Stretching Rules In No Rules, Making The Ordinary Out Of Ordinary

FaChang (Muqi), a Chinese painter who lived during the Southern Song Dynasty, was a legendary artist in the history of Chinese painting. Due to exceeding the base line of the commonly accepted artistic style, the painting of FaChang was considered as worthless at that time and was ever excluded in the historical Chinese painting of that period. But meanwhile, his artworks flourished in Japan and he was named"the pioneer of Ink and Wash Painting". The influence of his artistic style has never eliminated in Japan since then. Even though now, hundreds of years later after his period, we still marvel at his creativity whenever in front of his artworks.In FaChang's pursuit of'ink and wash painting', he was proficient in using the variety of ink to show the peace and sanctity, which made his painting special in the history. The painting of FaChang broke people's persisting impression on Chinese traditional painting, with not only the creative painting skills but also the impressive pictures. It aroused us to revaluate the traditional Chinese painting as well as the painting of FaChang.So far, the investigation on FaChang's painting has not been very profound in the domestic academe, most of which was only on the introduction of his character and famous artworks. There has never been detailed research and descriptions of the characteristic of his painting. This paper outlined FaChang's artistic style, compared his painting with other painters whose painting was in similar style or in the same period, and then concluded the characteristic of his painting. This is also a piece of meaningful work, which will provide new viewpoints for the development of diversity in contemporary Ink and Wash painting.This paper comprises of four parts. The exordium was the overview of the progress in research of FaChang and his artworks, where the key points and significance of this paper were explicated. The first chapter provided the background of FaChang's painting by introducing his life and the source of his painting inspiration. In the second chapter, I analyzed the artistic style of FaChang's painting based on documental records and his works, compared his painting with other painters'painting in similar style or in the same period and then concluded the characteristic of his painting style. Moreover, I tried to find the way how FaChang's artistic style formed. This chapter was the most important part in this paper as well as the most difficult one. In the third chapter, it was discussed the value and inspiration that FaChang's painting brought to Chinese contemporary Ink and Wash painting.No matter what kinds of criticism FaChang's painting encountered in his period, no one could stop people's understanding of its artistic value being surpassed and rebuilt. It is the surpassed and rebuilt understanding, including sound evaluations, that describes the new findings of FaChang's painting feature.