Pastoral Life in Urban Gardens: Seclusion & Officialdom, Objects & Minds of Chinese Ancient Literati
- show time：2023-03-24 to 2023-05-14
- Organizer： Beijing Fine Art Academy and the Liaoning Provincial Museum
- venue：Beijing Fine Art Academy
On March 24, 2023, as part of the “Chinese Ancient Calligraphy and Painting Research Series” Program, the exhibition “Pastoral Life in Urban Gardens: Seclusion & Officialdom, Objects & Minds of Chinese Ancient Literati”, co-hosted by the Beijing Fine Art Academy and the Liaoning Provincial Museum, will be opened at the Art Museum Beijing Fine Art Academy. After two years of planning, the event displays works from major domestic cultural museums such as the Palace Museum, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, Guangdong Provincial Museum, Capital Museum, Tianjin Museum, and Suzhou Museum. From the perspectives of how ancient Chinese literati viewed things and their minds, this exhibition is divided into four sections, i.e., “Aspirations for Pastoral Life”, “Leisurely Gatherings”, “World of Gardens”, and “Poetry-Painting Combinations”, presenting the material life and spiritual home of Chinese literati embodied in gardens. It displays 48 pieces of ancient Chinese calligraphy and painting works created by famous artists such as Zhao Mengfu, Zhou Chen, Wen Zhengming, Zhu Yunming, Tang Yin, Qiu Ying, Dai Jin, Chen Chun, Chen Hongshou, and Shi Tao since the Yuan Dynasty. In terms of spatial layout, the space is designed based on the characteristics of Chinese gardens that “different views emerge with every step” in a bid to deliver immersive experience to visitors.
Aspirations for Pastoral Life
Chinese literati were not simply owners of gardens. More importantly, they were the spiritual strength of gardens. The yearning for pastoral life was prevalent in their paintings. Those who upheld integrity and elegance enjoyed themselves and met friends in Chinese gardens situated deep in mountains and surrounded by clear waters, having their heart rested peace on this pure land. Here they could leisurely and deeply appreciate the beautiful scenery around them. These paintings, whether depicting solitary life, seclusion figures, or fishing and woodcutting activities, embodied their enthusiasm of pursuing ideals and ambitions, the efforts to foster inner strength, and the seeking for inner tranquility.
The Painting of Cangxi (in the collection of the Palace Museum) was drawn by Wen Zhengming, a well-known painter in the Ming Dynasty, for his friend Wu Chou. In the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing (1544 AD), Wen Zhengming, who was aged over 70 at the time, visited Yixing with his disciples Zhu Lang, Zhou Tianqiu, and Peng Nian and his sons Wen Peng and Wen Tai. In Yixing, he accepted the hospitality of Wu Chou and then wrote Cangxi Notes and drew a painting for Wu. As former magistrate of Wucheng County in Shandong Province, Wu Chou, after resigning from office, decided to return to his hometown Jingxi and gave himself the title Householder of Cangxi. In his painting, Wen used clear flowing water to symbolize Wu’s integrity as an official and depicted the serenity of the gardens of officials and scholars as well as their seclusive and optimistic spirit.
Leisurely Gatherings
Gardens were not only a place to live for ancient literati, but also an ideal space for socializing. They might stroll inside to enjoy the scenery, play go under the moonlight, compose verses and sing songs while drinking, or create calligraphy and painting works for pleasure. In fact, the gardens transformed from places to host banquets between a the ruler and his ministers to those to convene elegant gatherings among scholars. Paintings of such gatherings have passed down through generations, providing precious historical materials regarding the social interactions of ancient literati. They aspired not only to leave their names to posterity, but also to pass on the paintings of their garden gatherings to later generations. After all, they associated by means of literature, but developed emotional connections through gardens. In the paintings, the artists depicted elegant gatherings and solemn political interactions by skillfully focusing on the details of furnishings and costumes. Looking at these vivid faces, visitors can feel as though they personally see those joyful scenes where the ancient literati played musical instruments, sang songs and talked cheerfully.
The Picture of Xiyuan Gathering (in the collection of the Suzhou Museum) is a masterpiece of Li Shida, a painter in the Ming Dynasty, around the classic theme of Xiyuan gathering. As the residence of Wang Shen, son-in-law of Emperor Yingzong in the Northern Song Dynasty, Xiyuan (or Western Garden) was a place of frequent gatherings of celebrated literati at that time. At the beginning of the Yuanfeng period, Wang Shen asked the painter Li Gonglin to record his associations with his friends Su Shi, Su Zhe, Huang Luzhi, Qin Guan, Li Gonglin, Mi Fu, Cai Zhao, Li Zhiyi, Zheng Jinglao, Zhang Lei, Wang Qinchen, Liu Jing, Chao Buzhi, as well as the monk Yuantong and the Taoist Chen Bixu in the form of paintings. That was how Li Gonglin drew The Picture of Xiyuan Gathering. As most figures depicted were literati masters, this painting has been strongly admired and frequently copied by later generations, making it an important theme that has appeared frequently in the history of Chinese art.
World of Gardens
The universe exists in every flower. The Buddha lives in every leaf. Gardens are a miniature world, where forests, springs, hills, pavilions and towers are arranged in a small piece of land, highlighting the life philosophy of Chinese literati to perceive macro condition at the micro level. Garden builders designed gardens into a natural world to have their heart rested. In the gardens, there were objects at hand that added vitality to the environment such as stones, inkstones, bottles, and shelves; there were lively creatures to complement its serenity such as birds, beasts, insects, and fishes; and there were symbolic plants to attach humanistic feelings to it such as plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. Wen Zhenheng, a painter of the Wumen School, wrote a famous guide to garden management - Treatise on Superfluous Things. As he said in the book, superfluous things are external things which cannot allay hunger or keep warm, but are a necessity for the heart.
The Eight Kinds of Ink-Painted Flowers (in the collection of the Capital Museum) was painted by Chen Chun, a painter of the Ming Dynasty, in the 19th year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing (1540 AD). He felt an urge to draw this painting as he returned home after traveling and saw booming spring flowers. Eight flowers were painted in ink alone, i.e., hydrangea, gardenia, orchid, peony, peach blossom, daphne, rose, and magnolia. He used light ink to draw flowers and used dark ink to draw veins, making an extremely intricate painting.
The Painting of Xuelang and Lingbi Stones (in the collection of the Guangdong Provincial Museum) was drawn by Jin Nong in the Qing Dynasty, which mainly depicts the two stones of Xuelang and Lingbi. The Xuelang Stone was famous for its association with Su Shi as it was obtained by him during his term as the magistrate of Dingzhou. Shaped like the ripples of flowing springs, it was deeply loved by Su Shi, who even named his study as “Xuelang Study”. Stone collection has been popular among celebrities and scholars since the Tang and Song Dynasties, making the artistic techniques of piling up hills and dredging waterways an indispensable design philosophy of Chinese gardens.
Poetry-Painting Combinations
China is a vast land of poetry on which gardens are a natural world made of poems. Ancient literati often depicted the scenery of gardens through a grand combination of poems and paintings. In the dim morning light, Tao Yuanming returned to his farm, going up Tungkao to make a long-drawn call on the top of the hill and composing poems besides clear streams. In the Orchid Pavilion, Wang Xizhi gathered virtuous intellectuals to dispel bad luck and pray for good fortune, refreshing their views and letting free their souls. In the Old Tippler's Pavilion on the Langya Mountain, Ouyang Xun traveled joyfully with tourists in Chuzhou, exclaiming that that the drinker’s heart is not in the cup, but in the mountains and waters. Chinese literati could not only write valuable essays, but also draw beautiful paintings of natural landscape. These artistic forms were the pursuit of every Chinese scholar, embodying their aspirations for an ideal inner world.
Returning Home (in the collection of the Liaoning Provincial Museum) was an article written by Zhao Mengfu in the Yuan Dynasty. This 600-character work was completed at one stretch, revealing the author’s transcendent state of mind in the course of writing. In 1286, nearly 10 years after the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, Kublai Khan, founder of the Yuan Dynasty, ordered the Censor-in-chief Cheng Jufu to “search for the remaining sages” in the Jiangnan region. An important target was Zhao Mengfu, a descendant of the Song royal family who topped the list of the Eight Talents of Wuxing. Although recognized by the emperor, he was negatively judged in the royal court as being inappropriate to serve the emperor since he was from the royal family of the fallen Song Dynasty. Trapped in the dilemma of assisting the new ruler in country governance and returning to his hometown, he wrote this well-known piece of work.
Gardens have been an ideal place to refresh the souls of literati by echoing with their reflections on objects and minds and embodying the unique philosophy and aesthetics of the eastern world. Today, by refocusing on the subject of “gardens”, we hope to communicate with the ancient literati across time and space. More importantly, we desire to discover the significance of exploring traditional Chinese philosophy and thoughts in contemporary times, whether to refine one’s character and quality or to find spiritual companionship in loneliness. Gardens are shaped by the heart and displayed on paper. Join us to find a realm for yourself and a poetic place to rest your heart in the world of gardens.
The exhibition will last until May 14.
