The Research On Ma Wan’s Calligraphy And Painting

The dissertation is aimed at thorough research on Ma Wan,an important literati painter active during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties,covering his life experience,social connections,authentication and connoisseurship of paintings,and reputation in later ages.Chapter one is an introduction of Ma Wan’s life experience,and the analysis of Confucian spirit within his choices and conduct.Chapter two is a discussion about the influence of literati connections in Songjiang on his calligraphic and painting activities,through case study of several collected late Yuan calligraphy and painting scrolls,including detailed textual research on Thirteen Odes on Living in Seclusion at East Garden and Bamboo Flute Inscriptions,and exploration of friendship between Yang Zhuxi and Ma Wan shown in Thatched-Cottage of Zhuxi and Portrait of Yang Zhuxi in a Landscape.Chapter three discourses on the painter’s achievement and image in later times,involving authentication of five paintings,i.e.Secluded Dwelling amid Lofty Peaks,Going through the Pass on a Snowy Ridge,Poetic Landscape in Misty Dusk,Mountains in the Clear Sky after Spring Rain,and Green Mountains and Red Apricots,from various works attributed to him,description of their artistic feature,and analysis of opinion change on him during the Ming and Qing dynasties.Above all,the purpose of the dissertation is to present the uniqueness of Ma Wan’s calligraphy and painting,reproduce a clear and genuine image of him,and reflect thick cultural accumulation in Songjiang during the late Yuan period.