The Variation On The Theme Of “Nymph Of The Lo River" In Ancient Chinese Art

The theme of “Nymph of the Lo River" is derived from Cao-Zhi’s famous rhapsody,Lo-shen Fu,composed in 223.The theme tells the story that the poet sought the love of the Nymph,but his quest was futile.Works on this theme were common in ancient China,and constitute magnificent variations in art history.The origin of “Lo-shen Fu " in art history is the“goddess rhapsody”,which influenced “Lo-shen Fu" in three aspects: rhetoric,plot and pessimistic theme.The narrative painting of“Nymph of the Lo River" was created in the Six Dynasties period.By transforming time art into space art,it reproduces auditory imagination through visual experience,which is one of the unique pursuits of Chinese painting.In addition,the change of narrative perspective leads to the combination of narrator and author in artistic reception,which has affected the interpretation of the theme.This change was reflected in the poems of the late Tang Dynasty.In Song Dynasty,the theme of “Nymph of the Lo River" began to be associated with the art tradition of "Wang Xian-zhi" in calligraphy and the art tradition of "Gu Kai-zhi" in painting.This actually makes the theme embedded in the art history constructed by the literati.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,artists used the “Nymph of the Lo River"as a metaphor for beauty in daily life,and the theme has since been integrated into the secular life.