Su Shi s paintings are elegant in the spirit of poetry .

Mondo Culture Updated on 2024-03-01

Meishan bright star, descended to the world to shine in the literary world

On January 8, 1037 in the Gregorian calendar, when the morning dawn first dew and the earth woke up, Su Shi fell to the ground in a rented house in Shajixing Old Street, Meishan, Sichuan. A brilliant literary superstar was born, and his appearance left a strong mark in the history of Chinese culture.

The pen and ink dance, and the feelings are hidden in the paintings

Su Shi was a great master in the literary circle of the Northern Song Dynasty, not only made outstanding achievements in the fields of poetry, prose, calligraphy, etc., but also was proficient in painting, especially painting ink bamboo, dead wood, and strange stones. His paintings not only show his superb painting skills, but also contain his personality charm and artistic pursuit. Su Zhe said in "The Story of the Wu Painting Hall of Longxing Temple in Ruzhou": ".To the brothers, less but know the painting, do not learn but to use the pen.

Xiaoxiang Bamboo and Stone, Song Dynasty, Su Shi, Collection of the National Art Museum of China, detail.

Su Shi's painting style is unique, he is good at using ink, the composition is concise, and the brushstrokes are vivid. His ink and bamboo works are particularly outstanding, and through simple brushstrokes, the vitality and vitality of bamboo can be expressed. When he paints bamboo, he often does not stick to the likeness, but pays more attention to the likeness, and pursues an expression of artistic conception. He advocated that painting should express the emotions and thoughts of the painter, rather than simply depicting nature.

Painting is about love and thought, and poetic painting is sought in the context

Su Shi emphasized that there is affection outside the painting, and that the painting should have sustenance, advocating that "poetry and painting are uniform, heavenly and fresh", and clearly put forward the concept of "scholar painting", which played a decisive role in the formation of the scholar painting system. Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty also called it "the painting of the literati", and Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty was its founder, and was regarded as the ancestor of the Southern Sect. Literati painting generally refers to the paintings made by Chinese people and scholars in feudal Chinese society. It is different from the paintings of folk painters and professional painters of the court painting academy.

In modern times, Huang Binhong also vigorously admired the painting of Chinese scholars and pushed it to the highest stage of the spiritual representation of the Chinese nation. He thinks".Shifu painting is marked by calligraphy into the painting, and since Su Dongpo, the painting grid of Shifu painting is the highest”。It also points out: ".The literati's paintings are highly knowledgeable and valued by the world, because they have a bookish atmosphere in their paintings, and unlike the vulgar, they are especially good at using brush and ink, and are not limited by rules.

Su Shi's "Crossing the Sea".

ThereforeBookishwithPen and ink skillsIt has become the standard for literati painting criticism and the unique connotation it should have:

The bookish atmosphere, or "poetic volume", pays attention to the poetry reflected in the paintings, and is unique with its unique "elegance". In other words, the beauty of rhyme, rhythm and calligraphy displayed in the poem should be cast in the painting process.

If a painter is evaluated in this way: his paintings are "written", then this is the highest evaluation of his paintings. Su Shi also emphasized the importance of calligraphy, and introduced it into improvised literati paintings, which became an important brush and ink technique in literati paintings.

Mobao has been passed down through the ages, and its influence will last forever

From the perspective of the painting practice of literati painting, Su Shi's "Dead Wood and Strange Stones" (also known as Wood and Stone Pictures) can be seen in his aesthetic practice, which well supports his painting theory. Through concise compositions and vivid brushstrokes, the inner spirit and vitality of trees and stones are expressed.

Detail of Su Shi's "Dead Wood and Strange Stones".

Due to the ups and downs of his career, his life was turbulent, and his ideology was influenced by Confucianism and Zhuangzi, Su Shi formed a complex personality of worrying about the people's sadness and being open and decadent. "Dead Wood and Strange Stones" is often considered to be the externalization of Su Shi's inner mind, Mi Fu commented on Dongpo's paintings in the "History of Painting":"Zizhan is a dead wood, the branches are unprovoked, the stone is hard, and it is strange and unprovoked, such as the middle of his chest. "The dead wood in the painting bends and twists upward, like a struggling body; The strange stones are formed with rotating brushstrokes, giving the viewer a sense of depression in motion. Su Dongpo said to himself, "The wood is barren and long-lived, and the stone is ugly and literate". Although the wood in the painting is dry and strong, critics believe that it reflects the grievances in his chest.

Su Shi once claimed that "although Dongpo is a Huzhou faction, bamboo and stone are in the flow for a while", it can be seen that the most proud work of his life is bamboo and stone, to the Southern Song Dynasty, the people of the time also said:"The dead wood, bamboo and stone made by the eastern slope are sold for ten thousand gold. On November 26, 2018, "Wood and Stone" was sold by Christie's auction house in Hong Kong for 4The auction of 63.6 billion Hong Kong dollars really confirmed what it means to be "sold for 10,000 dollars".

Leading the tide surge, a new chapter of literati painting

Su Shi's theory of "scholar painting" and his works have had a profound impact on the art of painting in later generations. The humanistic thinking and inner spirit contained in his works have also inspired later generations of literati painters, making his paintings have higher cultural connotation and artistic value.

Li Zhaodong's calligraphy work "Water Tune Song Head".

This also provides important inspiration and reference for Mr. Li Zhaodong's artistic creation: in the process of painting, Mr. Li Zhaodong pays attention to grasping the inner spirit and temperament of the object, and strives to express the charm and artistic conception of the object through brush and ink, so as to achieve the artistic effect of both form and spirit; His works also contain profound cultural heritage and humanistic spirit, showing the style and temperament of the literati, and highlighting the unique charm of literati painting.

Li Zhaodong, "Standing in the North".

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