Chinese Painting That He Used to Expand My Knowledge of the Plurality of Chinese Art
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Figure 1 Margaret’s Exhibition 1: Lingnan 岭南 Memorial Hall 1994 Chinese and Painting: an outsider’s, inside experience of the Lingnan 岭岭岭南南南 School and Xie He’s writings. by Margaret Piggott Jiang In fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (MA) in Asian Studies. Asian Studies Institute. School of Asian and European Languages and Cultures Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand . 2008 1 Calligraphy Margaret’s Exhibition by Huang Yongyu 1994. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In this thesis, I draw on personal experience and contact with painters from within the academy structure, art associations, societies and individual practitioners, both in China and overseas. I choose to use the materials of brush, ink and paper that make up the treasures of the artist’s studio. My understanding and interpretation is based on my experience as apprentice to master Fang Chuxiong, a third generation master of the Lingnan 岭南 School. My perceptions were further shaped by the discussions on art theory and practice I had with masters and professors from both within the Lingnan 岭南 School and outside the academy structure. I am deeply indebted to Professor Fang Chuxiong for his role as my teacher and I am grateful for the instruction of styles and movements in Chinese painting that he used to expand my knowledge of the plurality of Chinese art. I thank his wife, Lin Shuran, for her support and assistance. For the endless hours debating art theory, philosophy, culture and history, thanks go to Professor Ye Zixiong. I am grateful also for the loving support of Professor Ye’s family, students and friends. I am grateful to the Master mounters from the Lingnan 岭南School and the Academy of Fine Arts who gave freely of their time, knowledge and skill. Special thanks go to Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai, Huang Yongyu and their families. Not wishing to leave anyone out, I wish to thank the many people from the Lingnan 岭南School and beyond who assisted me in my quest. I am grateful to the many mentors who have helped me through the development of this body of work and writing of this thesis. Thanks to those who supported me in this thesis’s inception as an MFA. In Whitecliffe Colledge of Art in Auckland and as it morphed into a MA draft (International Relations) and its subsequent evolution into a MA thesis for a degree in Asian Studies. To Ralph Pettman, Stephen Epstein and Brian Moloughney, thank you for taking on a very unusual student and finding a place within the system for this thesis to be expressed. Special thanks also to Duncan Campbell for his expertise and guidance. To my children, Lihsia, Brendon, David and James, I love you and thank you for being the wonderful people that you are. Finally I am grateful for the love and support from my husband, without whom 2 I could not have achieved my full potential and who, I know in my heart, is always with me. For Lester Jiang Guo Wei 江江江 国国国 威威威 (1949 – 2004) Figure 2 The Jiang family 2002 Left rear : Brendon, Lihsia, David. Centre: James. Front: Margaret and Lester 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chinese and Painting: .......................................1 For Lester ........................................................................................................3 LIST OF FIGURES ..........................................................................................5 PREFACE ........................................................................................................7 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................14 The Lingnan 岭南 School........................................................................19 The mentor/protégé or master/apprentice relationship ...........................24 CHAPTER 1 ..................................................................................................28 XIE HE’s WRITINGS’ AND THE CORNERSTONES OF PAINTING. ..28 The Six Fa of Xie He...............................................................................34 1. The potential of existence. ......................................................................34 2. The potential of beauty: building structure through brushwork. ........42 3. Semi- abstraction and real / unreal. Zhen 真, Ziran 自然 or Jing 景58 4. Appropriate colouring. Tones of ink and hues of colour. ....................64 5. Composition and conceptualisation as a process ...............................71 6. Xie He’s sixth and final fa. Transcribing and copying. ........................77 CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................................84 Intertextuality. .........................................................................................84 Intertextuality and master painter Professor Fang Chuxiong .................89 Intertextuality and Huang Yongyu . .............................................................95 Intertextuality and the Lingnan 岭南 School..........................................103 Guan Shanyue (1912 – 2000) ...................................................................109 Li Xiongcai (1910-2001) .............................................................................111 New Zealand Intertextuality ..................................................................113 CHAPTER 3 ................................................................................................122 Methods of Mounting and Presentation of Paintings.............................122 The Significance and Symbolism of Mounting and Presenting Work. 129 Long Horizontal scrolls ...............................................................................130 Fan .................................................................................................................133 Vertical scroll ................................................................................................135 Album Leaves ..............................................................................................137 Book ..............................................................................................................139 CHAPTER 4 ................................................................................................142 Symbolic meaning and spirituality. ...........................................................142 Perspective ...................................................................................................145 Seeing ...........................................................................................................148 CHAPTER 5 ................................................................................................152 Ritual and Process................................................................................152 Completing a painting, inscriptions, signature and seals. .....................154 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................157 GLOSSARY .................................................................................................158 BILIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................160 4 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE ...................................................................................................PAGE Figure 1........................................................................................................................1 Figure 2 .........................................................................................................................3 Figure 3 Figure 4 ................................................................................................6 Figure 5 .........................................................................................................................9 Figure 6…………………………………………………………………………… 13 Figure 7 .......................................................................................................................16 Figure 8 .......................................................................................................................17 Figure 9 .......................................................................................................................18 Figure 10 Figure 11. ...........................................................................................18 Figure 12 .....................................................................................................................27 Figure 13 .....................................................................................................................33 Figure 14 .....................................................................................................................38 Figure 15 ...............................................................................40 Figure 16 .....................................................................................................................46 Figure 17 .....................................................................................................................48 Figure 18 .....................................................................................................................53 Figure 19 .....................................................................................................................56 Figure 20 .....................................................................................................................60 Figure 21 .....................................................................................................................61