The phenomenon of poor money and hidden money is very common in the paintings of the Song Dynasty. This phenomenon exists in various painting subjects such as landscapes, figures, flowers and birds, and painters in the Song Dynasty basically did not have the habit of affixing seals. For example, Fan Kuan of the Northern Song Dynasty's "Traveling in Streams and Mountains" placed the inscription "Fan Kuan" under the dense leaves in the lower right corner of the picture; Guo Xi's "Early Spring Picture" inscribed "Early Spring, Renzi Guo Xi's Painting" on the left side of the trees; Li Cheng's "Reading" The "Picture of Stele and Stone" hides "Li Cheng painted trees and rocks, Wang Xiao added figures" on the side of the ruined stele in the painting; Li Tang's "Picture of Pine Wind in Ten Thousand Valleys" hides the inscription "Emperor Xuanhe Jiachenchun of the Song Dynasty, Li Tang of Heyang wrote " among the distant peaks; the "Picture of Picking Wei" contains the inscription "Heyang Li Tang painted Boyi, Shu Qi" on the stone wall; Cui Bai's "Double Happiness Picture" hides the inscription "Jiayou Xinchou Year Cui Baibi" on the stone wall Among the tree trunks; in addition, there are also the "Picture of Cutting Bamboo by the Sixth Patriarch" by Liang Kai in the Southern Song Dynasty, "Picture of Plum, Bamboo and Cold Birds" by Lin Chun, "Picture of Outlining Orchid" by Ma Lin, "Picture of Watching a Waterfall" by Ma Yuan, and "Picture of Twelve Years" by Xia Gui "Landscape" and so on, countless. Some scholars believe that this is the result of Song Dynasty painters not being good at calligraphy and therefore avoiding the topic. For example, Qian Du said in "Memories of Pine Pot Paintings": "In the Tang Dynasty, people only used small characters to hide tree roots and stone tablets. People in the Tang Dynasty were not good at calligraphy." , Most of them are on the back of the paper. By the Song Dynasty, there were records of years and months, but they were written in fine regular script and no two lines. "Although Qian Du is talking about the Tang Dynasty, it basically covers the paintings of the Song Dynasty, because there are many inscriptions in the paintings of the Song Dynasty. The phenomenon is more common on tree roots and stone monuments. Shen Hao also said in "Painting: Signature": "Before the Yuan Dynasty, inscriptions were often not used, and the inscriptions were hidden in the stone gaps, fearing that the calligraphy would not be precise and would damage the painting. Later, the calligraphy and painting were combined, and the beauty was attached."[2] Indeed, the calligraphy level of the inscriptions on the paintings of the Song Dynasty painters is indeed very low, and there is a certain gap between the calligraphy of the great calligraphers such as Su, Huang, Mi, and Cai of the same period, or the calligraphy of the Ming and Qing painters. However, a problem is overlooked here. Even the paintings of the great calligraphers Su Shi and Mi Fu do not have large-scale inscriptions or poems that have been handed down to the world, and there is no or very little mention of it in the records of the past dynasties. this. On the contrary, the works of Song Huizong Zhao Ji, the leader of the academy's painters, are a combination of poetry and painting, such as "Hibiscus and Golden Pheasant", "Auspicious Crane", "Auspicious Dragon and Stone", "Wintersweet Mountain Fowl", "Five-Colored Parrot" and many other works. The painting shows that the title complements the picture. This is exactly what Gao Bing of the Qing Dynasty said: "The ancients would inscribe their signatures on the back of the painting or between the trees and rocks. There is a principle that there should be no more writing on the edge of the painting, but it has been ignored in modern times." The author believes that the inscriptions in the paintings of the Song Dynasty appeared. Among the reasons for the phenomenon of money, poor money, and hidden money, the poor calligraphy of Song Dynasty painters is only a superficial phenomenon. It cannot be said to be a reason, let alone the main reason. The decisive factors include the following three aspects: 1. It is due to the aesthetic realm of "truth" and "investigation of things to gain knowledge" pursued by paintings in the Song Dynasty. There is an important proposition in the philosophical system of the Song Dynasty - "reason". Ercheng believes that "the grid is still poor, and the things are still rational. If you say it is exhausted, it means that you can reach knowledge. If you are exhausted, you will be able to achieve knowledge. If you are not exhausted, you will not be able to achieve it." The purpose of studying things is to exhaust the principles, and the so-called "grid" means "exhaust" That is, it must exhaust the principles of things." "Things" include all natural and social phenomena and even behavioral and moral norms. "Zhizhi" refers to infer one's own inherent knowledge, "extremely" to achieve "omniscience" and "understand its principles". The famous Neo-Confucianists Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi’s so-called “reason” mainly refers to the meaning of laws, and “reason” is the foundation of the universe and everything. Later, the great Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi further enriched the theory of two processes. Zhu Xi's "Annotations to the Four Books: Chapters and Sentences of the University" said: "The so-called knowledge lies in the investigation of things; the knowledge that I want to achieve is based on the things and the reason. In the human heart, everything is not without knowledge; and everything in the world is without reason; only There is no end to the principles; therefore, there is no end to the knowledge. "The Tao is the heart of heaven, so it is subtle, and only by keeping it in mind can we grasp it." "Reason" and "Reason" are attributed to their respective attributes in nature. The principle of plants, flowers and fruits is manifested in old, tender and dry, yin and yang facing away, opposite growth, leaf-shaped veins, woody herbs, etc. The principle of flying birds and livestock is manifested in birds shrinking their legs and spreading their necks, leaping horses bending their legs, etc. Although the interpretation and admiration of "Li" by scholars in the Song Dynasty was not originally intended to serve the art of painting, on the basis of the Song Dynasty, when royal courtyard painting dominated the world, painting directly accepted the ideas of Neo-Confucianism and formed an aesthetic trend that is It's a matter of letting nature take its course. Art historian Mr. Zheng Wuchang gave a brief summary of Song Dynasty paintings in "The Complete History of Chinese Painting": "Song people are good at painting, and they should mainly use the word 'reason'. This is the implicit acceptance of Neo-Confucianism." People in the Song Dynasty often painted based on "reason" As a starting point, the discussion of painting is also based on reasoning, and I want to follow the principles to seek spiritual pleasure.
The pursuit of "reason" in the art of painting is manifested in the emphasis on realism and grid method, which is particularly concentrated in courtyard paintings. The "reason" between heaven and earth and all things are expressed through accurate and realistic depictions of objects. The "reason" here refers to physics and physical properties. It was precisely because of "exhausting principles" and "investigating things" that Chinese painting reached the peak of realism in the Song Dynasty. Han Qi's "Anyang Jichao·Yuanjian Leihan" said: "The art of viewing paintings is only realistic. The one who obtains the complete truth is the best. The one who has more is the best. If it is not true, it is inferior." Paintings in the Song Dynasty were characterized by superb , proficient realistic techniques, and the "selfless state" where I and things become one, fully embody the aesthetic characteristics of the realistic art of traditional Chinese painting. As the famous art historian Mr. Lang Shaojun said: "The art of the Song Dynasty has reached the pinnacle of Chinese classical realism in terms of realism techniques. ... In terms of the level and achievements of classical realism art in Eastern and Western countries at the same time, it is undoubtedly the highest level. First-class, it is not an exaggeration to say that it occupies the highest position of human painting art at the same time. "However, the realism of Song Dynasty painting is not a complete naturalistic mechanical depiction. It integrates self and things into one, and is precise and objective. On the basis of describing things carefully, he integrates the artist's feelings and emotions, and then reaches the highest state of both form and spirit where things and self are unified. "This process of pursuing natural reality is different from the goal of 'conquering nature' in Western painting. It is by no means about transferring and restoring the image of nature like a mirror; on the contrary, this process of getting closer to nature is full of aweful observation and meditation of nature. And understanding." Er Cheng said: "The purpose of exhausting things is not to exhaust all things in the world, but to exhaust everything in one thing, others can be compared." This method of caring about things makes the observation of objects in the creation of painting art. The methods also changed accordingly, and methods of meticulous observation of flowers, trees, birds, insects, and mountains and forests emerged. For example, Guo Ruoxu's "Pictures and Knowledge" says: "Those who draw feathers must know the name of the bird's shape, including the beak, mouth, face, eye edges, jungle, brain hair, capillary hair, wings with tips, clam wings on the wings, etc. There are large knots and small knots, large and small nests of feathers, and six tips. There are also wind, grass, loose tail, pressed tail, belly hair, leg hakama, tail pheasant, and the feet have three-segmented probing claws and food claws. (two sections), lifting the claws (four sections), holding the claws (one section), and Xuanhuang Bajia." Guo Xi gave a profound and detailed description of the natural landscape in "Linquan Gaozhi". He said: "The mist of the real mountain is different in four seasons. In spring, the mountain is dull and like a smile, in the summer the mountain is green and dripping, and in the autumn the mountain is clear and like makeup. "The mountain looks like this from a distance, looks like this from a few miles away, and looks like this from a few miles away. The shape of the mountain changes step by step." Every time you look at it, the shape of the mountain is different. ...The mountains look like this in spring and summer, and they look like this in autumn and winter. The so-called scenery in the four seasons is different. The metamorphosis of yin and qing is different. Is it possible to understand the state of mind of one mountain and dozens of mountains?" This pursuit of truth and reason led many painters in the Song Dynasty to extend their changes in the way of observing things to art. At the level of creative methods, various chamfering techniques in painting techniques have been developed. This aesthetic trend and pursuit directly had a great influence on the painting techniques of landscape painters in the Song Dynasty, causing them to create different rubbing techniques based on the actual landforms. Dong Yuan created the "Phi Ma Cha", which is suitable for expressing the soft soil in the south of the Yangtze River; Li Cheng created the "Grimace Cha" based on the characteristics of the mountains in the Qilu region; Fan Kuan created the "Nail Head" which uses straight and short lines to depict the style of the boulders in the mountains of Guan and Shaanxi. ", raindrop chapping"; there are also Guo Xi's cirrus chopping method; Li Tang's ax chopping method; Mi Fu's falling eggplant method, etc. are very rich. No matter how profound aesthetic connotations the literati painters of the Ming and Qing Dynasties gave these "cracking techniques", in the Song Dynasty, these painting techniques were created to achieve the realm of truth-seeking and rationality through true and objective depictions of natural objects. An objective reflection of the true feelings of different regional features, landscapes, soil textures, flowers, plants and trees. In addition, there are many allusions in Song Dynasty painting theory and notebook novels that illustrate the Song Dynasty painting's admiration and pursuit of concepts such as "truth", "investigation of things to gain knowledge", "physics", and "physical properties". Guo Ruoxu's "Historical Notes on Pictures" says: "Ma Zhenghui tasted a buffalo fight, and Yun Li Guizhen painted it, and loved it very much. One day, the exhibition was exposed outside the double doors of the study room, and a guest of the rent-losing village was standing there. He laid it down and played with it for a long time, then he stole it. When the public saw it in the Qingsuo room, he asked: "I have a hidden painting. How can a farmer look at it and laugh at it? If you say it, it's okay. If you don't say it, it's a crime." Said: "I don't know how to paint, but I know the real cow is fighting. Even if it is a strong man, the tail is raised, so I laugh at the distortion." "The Yellow Quan Paints Birds" says: "The yellow Quan draws flying birds, with their necks and feet spread out.
Or it may be said: "When a flying bird shrinks its neck, it spreads its feet; when it shrinks its feet, it spreads its neck. There is no such thing as spreading out both ways." ’ It’s proven true by testing. But you know that those who observe things without examining them, even if they are painters, are not capable, how much more great ones? A gentleman is interested in learning and loves to ask questions. " Shen Kuo's "Mengxi Bi Tan·On the Peony Cluster" said: "Ouyang Gong tasted an ancient painting, and there was a cat under the peony bush, but its fineness was unknown. The Prime Minister, Zhengsu, married the in-laws of Wu Gong and Ou Gong. When he saw it, he said, "This is a peony at noon." How to understand it? Its flowers are dappled and jujube-colored, so they bloom in the middle of the day. The cat's eyes are as black as lines, and this is the cat's eye at noon. If there are dew flowers, the room will be dull and lustrous. Cat's eyes are round in the morning and evening, become narrower and longer in the day, and look like a thin ear at noon. "This is also about seeking the brushstrokes of the ancients." Deng Chun's "Painting Notes" said in Chinese: "The painter is the most skilled in the academy of painting, specializing in new ideas. When you see a scroll, it is very cute and playful. When you paint a hall corridor, it is shining with gold and green. , the red door is half open, and a palace maid is half-dressed outdoors, using a dustpan to store fruit peels in the shape of discarded fruits, such as duck feet, lychees, walnuts, torreyas, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and cornstarch. Subtle, there is such a thing!" There are also many allusions such as "When a peacock rises, it must raise its left hand first", "The sun is in the middle of the moon, there is no difference", "There is something in the eye", such records are everywhere. In summary, painting in the Song Dynasty actively pursued the so-called realms of painting such as "studying things to gain knowledge", "seeking truth", and "conveying spirit with things". Even though he famously said that "when talking about painting, it is based on shape, which can be seen in children's neighbors." Su Shi, a pioneer literati painter, actually When criticizing paintings, he also highly praised the effect of "taking shadows with lamps, not missing the slightest detail". Therefore, painters will not write a lot of poems and inscriptions in the pictures to destroy the real natural realm of "hopeful", "feasible", "livable" and "travelable". If they want to inscribe them, they will only be poor. , there is only a simple chronology and the artist's identification, not even a chronology, and the inscriptions are very hidden places such as old branches and dead stems, weed-covered stone walls, dense layers of leaves, etc. that are difficult for viewers to find. , limited by the self-discipline in the development of the art of inscriptions in paintings. Along with the development of literati paintings, the art of inscriptions in Chinese paintings did not truly mature until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, when poetry, calligraphy, painting, and printing were harmoniously unified on the screen. Expression form. If we want to divide the inscription art of Chinese painting into periods, the Tang and Song Dynasties were only in their infancy, the Yuan Dynasty was in the development period, and there was almost no discussion of painting history and painting theory before the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There are also words about how to inscribe and how the inscription plays a role in the painting. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were gradually more words. For example, Kong Yanshi in the Qing Dynasty said in "Painting Secrets": "The inscriptions on the paintings have their own positions. You must not presume to overwrite them." There is an empty space in the painting. If there is a high mountain on the left, it should be empty on the right, and the money will be on the right. The same goes for the right side, which cannot be invaded. Gao Bing of the Qing Dynasty summed up an inscription experience in his "Finger Painting Theory": "Ni Gen (Zan), Wen (Zheng Ming), Dong (Qichang), many of whom wrote hundreds of words on their own, all used them in painting. At that time, the title and postscript were pre-stored. "Zou Yigui's "Xiaoshan Painting Book" pointed out: "The painting has a certain place for inscription. If it is lost, the painting will be damaged. There may be a title or no title, the number of lines may be long or short, double or single, horizontal or straight, the top should be flat, and the head and bottom may be staggered, so-called even at the head but not at the foot. "This also shows the development and maturity of the art theory of inscriptions. Looking at the inscriptions themselves, except for the works of the emperor Zhao Ji, who was a high-ranking and well-fed emperor, the paintings of the Song Dynasty were basically poor and hidden money. And without inscriptions. The paintings of the Yuan Dynasty fully demonstrate the development process of inscription art. They include inscriptions from large calligraphy poems by Wang Mian, Wu Zhen, Qian Xuan, Ni Yunlin, etc., as well as inscriptions from Zhao Mengfu, Huang Gongwang, Ke Jiusi, Wang Yuan and other poor people who only have the name of the painter. As for the paintings of the Ming and Qing painters, they basically have poems, calligraphy, paintings and seals. They attach great importance to this comprehensive ability, and they regard the title as the image. An indispensable part, such as Fang Xun's "Mountain Quiet Residence Painting Theory" also said: "The style of painting began in Su and Mi, and was prepared by the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. It was based on the inscription, location, painting scene, and painting title. , the one whose cover and reflection are in harmony with each other. If the title is not appropriate, a good painting will be detracted from it, which is also the management behind the painting. "Shen Hao said in "Painting: Signature": "There is a natural inscription in a painting. If it is missing, it will damage the painting. "Because literati painting was highly developed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, painters needed to have certain achievements in calligraphy, poetry, painting, seal cutting, etc. before they could write and paint. This is why commentators of the Ming and Qing Dynasties said that the Song Dynasty The reason why the paintings have no inscriptions or hidden inscriptions is because of their poor calligraphy. In short, the art of inscriptions is unified with the development of literati painting art. It is a form of expression of literati painting art, which was only in its infancy in the Song Dynasty. The period only serves to record the year and leave a name, and is a dispensable thing attached to the picture (it seems that only Guo Xi's "Early Spring Picture" in the Song Dynasty has the author's name seal).
Therefore, painters do not have to and will not pursue the aesthetic effect of combining poetry, calligraphy and painting with the vigorous and vigorous calligraphy, the everlasting meaning of poetry, and the vermilion visual effect of seals in their paintings. This is also determined by the aesthetic realm and aesthetic understanding they pursue in painting, as well as the limitations of the inscription art in the Song Dynasty. Third, the limitations of the status, aesthetics, and character of painters in the Song Dynasty. Most of the Song Dynasty painters recorded in the history of art were academy painters. Academy painters directly served the emperor and the court. The so-called "accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger". If you are not careful, you may lose your official position or be demoted, or your life may be at risk. They must be careful and walk on thin ice. Keeping a low profile and entertaining is the basic way to protect himself. He will definitely not be as wild, aloof and individual as a literati painter, who expresses his emotions through large areas of poetry in his works. We can also get hints from the great painter and prime minister Yan Lipen. Zhang Yanyuan's "Records of Famous Paintings of the Past Dynasties" says: "Taizong and his ministers traveled around the Spring Garden. There were strange birds following the waves in the pool. He loved to play endlessly and summoned his ministers. After singing, he hurriedly summoned Yan Liben, the painter, to set up the painting. Yan Liben, already a doctor in the imperial court, was running around and sweating. He was lying on the side of the pool, waving pills in his hands, looking at the guests, and he was so ashamed that he retreated. Confucius said: 'My young master is fond of reading poetry, and now he only knows through painting. It is humiliating to work as a slave, so you should be careful not to practice this art.'" Zha Yan Liben was an engineer in the Tang Dynasty and was good at it. He was a painter and quite talented in politics. At the time of Emperor Taizong Zhenguan, he served as a lieutenant to the Lord and Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. In the reign of Emperor Gaozong, he was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and in the first year of the General Chapter, he was promoted to Right Prime Minister and granted the title of Male of Boling County. Even as a right-hand man, he did not dare to make a mistake in front of the emperor. He could only advise his children and grandchildren not to learn skills. It is conceivable that ordinary academy painters in the Song Dynasty lived in a state of silence and cautious words and deeds when serving the emperor. The possibility of expressing themselves, arbitrarily expressing themselves, and writing poems in the works created by the academy simply did not exist. There is a record in Deng Chun's "Painting Notes": "In the Painting Academy, there is a steady stream of people calling for examinations from all over the world, and many of them leave because they don't agree with each other. Because it is a temporary fashion, only focusing on the appearance, if you are complacent and can't help but let it go, it is said to be illegal. It may be that there is no teacher to follow, so what you do to stop all the work cannot be done to a high level." Among them, words such as "leave in discord", "illegal standards", "similar in shape" also hinted that the painters in the academy were slightly at odds with the emperor, that is, the fact that they were eliminated also basically summarized the emperor's preferences as " "Specialize in appearance" and "respect authenticity". Under such circumstances, the Song Dynasty academic painters could not and did not dare to write poems on large areas of the picture to express themselves and express their emotions. They could only remain "anonymous" as much as possible to express their wishes. Conclusion: Paintings in the Song Dynasty were greatly influenced by Neo-Confucianism. The "principles" of Song Dynasty paintings conformed to the objective laws of natural things and social laws. The true shapes, true spirits, and true states of objects were expressed in paintings. The painting theories and criticisms of the Song Dynasty also Always use "truth" to understand "reason". The aesthetic ideal of the Song Dynasty people is no longer the ethereal fairy mountains and palaces, but the mountains, forests, ravines, streams and springs that can be seen in front of them. Therefore, they try to avoid themselves in painting, integrate themselves into nature and creation, and then pursue The true natural state of "truth", "investigating things to gain knowledge", and the unity of things and myself. In addition, the academy painters had a low status in front of the emperor, had no self, and did not dare to express themselves; as well as the literati painting had not reached a high degree of maturity, and the inscription art attached to it was also in its infancy. Taking all the reasons together, it finally formed The phenomenon of poor money and hidden money is common in the paintings of the Song Dynasty. Regarding the poor calligraphy art of the inscriptions in the works of Song Dynasty painters, the author believes that it is not an inability, but a lack of effort, not pursuing the integration of calligraphy into painting, and not pursuing the combination of calligraphy and painting on the screen. Just like the behavior of literati painters in the Ming and Qing Dynasties who vigorously pursued the independent aesthetic value of brush and ink without paying attention to natural objects and nature, and issued the cry of "painting landscapes is based on the road, it is the end of the world."