A Study Of Wang Shen ’s Painting And Its Collection

The Song Dynasty is an era of cultural and artistic boom and with the emergence of some enlightened ideas,the rigorous hierarchy of the last dynasty is gradually undermined.In the Northern Song Dynasty,there are many eminent scholars,such as impoverished scholar-bureaucrats and artistic talents born in the royal family.Wang Shen is such an influential aristocrat who is gifted with excellent painting skills and profound artistic literacy,though he is not mentioned much in the historical documents and his social status and accomplishments are not clearly defined either.Therefore,the author will make a relatively comprehensive study of Wang Shen.This article starts with the life and the historical background of Wang Shen,and through the events of his social circle,especially interaction with Su Shi,probes deeply into his life movements and living environment.Then it analyzes Wang Shen’s painting style and some implied connotations of his creation with a selection of his representative landscape paintings,which brings forward the creative concept of his paintings.Despite his proficiency of painting and calligraphy,Wang Shen is also known as a connoisseur;the abundance of material conditions lays the foundation for him to build Baohuitang Hall and proceed with collection,appreciation,business and other activities,and also serves as an essential condition for broadening his horizon,and his integrating the past and innovations,so the author will study in depth all aspects of the activities of Baohuitang Hall,mainly focusing on the source and dealing records of the works of painting and calligraphy.In this article,a supplement of Wang Shen’s influence on the Song Dynasty and the following dynasty is presented and in the historical literature,it discovers that Wang Shen is profoundly associated with Emperor Huizong of Song,Zhao Ji,which helps with the later destiny of Wang Shen.