The Comprehensive Research On The South Song Poetics And The Arts Of Painting And Calligraphy

The comparative study on the Southern Song Dynasty poetics, painting and calligraphic art, which includes the mutual influences among them as well as their integration and complementation in aesthetics, and which presents integration of poetry, calligraphy and painting in aesthetic concept and ideology, displays a general trend of Fuya, Chongge and Shangyi. This paper attempts to follow the development of poetic thoughts in the Southern Song Dynasty, so as to elaborate the integrative and complementary course of poetics, calligraphy and painting art in this period, with the reference of theories on calligraphy and painting, as well as the mentality and literary creation of scholars in this period. The full text is divided into four chapters.The first chapter discusses the influence of the poetic transformation in the early Southern Song Dynasty to the retro trend of painting and calligraphy. With regard to poetic creation, the poetic ideologies of poets like Chen Yuyi, Lv Benzhong, Xu Fu, Han Ju and Zeng Ji, not only reflected fusing the poetic styles of Su Shi and Huang Tingjian, as well as advocating the Huofa Theory and Wuru Thought, but also aspired after the fresh and natural poetic style belonging to Tang poetry. As to painting, on one hand, literate painters represented by Mi Youren and Jiang Can inherited and developed the literati painting traditions of the Northern Song Dynasty; on the other hand, academic painter group with Li Tang as representative took over the conventions of Xuanhe Imperial Paiting Academy in the Northern Song Dynasty, based on which, this group created a new pattern for the mountains-and-waters painting of the Southern Song Dynasty. When it came to calligraphy, Song Gaozong, with his emperor identity, recommended and practiced the ancient calligraphy. Through learning from masters of the Wei Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, he developed his personal style under the calligraphic systems of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi. His actions exerted a tremendous influence. Advocating elegance and freshness became the core aesthetic concept of the literary and artistic realm in the early Southern Song Dynasty, and was also the ideological foundation of fusing poetry, calligraphy and painting.The second chapter analyzes the pursuit of Chongge in the middle Southern Song Dynasty which means seeking a noble and elegant character in poetics and calligraphy. The poetics and calligraphy of the great four Zhongxing poets showed the tendency of Chongge. Lu You argued that efforts should be made beyond poetry itself, and that imposing manner and uplifting spirit should be recommended. Besides, Fan Chengda’s poems and calligraphy paid much attention to gracious quality and noble spirit. Then, Yang Wanli’s Theory of Poetic Taste was also particular about elegant and exquisite style. You Mao’s poems and calligraphy stressed artistic effects and a noble character as well. Zhang Xiaoxiang’s poetry style was close to Su Shi’s which was fresh and broad-minded, and to Du Fu’s which was depressed and solemn, seeking the unity between solemn and stirring quality and faithful personality, with quite a lot of works that recalled current events with sentiment. And Liu Songnian’s paintings which showed diverse styles that were exquisite, elegant, and rigorous, absorbed the essences of different painting styles in order to reach a wonderful state. He devoted particular care to the artistic character of painting, which represented the ideological tendency of Chongge in the middle Southern Song Dynasty. What’s more, the versatile Jiang Kui, though a broken-down literate never having been an official all his life, led the aspiration of natural ingenious state in the artistic field.The third chapter expounds the relationship between the atmosphere of learning Tang poetry and calligraphy and painting of Shangyi which meant interest and charm in the late Southern Song Dynasty. First, the Jianghu poet group, with the mood of learning Tang culture and poetics of Shangyi, taking Yongjia School as vanguards, Dai Fugu and Liu Kezhuang the main force, learned poetry of the late Tang Dynasty so as to form a bitter lyric style and popularize the mood of Shangyi. Speaking of calligraphy, Zhang Jizhi stroke out a new line for himself by imitating and absorbing the essences from famous masters of Tang and Song Dynasties, and formed a self-contained compact calligraphy of Shangyi. In painting, Ma Yuan and Xia Gui on behalf of academic painters explored elegance respectively by means of vigorous ink or simple magnificent drawings, which represented the general mood of Shangyi in the late Southern Song Dynasty. The fourth chapter is on the adherents of the late Southern Song Dynasty whose poetry, painting and calligraphy were natural and unrestrained with a noble character. When the Southern Song Dynasty was defeated and the home lost, the patriotic poetic emotions of those adherents became the main expressions of poets during this period. And the sad tone was also played quietly around the complete collapse of the country. The poetry of those adherents mainly expressed their homesick feelings for their Song homeland. For instance, Wang Yuanliang, who had experienced the bitterness of leaving homeland, wrote sorrow and melancholy poems to convey the pain of losing his nation as well as the pursuit of a noble and elegant character. What’s more, Bai Yuchan’s poems for paintings and creation of calligraphy and painting along with Zhao Mengjian’s poetry, painting and calligraphy, were inclined to chase after a noble and elegant character, representing the highest level of the calligraphic and painting creation in the late Southern Song Dynasty.