The Wisdom of Emptiness: Selected Works from the Xubaizhai Collection Audio guide script 400 Exhibition overview Welcome to “The Wisdom of Emptiness: Selected Works from the Xubaizhai Collection” exhibition. Xubaizhai was designated by the late collector of Chinese painting and calligraphy, Mr Low Chuck-tiew. A particular strength of the collection lies in the Ming and Qing dynasties works by masters of the “Wu School”, “Songjiang School”, “Four Monks”, “Orthodox School” and “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou”. This exhibition features more than 30 representative works from the Ming and Qing dynasties to the twentieth century. This audio guide will take you through highlighted pieces in the exhibition, as well as the artistic characteristics of different schools of painting and individual artists. 401．Exhibit no. 1 Shen Zhou (1427 – 1509) Farewell by a stream at the end of the year 1486 Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper 143 x 62.5 cm Xubaizhai Collection Shen Zhou, courtesy name Qinan, was a native of Suzhou in Jiangsu province. He excelled in painting and poetry as well as calligraphy, in which he followed the style of Huang Tingjian (1045 – 1105), while his students included Wen Zhengming (1470 – 1559) and Tang Yin (1470 – 1524). Shen was hailed as the most prominent master of the Wu School of Painting and one of the Four Masters of the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644). Studying under Chen Kuan (ca. 1393 – 1473), Du Qiong (1396 – 1474) and Liu Jue (1410 – 1472), Shen modelled his paintings on the styles of Wang Fu (1362 – 1416) and the Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty (1279 – 1368), but he also extended his interest to the works of the Zhe School and incorporated its techniques into his art. In his younger days, he painted works in small formats using restrained and tightly-woven brushstrokes in a style known as “fine Shen”. After reaching the age 1 of 40, however, he turned to larger formats and began painting in a bold and expressive manner that is termed “rough Shen”. He opened up a new horizon in literati painting by developing the style known as xieyi method (painting the idea), which was based on the mogu (boneless) technique of flower-and-bird painting he had inherited from Qian Xuan (ca. 1235 – 1300) and which, with its emphasis on washes instead of lines, would go on to exert a significant influence on later painters such as Chen Chun (1483 – 1544) and Xu Wei (1521 – 1593). This painting is executed with the rough brushwork that is typically found in Shen’s later works after his artistic style had matured. The upper portion of the painting was left blank to accommodate a lengthy inscription written by Shen himself to mark the appointment of his cousin Wang Rui (dates unknown) to the post of district magistrate in Kaifeng (in present-day Henan), and the painting is thus intended as a farewell souvenir. The main theme is concentrated in the foreground: Shen bids farewell to his cousin on the river bank while a small boat nearby waits to depart. The crooked line of the opposite bank links the rocks in the middle ground to those at the back, leading the viewer’s eyes from the foreground to the background, from the scene of the farewell to the distant bleak and desolate mountain. Both the atmosphere and the brushwork of the whole landscape reflect the styles of several masters of the Yuan dynasty. The ink dots invoke the brushwork of Wu Zhen (1280 – 1354), the long textured strokes of the rocks are modelled after the style of Huang Gongwang (1269 – 1354), while the use of the side brush technique owes its origins to Ni Zan (1301 – 1374). This work integrates painting with calligraphy in such a way that they interact with each other in perfect harmony. 402．Exhibit no. 2 Wen Zhengming (1470 – 1559) Cooling off the hot summer 1540 Hanging scroll, ink and colour on silk 147.2 x 61 cm Xubaizhai Collection 2 Wen Zhengming, also known as Hengshan, was from Suzhou in Jiangsu province. He studied directly under Shen Zhou (1521 – 1593), and his landscapes can generally be categorised into broad stroke and fine stroke paintings. He was one of the core members of the Wu School and also one of the Four Great Masters of the Ming period. His style exerted a strong influence on later generations, and he had a large number of pupils, including his son Wen Peng (1498 – 1573) and his nephew Wen Boren (1502 – 1575) as well as Chen Chun (1483 – 1544) and Hou Maogong (late 16th to early 17th century). Relatively rich and enjoying a high standard of living, the artists of the Wu School were known for depicting their daily surroundings and the experiences they encountered as a means of self-expression. Portraying a corner of what Wen considered an ideal garden, this painting shows how the literati of this era liked to relax, either taking a nap on the ground, enjoying the cool shade of a tree or soaking their feet in a pond, among other things. And from the household utensils and other items in the picture, it is easy to see that they also enjoyed more sophisticated activities, including drinking wine or tea, appreciating calligraphy and paintings and playing the lute or reading in their gardens. The white lotus flowers in the bottom left-hand corner symbolise purity and virtue, because the lotus emerges from the soil completely untainted. Waterside willow trees are a common feature of garden landscapes, and the five willows in this picture occupy a large proportion of the painting. The few banana plants behind the rocks bring a touch of the subtropical to the garden. The Chinese word for the nodes of the bamboo plant, jie, also means integrity and fidelity, and so bamboo is used to symbolise these values. The bamboo in the painting separates the mountains from the slope leading down to the pond. Wen cleverly placed tall trees at the back of the painting to direct the viewer to look up from the level plane, guiding the eyes from near to far and from low to high, thus increasing the work’s attraction. On the other side of the water are two Chinese parasol trees, which are characterised by their late germination and early shedding of leaves. Large and luxuriant in this painting, these trees indicate that the scene is set in the high summer. 3 403．Exhibit no. 3. Tang Yin (1470 – 1524) Returning home with a qin Not dated Hanging scroll, ink and colour on silk 74.5 x 37.5 cm Xubaizhai Collection Tang Yin, courtesy name Bohu, who was also known as Liuru Jushi, was from Suzhou in Jiangsu province. A pupil of Shen Zhou (1427 – 1509) and Zhou Chen (ca. 1450 – ca. 1535), he also studied the Academic style of the Song (960 – 1279) masters, including Li Tang (ca. 1049 – ca. 1130), Liu Songnian (ca. 1150 – 1225) and Ma Yuan (act. ca. 1190 – 1225), and the Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty. Creating his own style by applying different techniques at the same time, for example combining the “axe chop” and “hemp fibre” techniques to add grain and texture, he was acclaimed as one of the Four Great Masters of the Ming dynasty. He was also very friendly with Wen Zhengming (1470 – 1559), Zhu Yunming (1461 – 1527) and Xu Zhenqing (1479 – 1511), with whom he often discussed artistic matters. Together, they were known as the Four Gentlemen of Wu (the region around Shanghai and Suzhou). His calligraphy style was derived from Zhao Mengfu (1254 – 1322), and he was particularly skilful in running script and regular script. This painting reflects the Academic style, which Tang learned from Zhou Chen, where the composition is particularly well-knit. He created the appearance of distance by a zigzag composition, where the towering mountains in the background recall characteristics of landscape paintings from the Song period, while the technique used for depicting rock surfaces originates from the “axe chop” technique of Ma Yuan and Xia Gui (act. ca. 1220 – ca. 1250). Tang’s brushstrokes show both strength and dexterity. The empty white spaces pull the whole painting together by creating a strong visual contrast. At the same time, ample focus is placed on the human figure, which attracts the viewer’s attention despite, or more likely as a result of, being screened by trees and foliage. Tang Yin was a very talented artist who succeeded in combining the characteristics of literati art with the techniques of professional painters and thus merging the two mainstreams of the Northern and the Southern Schools in his landscape paintings. 4 404．Exhibit no. 4 Qiu Ying (ca. 1494 – ca. 1552) Secluded dwelling amid streams and mountains Not dated Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper 121 x 47.5 cm Xubaizhai Collection A native of Taicang in Jiangsu province who resided in Suzhou, Qiu Ying was originally a craftsman who later became a professional artist. He studied painting under Zhou Chen (ca. 1450 – ca. 1535) and also received instruction from his mentor Wen Zhengming (1470 – 1559). He later got the opportunity to study and copy masterpieces from the Tang (618 – 907), Song and Yuan dynasties when he lived with the famous collectors Xiang Yuanbian (1525 – 1590) and Chen Guan (act. ca. mid 16th century) as a “painter in residence”. Closely related to the landscape style of Zhao Boju (ca. 1120 – ca. 1170) and the Academy style of the Southern Song dynasty (1127 – 1279), Qiu approach to landscapes was characterised by a proficiency in jiehua (boundary painting) and the meticulous delineation of architectural subjects.