The combination of poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal is gradually formed in the development of Chinese painting.
Before the Song Dynasty, there were few inscriptions, and occasionally there were words, only in the inconspicuous corner, the author's nickname was written; At that time, although there were poems and paintings, they were not written on the screen. It was not until the Song Dynasty that some poets and calligraphers began to inscribe or write poems on their paintings. In this way, poetry, calligraphy and painting began to combine, and literati painting began to sprout in the historical development of Chinese painting. Literati painting is a proper term in the history of Chinese painting, which generally refers to the paintings of literati in feudal society in China, so as to distinguish it from the paintings of folk painters and court painters. In the Yuan Dynasty, with the continuous development of literati painting, India also joined the ranks of poetry, books and paintings, so poetry, books, paintings and India were inseparable and perfectly combined like four pairs of twin sisters. Once this art form appeared, it was widely adopted by painters at that time. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, literati painting monopolized the painting world, and the artistic form of combining poetry, painting, calligraphy and printing was becoming more and more perfect.
In the process of combining poetry, calligraphy, painting and printing, the combination of painting and calligraphy is probably much earlier than the other two. This is because China's painting and calligraphy tools are all the same, and there are many differences in operation. It is said that Cai Kuang in the Eastern Han Dynasty was already a scholar with both calligraphy and painting. The combination of calligraphy and painting has two meanings. First, the painter himself is a good calligrapher. Because calligraphy and painting are of the same origin, he paints with books consciously or unconsciously, which can not only show the painter's meticulous, but also show the calligrapher's elegance. The second is to write money or inscriptions on the screen to match the image of the screen. In this way, the book is in the picture. It has become an indispensable part of painting and constitutes another formal beauty of Chinese painting. In Chinese painting, brushwork is also called "signature", which is generally indispensable, just like the painter's signature in western painting, indicating the ownership of this painting. For other inscriptions, you can draw a title, write a sentence you want to say, or a poem or an essay. In fact, the inscription is a very learned art, which needs literary accomplishment. Inscriptions can't be casual. The content of the inscription should be intrinsically related to the picture, so that the viewer can express his feelings through the inscription. Or guide the viewer to use painting as a bridge to expand the world and feel the mighty history or philosophy of life. At the same time, the inscription should also consider the form of font, the content and style of painting. For example, a meticulous painting can't use weeds, and a freehand brushwork can't use block letters. The position of the font should be just right, which makes people feel that adding a word or subtracting a word is not good, just right. In short, it requires the unity and harmony of words and pictures to increase the formal beauty of pictures.
The combination of poetry and painting also appeared with the combination of painting and calligraphy, that is, there appeared a painter who liked to write poems or lyric poems. His calligraphy was so good that he used his good calligraphy to put his poetry books on his paintings. The history of painting generally thinks that Wang Wei is the founder of the combination of poetry and painting. It is said that he is a representative figure of "painting in poetry and poetry in painting". This is already a high evaluation. However, it depends on Su Shi's advocacy of him. Su Shi is also an active advocate and practitioner of poetry and painting. Later generations also commented on Su Shi, saying that he "takes poetry as a sound painting and painting as a silent poem", which is also a high evaluation. It seems that Wang Wei and Su Shi are well-deserved examples of the combination of poetry and painting.
As two kinds of art, poetry and painting have their own advantages and disadvantages. When they are combined, they can learn from each other. What the painting expresses is intuitive, concrete, real and easy to appreciate, but limited by time and space, it can only choose a certain static moment; Poetry is not limited by time and space. It can describe the development and changes of things at different times and places, in heaven and underground, from ancient times to the present, east and west, north and south, and its capacity is much larger than that of painting. The combination of poetry and painting can enliven the still picture and expand the capacity of the picture. Poetry also has the support of image and imagination, so the combination of poetry and painting makes them shine together.
Drawing a poem with a topic can also play a role in pointing out the topic. If people are faced with a landscape painting or a flower-and-bird painting, it is sometimes difficult to guess the artist's mind, but it is easier to grasp the author's intention through the inscription on the painting. For example, Zhao Ji, a famous imperial painter in the Song Dynasty, painted "Ruihe Tu", in which only 20 red-crowned cranes fly around the temple, and there are clouds in the clear sky. Although the painter can feel a lightness and Shu Lang from the painting, does the painter want to express an idea? It's hard to understand only by looking at the painting, but it's clear at a glance by combining the poems and books on the painting. It turned out to be a day when Evonne came to power. Suddenly, a piece of auspicious clouds floated into the palace, and the pillars were stuck around, and everyone looked up. Surprised, there are a group of cranes flying in the air and blending with Xiangyun for a long time. From the poems in the painting and the existing historical knowledge.
We can understand the painter's thoughts. In the severe moment of the Northern Song Dynasty, the painter prayed to God to send auspicious clouds to save the Song Dynasty from peril. But this, of course, is only the delusion of the poor imperial painter.
Speaking of the combination of poetry and painting, let's look at printing. Seals are seals. At first, it was just a token and had nothing to do with painting. In the Song Dynasty, some people began to put seals on paintings, but it was also as a confirmation to show the ownership of paintings. A seal can be a painter's, a connoisseur's or a collector's. Printing has not yet become an indispensable part of the picture, that is, it has not yet entered the painting. In the Yuan Dynasty, due to the rise of ink painting, it accounted for the absolute overwhelming advantage of the rest of the paintings. Because ink painting is only black and white, or only the depth of black and white changes, it seems a bit dull, so Zhu Wen seal appeared. Zhu Wen's seal is not only a token, but also an indispensable part of the picture, which plays a positive role in the atmosphere of the picture.
Generally speaking, there are many seals of a painter in China, which can be classified into three types. The first is the famous seal, which is the most commonly used by painters. There are often several names of ancient painters; As for the name stamp, it is customary to use two pieces, the name engraved in Bai Wen and the nickname engraved in Zhu Wen. The second one is called Zhai, which means the painter's residence. Ancient literati in China liked to name their residence a restaurant or pavilion. The third kind is called leisure chapter, which is mostly to carve an idiom, motto or painter's opinion. It's really varied and colorful. Such as "learning from nature" and "following Wan Li Road", show that painters advocate learning from nature and oppose deliberate copying. For example, "A Willing Cow" and "A Beautiful Country" show a spirit of dedication and reflect the characteristics of the times. But this kind of seal is generally related to the content of the painting.
At the same time, the seal is placed on the painting and must be closely combined with the painting in form. Seal cutting is an independent art, paying attention to font, knife method and style. But when printed on a painting, it becomes an inseparable part of the picture. Therefore, when bronzing, we should also be very fastidious, and consider the composition and color of the whole painting to play a role in echo, contrast and cooperation. Sometimes one side of the painting is a bit empty, and the other side is a bit heavy, which seems a bit unstable. Put a seal on the empty side properly and press it with vermilion, the picture will be stable and there will be unexpected effects.
The combination of poetry, painting, calligraphy and printing also requires painters to have various cultural qualities. The ancients said: "Reading is like breaking thousands of volumes, and writing is like a god." He also said that "Kung Fu is beyond poetry", so.
A good painter should know not only painting, but also literature, aesthetics and even philosophy, as well as other natural sciences. In a word, we should strive to achieve all-round cultural accomplishment in order to create high-level Chinese paintings and bring this treasure of our nation back to ancient times. Friends who are beginners in painting must know this.
A complete Chinese painting needs to be more beautiful and easy to preserve, circulate and collect, so it is impossible to mount it. Because most Chinese paintings are painted on fragile rice paper or silk articles. Mounting, also known as "mounting", "mounting pool" and "mounting back", is a unique technology to protect and beautify calligraphy and painting inscriptions in China. Just like western oil paintings, they should be put into exquisite frames after completion, so as to achieve a higher artistic aesthetic feeling.
Mounting can be divided into original mounting and re-mounting. Mounting the original painting is to mount the new painting according to the mounting procedure. Re-mounting is to mount the calligraphy and painting handed down from generation to generation and published on it because of poor original mounting or poor management and storage, such as shelling, damp mildew, rot, moth-eaten, rat bite and other reasons. The framed paintings and calligraphy are firm and beautiful, and easy to collect and decorate. Re-mounted ancient paintings will also continue its vitality. The ancients said: "The restoration of historical sites will delay medical treatment ... doctors will rise at will if they are good, and they will die at will if they are not good."
So what is the procedure for mounting Chinese paintings? Generally, it is first mounted on the back of the painting with paper support, and then wrapped with twisted, silk, paper, etc. , and then installed as a layout. Traditional mounting is varied, but its finished products can be divided into three categories: hanging shafts, hand scrolls and picture books. Regardless of the size, shape and use of the original picture, there are only three steps: painting the heart, covering and mounting. It's just that the mounting of painting heart is an important process in the whole decoration process. It is quite difficult to re-mount old paintings and calligraphy. Tear down the old painting first, clean the mold, fill the hole, etc. , and then re-mount according to the mounting process of the new painting.
China's mounting technique came into being with the history of China's painting. According to the historical data preserved today, mounting technology appeared as early as 1500 years ago, and there are written records on the production of grain paste, anti-corrosion, selection of mounting paper, decontamination, repair and yellowing of ancient paintings. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhou Jia wrote Decorative Records, and in the Qing Dynasty, he learned to write Tuesday Corner, both of which are China's special works on mounting.