A Study On Zen Painting During Southern Song Dynasty

Zen is an indigenous school of religion in China,and Zen painting is an important category in the history of Chinese painting.Southern Song Dynastywas a prosperous and mature period in the development of Zen painting.During this period,with much development and creation beyond other schools of painting,Zen painting whose theme was extensive,had an important influence on literati painting,court painting and Japanese ink-wash painting in all subjects.In this dissertation,combining philology,iconology and archaeology,the author does an in-depth research on the cause of Zen painting's style formation,its developmental background,religious thoughts and artistic style in Southern Song Dynasty.As a type of painting with equal attention to religious function and artistic style,Zen painting originated in mid and late Tang Dynasty,matured in Southern Song Dynasty,continued into Yuan Dynasty,and declined in Ming and Qing Dynasties gradually.Zen painting's style was mainly on unbridled and mild stroke-minus and Splash-ink.Its creative group was mainly the monks of Yang Qi Group,Linji School in Lin'an(now Hangzhou),with lineage inheritance,religious rites,praying and warding off bad luck,realization on Zen as main creation purpose.Combining landscape painting,bird-and-flower painting and animal painting,the main type of Zen painting in Southern Song Dynastywas Buddha statues.Buddha statues were represented by Outside Sakya,Avalokiteshvara,LuyeDharmahe,Hotei,Three Saints in Tiantai,Zheng Huangniu,Yushan Zhu,San Xiao,Si Shui,Chao Yang,Dui Yue,and Chan Hui;The others were typified by Xiaoxiang landscape painting,long splash-ink painting of flowers and birds,dragon and tiger painting,ape and crane painting,cattle painting.Based on the transformation of some traditional Buddhist statues,the phases of Zen painting were created according to the image and characteristics of patriarchs described in Zen classics.At the same time,the phases were integrally impacted by Zen Master DahuiZonggao's KanhuaDhyana and the thoughts of doubtfulness,as well as the comprehensive effects of combination of three religions,fusion of Zen and Pure-land,and the atmosphere of association.The subjects and forms of many Chinese ink painting were set up by Zen monks.Yuan Ai was the founding father of subject of bamboo ink painting.Zhong Ren invented ink plum painting;ZhiRong invented painting of "Three Friends of Winter";Yin Shi and Wen Riguan drew splash-ink grapes,which has been the earliest splash-ink work until now;Yu Jian,in the form of splash-ink landscape,drew the painting as a metaphor of the stories Three Laughs at Tiger Brook and White Lotus Association;During early Yuan Dynasty,Zheng Sixiaowas known for his painting " Orchid of No Root",while by the end of Song Dynasty,Yu Jian had created such type of works.In addition,the drawing of half patriarch statues,the writing way of eulogies from left to right,and the combination of poem,calligraphy,painting and stamp also have a certain significance of avant-garde.Regarding the abdication of Emperor XiaoZong of Song Dynasty as a node,the dissertation takes 1127-1189 as Zen painting's period of development in Southern Song Dynasty,whose representatives were Fan Long and ZhiRong;and also 1189-1279 as the mature period of Zen Painting in Southern Song Dynasty,whose representatives were Liang Kai,Fa Chang and Yu Jian.Influenced by multiple factors,such as political situation,social development,geographical environment and population mobility,the development and matureness of Zen painting were results of historical background,such as fusion of Zen painting and Literati painting,influence of ultramundane style,Zen rites and the keen demand of Sino-Japanese exchanges.With political clearness and national stableness,Zen painting initiated during the reign of Emperor Xiao Zong in Southern Song Dynasty.Headed by Da Hui Zong Gao from Yang Qi School,the style of Linji School was full of loyalty temperament and literati feelings,whichwere throughout Southern Song Dynasty.Zen painting in this period,whose types were relatively single,and Zen painters' living regionswere relatively dispersed.The style of the paintingswas much influenced by line drawing and ink paintingin Northern Song Dynasty.The style of DaxingBuddhist stone carving statues in Bashu area was relatively stable.Among them,there were many works in Zen style,which laid a solid foundation for the development from Zen statues to scroll painting.After the abdication from Emperor Xiao Zong to Ning Zong,Southern Song Dynasty entered its middle stage.Influenced by "Five Mountains and Ten Temples" system,Zen painters tended to stay in Zen temples near Lin'an.Many monks moved from Sichuan to Zhejiang,and Bashu Buddhist statues gradually integrated into Zen painting.Combined with the experiences of ultramundane style in regions south of the Yangtze River since the end of Tang Dynasty,Zen painting with stroke-minus and splash-ink as main techniques became mature in mid and late Southern Song Dynasty.Developing with a Zen monk in Po'an School WuzhunShifan,the abbot in Jingshan as the axis,Zen was popular in Lin'an and areas nearby.Zen actively participated in the creation and communication of painting and calligraphy between China and Japan.Due to the great demand for Zen painting during this period,Zen painting developed towards stylization gradually.Southern Song Dynasty was a special period,when artistic forms were all ultramundane and unbridled,no matter the paintings were created by court painters,literati,monks or folk craftsmen.It was closely related to academic freedom,importance on education and comparatively high accomplishment of the people in Southern Song Dynasty.As an active and free minded period,both Northern and Southern Song Dynasties upheldthe idea of "Civil Administration"and "Officials from Humble Families" policy.Imperial examination system in Song Dynasty was accessible to all social statuses.Any learnt man from any status could be in office.Most officers passing imperial exams in Southern Song Dynasty were from ordinary families,which indicated people's educational level was improved rapidly.Thanks to such cultural background,Zen painting's artistic style of mystery,plain,quietness and solitary was nourished and developed.The artistic features of Zen painting in Southern Song Dynastywere comparatively clear,and reflected mainly in four aspects:painting methods,eulogies,layout and artistic conception.The painting methods were mainly outline drawing,stroke-minus and splash-ink.Inheriting Li Gonglin's painting style,outline drawing technique was represented by Fan Long;Stroke-minus inherited ZhiRong's "two-strokes";shadowingPainting whose main technique was splash-ink was an aesthetic reflection of "pursuing shadow" thought.The representatives of stroke-minus and splash-ink were Liang Kai and Fa Chang.This dissertation outlines painting techniques of Zen painting in Southern Song Dynasty from these three ways.Eulogy is a main feature of Zen painting.The dissertation discusses its classification,styles,layout,function and characteristic identities and circulation detailedly,and puts forward the view of"Mirror image eulogies".A prominent feature of Zen painting is its simple background.The main part is light and in the lower part,and the eulogy is marked above.In addition to the original layout,Zen painting has been artificially modified in the process of circulating.This section focuses on analyzing the different methods of receiving and spreading to examine the differences of culture and psychology between China and Japan.The artistic conception of Zen painting has strong ties with Zen ideology and painters'mind.The contents and behavior of Zen painting is mainly manifested in three aspects,i.e.having no spiritual sustenance after disappearance,coexistence of hardness and softness,jocosity and respect.In Southern Song Dynasty,literati painting was still in its early stages.Court painting developed into the mature period before Zen painting.Because of the close contacts among Zen,officials in the palace and literati,and the fact that the paintings in Southern Song Dynasty developed to Ink Rendering with light as a whole,Zen painting shared many similarities with literati painting and court painting in appearance,temperament and interest.Many artistic forms of literati painting were affected by Zen painting;Imperial Art Academies in Southern Song Dynasty trained a large number of painters good at Buddhist painting,and there were many Zen-like works.Although a certain interaction exists among Buddhist painting,literati painting and court painting,with different artistic missions,plus different life ideals and aesthetic orientation,the three types of painting developed on their own roads.In Southern Song Dynasty,there were comparative difference on neatness,pamada,sparsity,etc.among Zen painting,literati painting and court painting.However,under general historical background,they shared a same tendency.The paintings in Northern Song Dynasty were superlative on "plus"technique.The appearance of corner landscape,the boom of minus-stroke Zen painting and the development of playful strokes in literati painting were all highlighted reflections of minus technique's application in painting forms.Regardless of some detailed genre painting in Southern Song Dynasty,focusing on the main stream of the whole painting history,the transition of painting from Northern Song to Southern Song was one from complicity to simplicity,from profoundness to flexibility,and from vigor to thinness.Combing the origin among the three types helps analyze the cultural environment and aesthetic psychology of Zen painting in Southern Song Dynasty and its artistic status in the whole art history.The generation of Zen painting in Southern Song Dynasty is not an isolated artistic phenomenon.Taking a broad view of the general background of the development of Buddhist art and discussing its corresponding art forms help the academia examine the developing status of Zen painting in Southern Song Dynasty,the origins of the typical images and the relation with the northern Zen Buddhist statues.The demonstration on relevant archaeological remains involves stone carvings,murals,ceramics,bronze ware,prints,etc.The demonstration focuses on One-piece Cowl Style Statues,Crown Avalokiteshvara and Beads-counting Avalokiteshvara Statues,Hotei and HanshanShide Statues,Sudhana Statues,Ox Herding Stone Carving,Half Buddha Statues,Dharma Sea-crossing Statues,etc.Through relevant argumentation,two rules of Zen painting statues' development under the background of archaeology are concluded:The first one is the law of diffusion route,which originated in the western regions,spread in Dunhuang,and uninterrupted to the central plains.Zen colorwas integrated into Zen painting statues in Bashu carved stones,and finally it was absorbed by Zen painting.Accompanying prevalence of Zen painting in mid and late Southern Song Dynasty,a number of minitypeporcelains appeared in Jingdezhen and Central Plains.Then many artistic forms with Zen features,such as porcelains,bronze mirrors exist in Central Plains reigned by Jin Dynasty.On one hand,they originated from Zen fermentin Central Plains;on the other hand,they were impacted by Zen Painting in regions south of the Yangtze River.The second one is the law of statue types,namely statue types relating to Zen painting,which gives priority to sculpture,mainly including three types,i.e.Avalokiteshvara,Hotei Maitreya and Arhat.The faiths of Avalokiteshvara,Maitreya,Arhat enjoy many believers,and are attached much importance to and supported by the rulers.Their forms of sculpture and painting are adapted to the worships on different occasions and in different communities,so the forms enjoy strong interoperability.But stone carvings and frescos are hard to move,so its spread mainly depended on Zen monks and craftmen'smigration and memory.The mutual references between statues and frescos were limited domestically.Scroll painting is convenient for carrying,thanks to which,Zen stylesdeveloping in Southern Song Dynasty were widely spread overseas,and influenced the art in Jin Dynasty and Japanese ink-washpainting.In addition to the analysis of core issues above,this dissertation discusses related contents of Zen painting in Southern Song Dynastyin tables clearly and straightly,which mainly include:Main Literatures of Zen Painters in Southern Song Dynasty,Classification of the Southern Song DynastyZen painting;Identities and Allusions of the Zen Patriarchs in Southern Song Dynasty;Eulogies and Printings of Handed-down Zen Paintings in Southern Song Dynasty;Profiles of Monk Painters from Southern Song Dynasty;Eulogies of Linji's Zen Paintings in Song Dynasty,etc.Finally,the author summarizes the important influence of Zen painting in Southern Song Dynasty on Zen painting,literati painting and Japanese ink painting thereafter.The author also discusses problems of the development of Zen painting,such as the emergence of garbage heap praise,the prevalence of round figure of water and ink painting,and the appearance of blank paper praise.As a whole,all the problems above reflect the externalization of Zen aesthetics thereafter.And the vitality of Zen painting in new era and the feasibility of sustainable development are analyzed and prospected.