| Yun Shouping, styled Nantian, was one of the six greatest artists in the early Qing Dynasty, the other being the"Four Wang"and Wu Li. Yun Shouping's contribution lies in his innovative and refreshing style of painting which brought new life to the declining painting circle who knew nothing but the imitation of the classical paintings. This article chooses Yun Shouping for the case study for a number of reasons. First, his unique technique of"Mogu"flower painting creatively carried forward as well as resumed the traditional technique of"Mogu"painting which was nearly lost for several hundred years. This contribution rescued the declining flower-and-bird painting by breezing new life into it and was of great significance to the painting circle in the early Qing Dynasty which had got into the groove and found it so hard to get out. The second reason is that his"Mogu"style of painting on the one hand was a shock to the traditional notion of creative motivation, that is,"creation for the purpose of self-entertainment"; on the other hand, it was also a compromise to the classical ideal of aesthetics. Yun Shouping's unique life experience and his outstanding talents enabled his works to suit both the refined and the popular tastes, which is a great revelation for the contemporary Chinese ink and wash painting which is lost in the seemingly glittering gloss.We aim to find a new way as well as provide some intellectual support for the contemporary ink and wash painting through our retrospective study of Yun Shouqing, just as what Yun Shouqing had done two hundred years ago when he made a retrospective study of Xu Chongci who was still several hundred years earlier than him. We cannot assert that Yun Shouqing's achievements surpass those of the"Four Wang"and Wu Li, but the impact of his"Mogu"painting on the whole history of Chinese painting, and its inspiration to the contemporary ink and wash painting can never be overestimated.
|
PDF Full Text Request