Study On The Authenticity Of Wen Zhengming's Landscape Paintings In Rough Brush

The landscape paintings of Wen Zhengming are traditionally sorted into two parts according to differences in brushstrokes,namely the fine brush and the rough brush.As there are few rough ones surviving,they have been seen as precious as those fine ones painted by Shen Zhou.However,the diverse oeuvre in Wen's long lifetime,the large number of imitations and his tolerant attitudes to counterfeits add the difficulties in authentication of landscape paintings under his name.The rough brush is no exception.However,Wen's landscape paintings in rough brush are rarely studied and the features of them are unclear,which means there is still room for further study.This thesis tries to sort out the characteristics of Wen's landscape painting in rough brush and their position throughout historyThe thesis consists of chaptersFirstly,in consideration of the consistence in brushstrokes,the auther adopts the general definition of Wen's rough brush,seeing them as styles Wen formed by mastering Huang Gongwang,Ni Zan and Wuzhen.Attempting to separate authentic works from counterfeits,the author sets up criterions by obsevering and contrasting details of paintings as well as examining other supporting informations.In addition,case study solutions are used when discussing several specific paintings.As the calligraphies play important roles in authentication and dating of Wen's paintings,the author discusses the development of two most common types of Wen's calligraphies first in Chapter 2 and classifies the authentic works into 4 developing stages.Wen Zhengming studied various styles,mainly from Chu Suiliang,Ouyang Xun,Zhao Mengfu before the age of 50.At about 50,Wen traced back into the style of Wang Xizhi and in his 60s,Wen evolved a style of his own which is delicate and regulated with strict rules.In his old age,Wen Zhengming's calligraphy became vigorous and forceful.Before talking about the features of Wen's rough brush,the author reviewed the comments on them and the comparisons between Wen Zhengming's and Shen Zhou's rough brush in Chapter 3.In Chapter 4,the auther picks out 11 reference standards and divides the development of Wen's landscape paintings in rough brush into 3 periods.Chapter 5 attends to the authentication of Wen's rough brush paintings and 6 works are discussed,that is "Hermits under the Cliff",and "Enjoying the Spring under the Pines" in Taipei Palace Museum,"Lounging the Summer away in Waterside pavillions" in Jiangxi Museum,"Enjoying the Cool in Waterside Pavillions" in Yunnan Museum,"Landscape Album:Five Leaves by Shen Zhou,One Leaf by Wen Zhengming" in the Nelson-Atk:ins Museum of Art and "the Joint Work Painted by Shenzhou and Wen Zhengming" in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.By comparing the details of brushstrokes between the 6 works and reference standards and examining other supporting informations,the auther comes to the conclusion that the first 4 paintings are all fake ones.The one from Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is a half-genuine antique and the one from The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an authentic one.In Chapter 6,the author pays attention to Wen Zhengming's followers who learned from his rough brush.The comparisons are made between Wen Zhengming's works and those by Wen Jia,Qian Gu,Wen Boren,Lu Zhi etc.The author agrees the views that two works traditionally attributed to Wen Zhengming are in fact painted by Wen Jia.Also,the author combs through literatures and finds that in Late Ming,Wen's rough brush began to be well received.No later than Middle Qing,the rough brush of Wen Zhengming was put on a par with fine brush of Shen Zhou and in Late Qing,the connoisseurs spoke highly of the rough ones mastering Wu ZhenThe final chapter draws the conclusions that influenced by Shen Zhou,Wen Zhengming learned mainly from Huang Gongwang,forming the thick hemp-fiber strokes before the age of 43.In his 50s and 60s,Wen Zhengming mainly mastered Ni Zan and changed his brushstrokes into finer ones.In the third period he mixed what he learned together to form his own style and Wu Zhen's painting methods left a tremendous impact on him.After examining the details of Wen's paintings,the author finds that Wen sought to show exquisite brushwork even in rough ones and those using harsh and slashing brushstrokes are counterfeits.