The Research On The Meanings Of Paintings Of Birds And Flowers In Song Dynasty

Chinese painting of birds and flowers is a form of paintings welcomed by all and that suits both refined and popular tastes.The paintings came from the nature but also with a deeper meaning than just the nature.It is no longer just a depiction of flowers and birds,it is also an indication of human beings,for their characters,their thoughts,their manner and their culture.Painters often paint in such forms to express their ideology,tastes,and interests.Chinese paintings of birds and flowers is such a special symbol for their pursue of humanism,showing how Chinese uniquely view and observe the world,and how they think and express their affections to the world via such beautiful forms.The whole symbolism of this form of paintings,rooted in Chinese traditional culture.Painters,guided by the philosophy“ultimate unity of universe and human”,and influenced by the scientific thinking of Song Dynasty,accompanied by Chinese poetry,created numerous works that have rich cultural connotations.Song Dynasty is the peak time for paintings of birds and flowers.With intensive competitions between painters,broad contents and topics covered in the paintings,and countless works that were created,Song Dynasty was a time with specific artistic features.This paper focus on the research on the deeper meanings of paintings of birds and flowers in Song Dynasty,starting with a brief history introduction,on which it will discuss the cultural roots of the paintings,dig the personal affections of painters in such genre,explore the connotation behind the images,and thus,helps readers better understand the values of such artistic aesthesis and the rules of such artistic creation.The introduction of paper focus on the purposes,meanings,and quotations of this paper.Chapter One,based on the general situations of paintings of birds and flowers in Song Dynasty,discusses,on a macro level,the overall artistic styles and historic features of paintings at that time.Chapter Two takes the cultural meaning of the paintings of birds and flowers as background,and illustrates the philosophy of "ultimate unity of universe and human",the acknowledging processes of"observe to know,know to understand",the aesthetic values of "knowing the meaning behind the image",the artistic eoneept of "the painting is the poem,the poem is the painting".Chapter Three explores the symbolism of the paintings of birds and flowers in Song Dynasty,from the perspective of contents,forms,and meanings.The general rule of contents usually appears to be lucky items and images,and"unity of items and self".The forms of these paintings are usually categorized into,complieate and simple,sophisticated and unrefined,black and color.The meanings of the paintings are usually expressed in a way of,straightforwardness and details,or wilderness and bluntness,or euphemiotic implication.