses on ink and wash, and the painter abandons expression. The external enthusiasm for natural landscapes has turned to the exploration of its own inner essence. Taking subjective imagination as the source of creation and creating with a free mind will inevitably spiritualize some materials and idealize all secular concepts, thereby achieving a kind of harmony. An aesthetic realm beyond painting that cannot be compared with the real world.
In addition to the above, literati landscape painting in this period also had a unique artistic feature, which was the richness of language in form. It includes "poetry", "calligraphy", "painting" and "printing". Although the courtyard landscape painters also have titles and names on the paintings, they are usually only placed in inconspicuous positions on the paintings. The same is true for Fan Kuan's "Snow Scenery and Cold Forest" and Guo Xi's "Early Spring". Obviously, there is no intention to use the title logo as an element of the picture of his work. Compared with academic painting, literati landscape painting emphasizes the cultivation of personal character. In addition to expressing emotions in painting, it also pays more attention to managing the layout of the picture, composing poems and lyrics, using poems and calligraphy to enhance the effect of the picture, and pursuing poetry and calligraphy. The perfect combination of painting, painting and printing emphasizes the poetic realm of painting, that is, "there is poetry in painting, and there is painting in poetry."
Of course, although academic painting and literati painting have their own merits, in some respects , all have similarities or similarities to a certain extent. Due to the guidance of the aesthetic theory of painting and the spirit of change and exploration of a group of painters, the distance between academic painting and literati landscape painting has widened, and new styles and visual experiences have begun to change Chinese painting. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the intellectual structure of academic painters changed greatly and gradually became literati. The artistic conception of poetry replaced narrative content in paintings, and the aesthetic taste aimed at pleasing temperament diluted the social utilitarianism. Especially in a rational era like the Song Dynasty, both literati paintings and courtyard paintings used symbolic techniques to express "meaning" or "reason", which were formed through images, felt by the eyes, and understood by the heart. Artistic intentions are forged in the harmonious collision of mind and matter. In the Song Dynasty, when the aesthetic thought trend was in full swing, the so-called integration of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, which attracted people's attention in aesthetic thought, reached its perfect state.