A Research On The Temporal Spirit Of The Forms Of Pen And Ink In Chinese Traditional Water-ink Landscape Painting

The temporal spirit of pen and ink is a name for the action of placing the forms of pen and ink in Chinese traditional paintings in the critical system of contemporary artistic theory. A painter in Qing Dynasty, Shi Tao, once said:"pen and ink should apply with the times", which requires that pen and ink should have temporary spirit. The development of water-ink landscape painting has always been being influenced by Chinese traditional culture. In the contemporary times, cultural fields are deeply melting together and becoming the cultural background of our era; the constant deepening of industrialization and informationization, the speeding-up of urbanization, etc. are profoundly influencing China’s cultural biology nowadays. This boundaryless context presents more requirements upon the expressing forms of painting, for which the forms of expression for Chinese painting have achieved expansion in different degrees, which can be seen in painters such as Li Keran, Shi Lu, etc. They believe that art should be based on life and should be closely connected with temporal culture, pay close attention to sketching, and emphasize putting the forms of pen and ink into life and the idea that art comes from life but is superior to life. Their views cast a great influence upon the development of Chinese temporary painting.It is not difficult to find out the extensive meanings of "pen and ink" in Chinese traditional painting theoretical system. Some wise man in the past once said:"pen and ink makes a painting", which emphasizes the important role of pen and ink in Chinese traditional painting and even personifies pen and ink. Pen and ink is both material and spiritual; it can refer to either some concrete object or some abstract thing. One good painting should be in accordance with the "six laws" by Xie He in South Qi Dynasty giving the standards about criticizing a painting and be creative at the same time (including the forms of pen and ink and painting content keeping up with then times). Looking back, we can safely draw the conclusion that a good painter of Chinese traditional painting is always a calligrapher (Huang Binhong, Qi Baishi and Lin San are among the top ten calligraphers in contemporary times, and Lu Yanshao, Pan Tianshou, Pu Baoshi, etc. are good at poetry, calligraphy, painting and engraving). The standards about strokes in Chinese traditional painting come from Chinese calligraphy, outstandingly displayed on the paintings of men of letters. However, aesthetic appreciation varies from times to times; at present, due to the immerging of western culture, Chinese water-ink landscape painting has been changing. With such a background, how to inherit and develop Chinese traditional water-ink painting, how to combine our national cultural essence and temporal spirit in contemporary forms pen and ink have come to scholars’attention, which profoundly influences the development of Chinese traditional water-ink landscape painting. Hence, it is quite important to pay attention to the temporal spirit of pen and ink in Chinese traditional water-ink landscape painting.