Landscape painting has gradually developed in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, but it is still attached to figure painting and mostly used as a background. Influenced by the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System and metaphysics, the custom of character appraisal is prevalent, and people's appearance, words, and deeds are observed in detail. The expression techniques introduced into Indian art by Buddhist paintings eventually led to the maturity of figure painting techniques and laid the foundation for artistic aesthetics. At that time, people appreciated distinctive characters, and in painting, they were required to vividly express the inner spirit and temperament of the characters. This is different from the Han Dynasty style, which emphasizes external forms, or the Three Kingdoms style, which strongly expresses characters. At this time, figure paintings or sculptures can already express the inner beauty of figures through eyes, gestures or "streamer spirit" to achieve the state of "form and spirit".
Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was good at painting landscapes of ladies, striving to express the spirit, and was known as the "Sage of Painting" in history. The "Picture of Admonitions of Women's History" he painted emphasizes the understanding of the characters' eyes and the matching of gestures. The fluttering ribbons of clothing and the bulging of the clothes on the body seem to have "qi" surrounding the whole body, achieving the highest evaluation of Chinese painting as "vivid Qi". "Luo Shen Fu Tu", which is said to have been painted by Gu Kaizhi, is also of the same level. As for landscape painting, it is still in the pattern stage and is not yet vivid. It will improve in the Southern Dynasties.
The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were an important turning period in the history of Chinese painting and the development of gardens. Due to long-term wars and social unrest, a negative and pessimistic mood prevailed in society. Celebrities turned to mountains and rivers to escape reality. The emergence of a large number of landscape poems and pastoral paintings promoted the emergence of landscape paintings.
From what Gu Kaizhi, a painter of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, said in "On Painting": "When it comes to painting, people are the most difficult, followed by landscapes, dogs and horses..." It can be seen that landscape paintings at this time have been compared with figure paintings. And it has initially become independent from the background of figure painting. Some of the landscape scenes in his figure painting "Luo Shen Fu Tu" can give you a general overview of the landscape painting at that time. At this time, the theory of landscape painting was basically mature, and the expression of space was discussed, laying the theoretical foundation of Chinese landscape painting. During this period, Zong Bing and Wang Wei's theories of "spirit" and "emotion" advocated the unity of subjectivity and objectivity in landscape painting creation. This was the philosophical thought of the unity of nature and man expressed in traditional Chinese thinking, which had an impact on the creation of gardens. far-reaching impact.
Gardening activities took a turn during this period. Influenced by the trend of seclusion, scholar-bureaucrats became obsessed with gardens and found spiritual pleasure in creating "second nature." Literati and painters participated in gardening, further promoting the development of private gardens, and temple gardens also appeared.
In the writings of Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the depiction of natural scenery expresses inner emotions and interests, which is reflected in the creation of gardens, which pursues the reproduction of landscapes as if they are natural. The Southern Dynasty was located in the south of the Yangtze River and had unique landscapes and gardens. At this time, the gardens were built through ponds and mountains, and plants were landscaped in conjunction with the terrain. Garden buildings were built according to the scenery, and the layout of plants and buildings also changed. The gardens of this period were a combination of landscapes, plants and buildings to form a natural landscape garden.
It can be seen from the above that the social unrest in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the celebrities' escapism from reality and their attachment to landscapes, promoted the emergence and popularization of landscape paintings and landscape gardens. When landscape painting first emerged, it was limited to literati self-painting and self-appreciation, so it was not widely spread, but it contributed to the birth of literati landscape gardens. Chinese landscape gardens simply imitate nature and appropriately summarize and refine landscapes, but always maintain the tone of "like nature".
The Sui and Tang Dynasties became independent, such as Zhan Ziqian's color landscapes, Li Sixun's golden landscapes, Wang Wei's ink landscapes, Wang Qia's splash-ink landscapes, etc.; the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty saw a great rise in landscape painting, with many authors, such as The ink landscapes of Jing Hao, Guan Tong, Li Cheng, Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, Fan Kuan, Xu Daoning, Yan Wengui, Song Di, Wang Shen, Mi Fu, and Mi Youren, the green landscapes of Wang Ximeng, Zhao Boju, and Zhao Bosu, the north and south compete in glory. , forming two major factions, the North and the South, reaching their peak. Since the Tang Dynasty, there have been famous painters in every period who specialized in the creation of landscape paintings. Although they have different life experiences, accomplishments, schools of thought, methods, etc., they are all able to use pen, ink, color, and techniques to flexibly manage and depict carefully, so that the beauty of natural scenery can be joyfully expressed on paper, with the same vein, majesty, and charm. Qingyi.
With the rise of the Jin Dynasty, the world was still in chaos. Xiang Xiu's disciples also promoted Xuanfeng. Metaphysics merged with Buddhism spread from India, and Chinese culture gradually transformed into a fusion of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
Landscape painting is an important branch of Chinese painting. Landscape painting began to appear in the Sui Dynasty. Landscape painting emphasizes "flat distance", "high distance" and "far-reaching". Using scattered perspective, flat distance is like "walking in the sky". "On the mountain valley", while walking and looking, the focus is constantly changing, and you can draw a very long scroll, encompassing thousands of miles of mountains and rivers; high and far away, like a parachute slowly descending from the top of the mountain, the focus is also changing, from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the mountain, you can draw a vertical axis The long scroll; the far-reaching one uses the contrast between the shapes of distant and near mountains to create a three-dimensional and deep valley effect.
Don’t stick to the authenticity of the object itself, but focus on the subjective reality behind it. “The mountains and rivers make me speak for the mountains and rivers.” This is a very important feature of Chinese landscape painting.
The Eastern Jin Dynasty was located in the south of the Yangtze River. The nobles were all wealthy and in power, but were not loyal to the emperor Sima. At the same time, the nobles often went north to fight for power. This was a political characteristic.
But on the other hand, the Eastern Jin Dynasty made certain achievements in literature, and all kinds of poems, songs, and poems flourished in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Famous writers, including Xie Lingyun, Tao Yuanming, Wang Xizhi and others, also popularized parallel prose. There are also outstanding achievements in painting and calligraphy, such as the paintings of Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi, both of which have high artistic value.
The background of the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, one of the four famous Chinese folklores, also took place in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Although the Eastern Jin Dynasty was not a period of powerful political power in Chinese history, it was an era of extremely prosperous literature and art. The capital, Jiankang, became a cultural center, attracting many Buddhist monks and businessmen from Southeast Asia and India. The Buddhist model imitating Ji Bin was cast in 338 AD and is the earliest gilt-bronze Buddha statue known today. Wang Xizhi, the most influential calligrapher in Chinese history, was active during this period. The forms of pottery in the Eastern Jin Dynasty were more innovative than those in the Western Jin Dynasty. Tombs from this period were excavated in Fuguishan, Nanjing. According to historical records, this is the location of the royal tombs of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Starting from the Tang Dynasty, Chinese landscape painting began to be divided into two schools, the southern and the northern schools. The founder of the northern school was the Tang Dynasty painter Li Sixun. He invented the big ax chopping method and used heavy colors and thick ink in his paintings. The dotted moss is also painted with bright azurite, which is very suitable for expressing the sunny and towering mountain peaks in the north. Painters of the Song Dynasty such as Zhang Zeduan, Li Tang, Ma Yuan and Xia Gui inherited his style and formed a faction.
The Southern School started with Wang Wei, a famous poet who was praised as "there is painting in the poem, and there is poetry in the painting". It used Pima Crack and the Raindrop Crack or Mi Dian Crack invented by the Song Dynasty painter Mi Fu. , using more ink and less color to express the hills of the south of the Yangtze River in the drizzle. Later, it developed into ink landscapes using only ink. Painters such as Wang Meng and Ni Zan developed the Southern Style.
In the Jin Dynasty, frontier ethnic groups entered the Central Plains, and after ethnic encounters, they were assimilated into the Xia ethnic group. The grassland culture brought by the nomadic people was also integrated into the Central Plains culture. The Han people from the Central Plains moved southward, promoting the great development of the south, especially Jiangnan. During the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the great migration of ethnic groups and the blending of cultures created a cultural divide between the north and the south. The Yellow River Basin was reduced from the original Central Plains to the north, and was called the south with Jiangnan as its center. At that time, the world was in chaos, and many gentry and literati did not attach importance to morality, so Confucianism declined. Broad-minded people, witnessing the decline and chaos, are unwilling to hide away, so they ask for freedom and open up a trend of free conversation. With the rise of the Jin Dynasty, the world was still in chaos. Xiang Xiu's disciples benefited from Xuanfeng. Metaphysics and Buddhism spread from India to the East. Chinese culture gradually formed a fusion of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Taoism and Buddhism also gradually expanded into the lives of ordinary people during this period.
Although the Jin Dynasty was a period of decline in Chinese culture since the end of the Han Dynasty, there were also new developments in philosophy, literature, art, history, science, technology, etc., such as the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, Gu Kaizhi's paintings. Social problems in the two Jin Dynasties mainly revolved around the aristocratic clans. The aristocratic clans constituted the upper class of society and deeply affected this period. At that time, official learning was in decline, but aristocratic families were prospering in scholarship, especially in the south, where family learning became the most important form of cultural inheritance and development.
The academic thought of the Jin Dynasty has shifted from Confucian classics to metaphysics. Qingtan was widely popular among scholar-bureaucrats.
At the turn of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Sima family attempted to seize the throne, resulting in political repression and social unrest. At that time, it was said that "in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there were many bad things in the world, but few celebrities were complete." The name, etiquette, and etiquette became hypocritical or contemptuous. At this time, the family was trying to live in peace, but also worried, so they replaced it with talk, leaving aside reality and focusing on reasoning. At the end of its development, Confucianism became dilapidated and trivial. It focused on textual research and despised doctrine, leaving thought in a window period. For these reasons, metaphysics developed and became popular between 240 and 249.
Metaphysics and Taoism are not the same thing. The main books are Laozi, Zhuangzi and Zhouyi, collectively called the Three Mysteries. The core of thought is "nothing", and metaphysicians believe that "all things arise from nothing". But can dominate everything. Metaphysics advocates "governing by inaction" in politics, integrates the Confucian "name religion" and the Taoist "nature", and advocates that "name religion comes from nature." This argument holds that the relationship between superiority and inferiority and superiority and inferiority in the world is inherent and undeniable. Because it requires the common people to "submit their fate and know their destiny", they are welcomed by those in power and vigorously promoted.
As early as the Cao and Wei Dynasties, He Yan and Wang Bi proposed the theory that "famous teachings come from nature".
In the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty, the representatives of metaphysical thought were the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. Their thoughts had their own importance, but they were mainly represented by the thoughts of Ji Kang and Ruan Ji. They advocate the attitude of "nature and inaction" and advocate "going beyond teaching and letting nature go". Expose the hypocritical "famous religion" cloak of the Sima Group and cast aside the so-called "famous religion" etiquette. However, due to the extreme development of the "let nature take its course" view, a life of sensuality and dissoluteness was presented. By the late Western Jin Dynasty, the representatives of metaphysics were Pei Yu and Guo Xiang. Pei Yu proposed amendments to "Let nature be natural" and advocated "advocating theory" in order to correct the "abnormality". Guo Xiang further proved that "famous religion" is "nature", and the development of metaphysics has come to an end. At this time, the trend of free talk also spread to the political arena, and powerful officials and dignitaries also talked about mystical principles, presenting a group of powerful people who were still alive but about to be born.
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, dissolute behavior was slightly restrained, but the style of casual conversation remained popular because of the promotion of the powerful officials in the court. At that time, the aristocratic family lived a prosperous life, and they enjoyed talking about mysteries in famous mountains, ancient temples, villas and lakesides, which became a social activity. The imperial court and the noble families ignored specific affairs and talked about mystical principles all day long, forming a decadent and decadent value system, which led to the Eastern Jin Dynasty to be content with peace. As Buddhism spread to the East, Xu Yi and Sun Chuo added Buddhism to their ordinary conversations, which stimulated each other with metaphysics.