A History of Tang and Song Painting

For the first time， this book combines Western modern art theory with the study of traditional Chinese art history， and clearly describes the development of painting in China during the Tang and Song dynasties. This period can be called the “the era of legends” of Chinese art history.

Wang Wei was from Taiyuan. At the age of nineteen， he achieved the highest degree in the imperial examinations and rose to the position of Minister of State Affairs， hence he is often referred to as Wang Youcheng （Minister Wang）. He was proficient in calligraphy， poetry， painting， and music， with poetry and painting being inseparable from his life. When An Lushan rebelled （755）， he was captured by An Lushan， brought to Luoyang， and imprisoned at Pushi Temple， where he was appointed to a position in the court. One day， during a banquet at the Ningbi Pond，" An Lushan summoned the operatic players to perform. The musician Lei Haiqing threw his instrument， faced west， and wept bitterly， only to be killed in the Shima Pavilion. Wang Wei mourned the devastation of his country and wrote a poem expressing his sorrow：

“Ten thousand households grieve amidst wild smoke. When will the officials return to court again？

The autumn locust leaves fall in the empty palace. At Ningbi Pond， the orchestra plays.”

After the turmoil subsided， he was imprisoned again. However， due to this poem and the intervention of his brother Jin， who resigned from an official position to help him， he was released and reinstated as Minister. Yet he declined the position and returned to his estate in Wangchuan （now southwest of Lintian in Shaanxi）， where he spent the remainder of his life among the peaks and forests. His landscape paintings had a profound influence on later generations， surpassing any artist of the flourishing Tang Dynasty. Zhang Yanyuan noted that his works were expressive in ink wash， with a vigorous brush style. Zhu Jingxuan remarked that his style “resembles that of Wu Daozi but is uniquely distinguished.” His landscapes predominantly utilized ink and water， closely following Wu Daozi but surpassing him.

His poetry resonates with music. Li Guinian once sang two of his poems at a banquet： “Red beans grow in the south land. In spring， how many branches will they sprout？ I hope you gather more of them， for they are the essence of longing.”

“Clear winds and bright moons， how bitter the longing. The traveler has been away for over a decade. As he departs， he earnestly entrusts his messages， And when the wild geese return， a few letters accompany them.”

His poetry also embodies painting. The Xuanhe Painting Manual cites several lines. All these lines evoke vivid imagery. His paintings also reflect poetry; Su Dongpo stated： “In Wang Wei’s poems， there is painting; in his paintings， there is poetry.” His favored themes included snow scenes， plank roads， fishing nets， dawn walks， fishing， snow crossings， and village life， all of which were popular subjects among poets of the time. Therefore， discussions of his paintings inevitably encompass his poetry.

His famous work， Wangchuan， is described by Zhu Jingxuan as： “The mountain valleys are lush and winding， clouds and water swirl， the meaning transcends the mundane， and the essence flows from the brush.” Chao Wujiao remarked on a Song Dynasty imitation of his Fishing Scene： “The Minister excels in poetry， hence his paintings overflow with meaning. Those who wish to capture him in words are mistaken.” He was also skilled at painting portraits. In his Fusheng Teaching the Classics， Sun Chengze expressed amazement， saying： “The excellence of the figures surpasses that of all the Tang artists.”

However， very few of his paintings have survived; Snow Clearing over the Rivers and Mountains （also known as a copy） is perhaps the only extant piece. This painting greatly inspired the so-called literati painting movement during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Dong Qichang noted： “This autumn， I heard that Wang Wei has a scroll titled ‘Snow Clearing over the Rivers and Mountains’， collected by Feng Gongshu. I quickly asked a friend to go to Wulin to see it. Gongshu treasured it， claiming it was the essence of his mind. Since I have a penchant for Wang Youcheng， he graciously accepted my request， fasting for three days to view it. It resembled a small piece from Wuxing. I was delighted！ Furthermore， the Minister himself stated： ‘In this life， I mistakenly became a poet， and in a previous existence， I must have been a painter.’ Although I had never seen his works， I felt I truly grasped his essence， for the work was just as I imagined; could it be that in a past life， I had entered his studio and experienced his grand style， a memory I could not forget？”

Another passage reads： “When I was in Chang’an， I heard that Feng Kaizhi， the Grand Minister， acquired the right minister’s Snow Clearing over the Rivers and Mountains. I quickly sent someone to Jinling to borrow it for viewing. Feng claimed to treasure it like the essence of his mind， but my hopes were not fulfilled （this sentence seems erroneous）. When the package arrived at my residence and I spread it out on the table， I fasted to view it， experiencing something unprecedented. I followed Feng’s teachings and wrote several hundred words as an inscription. Overall， I stated that the previous artists were skilled in every way; only the emotional quality of the landscapes felt not quite to the point. It was Wang Youcheng who first employed texture techniques and shading methods; like Wang Xizhi’s transformation from Zhong Yao’s calligraphy style， soaring like phoenixes and dragons， expressing calligraphy through unique layouts and structures， but ultimately returning to stability and standardization. After Wang Youcheng， artists developed their own styles， like Wang Qia and Li Sixun （an error here for Li was a predecessor of Wang Wei）， some splashed ink dramatically， while others used delicate colors. However， the path was already laid out， making imitation easy， akin to the calligraphers Ou， Yu， Zhu， and Xue， all following the essence of Wang Xizhi. This Snow Clearing piece got lost during Feng Changgong’s travels in Huangshan. I reflect on it and feel that I shall never see it again in this lifetime.” Wang Shimin remarked： “The right minister’s Snow Clearing over the Rivers and Mountains was once owned by Grand Minister Feng， later returned to Cheng Jibai of Xinan. In my years in the capital， I lived next door to Cheng， visiting him daily and occasionally enjoying the opportunity to view the painting. Over a decade has passed， and I no longer know to whom this painting belongs. I feel that in this lifetime， I shall never see it again.”

Unfortunately for us， few landscape paintings before Wang Wei have survived; apart from Gu Kaizhi’s The Admonition of the Court Lady with its accompanying scenery and Yan Liben’s Clouds Returning over Autumn Mountains， there is hardly anything left for comparative study. Comparing Snow Clearing over the Rivers and Mountains with the landscapes in The Admonition of the Court Lady reveals a significant gap. The former presents a natural arrangement， with trees and hills， distant mountains， and nearby scenery， all imbued with appropriate life; the latter， however， has awkward mountain forms， disjointed birds and figures， an unclear foreground， and a non-existent background， making the compositional placement juvenile. Thus， Wang Yuanqi remarked： “The snow scenes in paintings before the Tang Dynasty merely sought resemblance. It was Wang Wei who infused them with vitality and spirit.” If the landscapes before the Tang were indeed similar to Gu Kaizhi’s， I don’t think this statement is an exaggeration. Works from early Tang， like those of Yan Liben， are still somewhat “historical” and distanced from Wang Wei.

The significance of Wang Wei in the history of landscape painting marks the moment when it gained independence and developed during the flourishing Tang Dynasty. However， we should not believe in the emotional praise from figures like Dong Qichang， who believed that Wang Wei shifted from line-drawing techniques to shading techniques; this is simply not the case. His paintings are undeniably poetic. Yet， the so-called methods of texture and shading used by later artists cannot truly be found in his work. His creations still remain at the stage of line-drawing techniques. He is not a flawless painter; Dong You commented that his “creative interpretations of texts are somewhat lacking; for example， the mountains appear flat and distant， while the clouds， peaks， and colors of rocks stand out vividly.”

Wang Shizhen stated： “The right minister began to express the charm beyond the scenery， but still has not reached completion.” The terms “l(fā)acking” and “not yet complete” indicate that his works do not possess the fullness found in later landscape paintings. His poetic sentiment and Zen-like essence are deeply embedded in his being; he rests in nature and bows to fate. His character lacks the fervor of Wu Daoxuan and the meticulousness of Li Sixun， yet possesses its own graceful and relaxed qualities.

When landscape painting first established itself， breaking away from established forms allowed for personal exploration. At this time， Wang Wei developed a “l(fā)yrical” aspect， parallel to the “bold” qualities of the Wu school and the “decorative” traits of the Li school， which together represent the multifaceted development of landscape paintings in the flourishing Tang Dynasty. The relationships among these three figures embody a sense of hierarchical or transitional significance. We must set aside vague applause and recognize their historical positions clearly.