A Study Of Wen Zhengming’s Thirty-one Paintings Of The Humble Adminstrator’s Garden

This thesis reveals the painting language, composition and artistic implication of Wen Zhengming’s Thirty-one Paintings of the Humble Administrator’s Garden. It also analyzes the spiritual connotation and the underlying reason of the album combining records of scenic spots, expression in painting and related texts. It observes the relationship of composition and spiritual implication through the art history perspective, poems of the same period of Wen Zhengming, and associated texts which will be given some new interpretation from research of its historic position and function.During the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, literati liked to build gardens and socialize. Scholars were concerned about their lives, and the garden became an important theme of literati painting. Therefore, garden painting prevailed and bore the weight of rich cultural connotation. It is not only a portrayal of dwelling in seclusion of the owner, but also the expression of the painter himself. Wen Zhengming accepted the owner of the Humble Administrator’s Garden, Wang Xianchen’s invitation to describe the garden after he finished his work in Jingshi (Beijing) and returned to Suzhou. He made the Thirty-one Paintings of the Humble Administrator’s Garden in1533. Its form is very different from other garden paintings. Many scholars think that is only a set of ingenious garden paintings, but there remains a need to study it in depth.At first, it is an important issue whether the album reveals the Humble Administrator’s Garden or not. If there is any imagination then what is the expression? It observes the album’s reproducibility and emotional expression through the contrast of formal site and related text of the garden. However, discerning the relation of the album and the garden is not the highlight of this thesis. The concept of the garden paintings is the most important aspect which the author is observing. It studies the artistic characteristics of the album that is specific to Wen Zhengming’s artistic style, social status and historical situation. Meanwhile, it expounds the artistic significance and function as a literati painter to describe a garden. His artistic interpretation can be observed from the large amount of his comment on painting and his attitude regarding the expression of garden painting also can be considered from it. It analyzes the scholarly painting (士人画) peculiarity of Thirty-one Paintings of the Humble Administrator’s Garden by comparing it with the Qiu Ying’s Yuan Ju Tu. In addition, it also investigates the experience of the owner of the garden and the painter, the image symbols of the album, the scholarly painting peculiarity, and the relation of the garden painting and the scholar’s life to analyze the artistic characteristic and mental implication.Wen Zhengming described a garden that is the important social activity of cultural pursuit of scholars in the middle period of Ming Dynasty. Many art historians think that the art of Ming and Qing is the art of art history. Restoring ancient was prevailed in garden constructing and painting. Wen Zhengming created an ideal literati garden on the silk by adopting the painting elements, languages and the symbolic image of painting and garden from ancient and contemporary master-pieces to the Thirty-one Paintings of the Humble Administrator’s Garden.The artistic composition of the album relates directly to the experience of the painter and the owner of the garden shows special ingenuity. They both had worked in the court in Jingshi (Beijing). Wang Xianchen worked as a shiyu (侍御) and Wen Zhengming worked as a daizhao (待诏). To a certain extent, the impact by the Xiyuan (Imperial garden) can be learned from the records of garden and related texts. Therefore, these garden paintings show a charm similar to Xiyuan’s scenery.The thesis pries into the relationship of the garden painting and scholar life through related texts. Meanwhile, it can explore more cultural value and historical significance of garden painting by studying the function of garden painting to the scholar’s life. The scholar had a large circle of friends in the middle period of Ming Dynasty which impelled garden painting to become prevalent. It observes the complex relationship of scholars through the research of function of garden painting to the society. This was a new sign of scholar culture in the middle period of Ming Dynasty and it impelled the art to be created and developed. At the same time, garden painting and related texts also reflect the essence of intercourse between the scholars. Wen Zhengming described the garden when the owner invited him to do that. It recorded his property and also brought an emotional resonance to each other. Meanwhile, the owner also provided economic support to the painter or sponsored some gathering activities. Garden painting expresses the common pursuit of owner and painter and it is also a way of self-sufficiency.Wen Zhengming described every scenery spot as a picture, composed them freely and selected the elements from the Humble Administrator’s Garden according to his own opinion of the ideal garden. Meanwhile, he borrowed the classical image and composition from ancient and contemporary works. This album reflects ideal outlook on garden of literati that made latter literati admiring it. There are lots poems of the Humble Administrator’s Garden praising Wen Zhengming. His view on garden impacted the cultural construction of the late period of Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty and laid the foundation for latter literati garden culture, garden painting and consumer culture. It nourished latter literati’s lives and cultural creation and the most notable work by his great-grandson, Wen Zhenheng’s Chang Wu Zhi (Superflous Things) which made it their golden soup.