Study On The Authenticity Of Wu Li's Landscape Paintings In The Style Of Wang Meng

Wu Li,included among the Six Orthodox Masters of the Early Qing,absorbed an enduring regard for the Song and Yuan dynasty masters,especially Wang Meng,who had a profound influence on the formation of his painting style.Due to the preciousness of his masterpieces,there have been so many forgeries left until today.So far,there has been almost no systematic research on Wu Li's landscape paintings in the style of Wang Meng,which means there is great room for research in this field.This thesis attempts to sort out Wu Li's standard landscape paintings that imitate Wang Meng,summarize their characteristics,and identify the forgeries that remain in the world.The thesis is divided into six chapters.The first chapter is an introduction.First,it points out that paintings in the style of Wang Meng make up a large proportion in Wu Li's works.Second,it raises seven questions about Wu Li's landscape paintings in the style of Wang Meng,which the research of this thesis focuses on.After stating and summing up the former research results,it is found that this field is still blank.Then,this thesis introduces the research methods,taking “to confirm the genuine and eliminate the counterfeit” as the criterion,adopting methods such as truth determination,comparison,and verification,following the basic steps of the study of calligraphy and painting identification,sorting out genuine standard paintings and eliminating forgeries.The second chapter is about the study of Wu Li's calligraphy,which is an important basis for appraisal of paintings.Its evolution is gradual as well as consistent,especially important for speculating the date of the paintings that carry no date.Therefore,it is necessary to have a clear understanding of Wu Li's calligraphy before discussing his paintings.By far,there has been almost no systematic research on Wu Li's calligraphy.This thesis sorts out Wu Li's calligraphy written at different times,and thinks that in terms of time,before about 44 years old,Wu Li's style of calligraphy generally can be divided into three categories: running script in the style of Su Shi,small regular script or running script in an elegant and delicate style,and a type of running script with a round brushstroke as well as continuous lines.After about 44 years old,his style of calligraphy gradually stabilizes,all of which is in the style of Su Shi,and there is also a type of big running script,with little change in general.This thesis discusses each style in detail,and summarizes the characteristics of each style.The third chapter reviews the Wu Li's process of painting,and attempts to divide all of Wu Li's works into different stages based on previous research.Imitations of Wang Meng's landscape is part of Wu Li's works,thus must be considered into the whole creation.Therefore,this thesis first discusses Wu Li's experience in painting and learning,as well as his teachers.Secondly,the thesis tries to conclude Wu Li's painting concept.Finally,the thesis states all kinds of division of Wu Li's paintings,which other experts put forward,and based on those studies,a new version is made in the thesis.The fourth chapter discusses different stages of Wu Li's landscape paintings in the style of Wang Meng,and summarizes their features,which is the core of this thesis.Due to the complexity of the imitations of previous masters made by the painters in the Qing Dynasty,this thesis first determines what Wang Meng's painting style is like.Second,it sorts out the genuine works of Wang Meng(or paintings that claim to be made by Wang Meng)that Wu Li had seen or imitated,according to which the thesis speculates Wu Li's understanding of Wang Meng's painting style.Third,given the previous expert opinions,it sorts out three types of Wu Li's paintings in the style of Wang Meng,which is considered to be the genuine standard paintings,lists and analyzes them according to the age.There are 12 paintings in total,divided into three phases.Before about 35 years old is the early stage,the genuine standard paintings include The forth leaf of An Album of Landscape Paintings for Guang Weng(Shang Hai Museum),The sixth leaf of An Album of Landscape Paintings for Mo Rong(Nan Jing Museum).From about 35 years old to about 50 years old is the middle stage,the genuine standard paintings include The Shadow of Pines and Study House from An Album of Landscape Paintings by Wu Li,Gu Yin and other painters(The Palace Museum),Pines,Cranes and Guqin(The Palace Museum),The Distant Sail and Spring River from An Album of Landscape Paintings(The Palace Museum).After 50 years old is the last stage,the genuine standard paintings include The Silent Autumn Morning(Nan Jing Museum),Rivers and Mountains in the Autumn Morning(Hong Kong Museum of Art),Pines and Chrysanthemums For Tao Pu(collected by Wang Jiqian),The Rolling Mountains and Mist on a Sunny Day(The Palace Museum),Landscape Painting for Tang Banyuan(Tian Jing Museum of Art),Landscape Paintings in the Style of Guan Tong and The Rolling Mountains from An Album of Landscape Paintings in the Style of the Song and Yuan Dynasty Masters(Taipei Palace Museum).Based on those genuine paintings,the characteristics of mountains,trees,houses,characters,etc.are analyzed in detail.Then the thesis studies what Wu Li has absorbed from Wang Meng's painting style,and how he changes it.Afterwards,the thesis discusses how the learning of Wang Meng's painting style influences Wu Li's landscape painting in the style of other previous masters,such as Huang Gongwang,Wu Zhen and Ni Zan.Finally,it briefly discusses the characteristics of the landscape paintings in the style of Wang Meng created by Wang Shimin and Wang Jian,who were Wu Li's teachers,as well as Wang Hui,Wu Li's classmate,and compares their paintings with Wu Li's.The fifth chapter attempts to identify forgeries.Based on all the previous research,using the basic methods of calligraphy and painting identification,the authenticity of six Wu Li's landscape paintings in the style of Wang Meng is identified.This thesis thinks that Landscape in the Style of Wang Meng(The Freer Gallery of Art),Crystal Stream and Cottage for Teacher Tai Yuan(sold in the Market),Travelers among Streams and Mountains(Metropolitan Museum),Pine Wind from Myriad Villages(Cleveland Museum of Art)are fake,and Poem of the Pavilion Covered by Grass(sold in the market)is possible to be fake.The sixth chapter is a brief summary of the whole thesis.