Peerless Song Dynasty calligraphy and painting, Li Cheng, appreciation of landscape paintings

Li Cheng (AD 919-967), named Xianxi, was born in Yingqiu (now Linzi, Zibo, Shandong) in the early Northern Song Dynasty. He was known as Li Yingqiu in the world. Good at painting landscapes, he studied under the tutelage of Jing Hao and Guan Tong, and later under the tutelage of Cai Cai, forming his own family. Paint more of the vast and flat scenery of the countryside. The cold forest in Pingyuan has a simple painting method and a desolate atmosphere. It is easy to use light ink and is known as "cherishing ink like gold"; the mountains and rocks are like rolling clouds, which later generations call it "curry cloud chapped"; the cold forest painting is called "crab claw" Law. He is a master of landscape painting and is known as the father of Chinese landscape painting. He not only founded the Qilu School of Painting, which was unique in the early Song Dynasty painting circle, but also became a model for later generations of landscape painters with his original Yingqiu landscape painting method. "Review of Famous Paintings of the Holy Dynasty" classified Li Cheng's paintings as "divine products" and said that they were "unparalleled in ancient times because of their pure and ancient thinking." "Xuanhe Painting Book" states that "Anyone who calls landscapes must be the best in ancient and modern times."

Li Cheng has extremely high cultural literacy, knows everything about music, chess, calligraphy and painting, is well-versed in classics and history, and has great ambitions. , can compose poetry, is good at drinking, and has an aloof temperament. He loved the mountains and rivers of Qingzhou and often wandered alone in the mountains, using them as materials for his paintings. Li Cheng is a child of a declining family, and the harshness of the world has cast a thick shadow on his soul. Injustice, anger, and helplessness made him feel that life was like a dream and his fate was unpredictable. This distorted mentality will inevitably be reflected in his painting creation. Therefore, he uses very light ink marks and light brushstrokes to outline the landscape, giving people a dreamlike and foggy feeling.

Li Cheng - Artistic Characteristics

Li Cheng mostly used light ink in his paintings, so he left a saying in the painting world that he "cherishes ink like gold". This kind of work, which was very different from the painting style of the time, aroused strong protests from frustrated scholar-bureaucrats and shocked the painting world. Chinese landscape painting had just become independent from figure painting at that time, and it was impossible for it to become mature all of a sudden. Therefore, Li Cheng's works are still mainly realistic, based on the real mountains and rivers of Qilu. There are no high mountains or rivers in the Qingzhou area, so his works are also famous for their "smoky forest and plain distance". At the same time, landscape painters Jing Hao was famous for his paintings of the Taihang Mountains, and Guan Tong was famous for his paintings of the Huashan Mountains in the Qinling Mountains. Their compositions are steep and strange, and are typical works of the Northern School. Guo Ruoxu of the Song Dynasty said in "On the Landscape of Three Families": "The beauty of the plain and far-off smoke forest begins with Qiu. Painting pine leaves is called collecting needles. The brush is not stained with light, and it has the color of prosperity." "The atmosphere is desolate and the smoke forest is sparse." It is clear and open, the edges are sharp, the ink technique is subtle, and the system of Yingqiu is also known. "From this we can see that at the beginning of landscape painting, there were huge differences due to the different natural objects copied by the painter.

Li Cheng is particularly skilled in pen and ink. He uses thin, hard and light brushes, and is particularly particular about ink colors. He also created the "crab claw" painting method of cold trees and the "rolling clouds" of mountains and rocks. His paintings are simple and light ink, with a desolate atmosphere. . Mi Fu's "History of Painting" said: "Li Cheng's light ink is like a dream in the mist, and the rocks are moving like clouds." Deng Chun's "Hua Ji" said: "I have seen the snow paintings made by Yingqiu. The forest houses on the peaks are all mainly light ink, while the Tianshui The empty space is completely unfilled, which is also a strange thing." Song Dynasty Dong Zhuo said in "Guangchuan Painting Postscript on Landscape Painting" that Li Cheng "paints the three flavors of a wonderful person, but there is no clue to find, and he doesn't know where to start... The natural movements of mountains, rivers, trees and rocks, haze and mist, the opening and closing of sun and the closing of clouds, are unpredictable." From this, we can see that Li Cheng's landscape painting techniques are superb.

Li Cheng - Artistic Achievements

Some art critics believe that Li Chengchu learned from Jing Gao and Guan Tong, and later learned from nature and became his own family. He is the founder of Li Guo (Xi) School of Painting. However, almost all famous calligraphers and painters during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties believed that Li Cheng studied under Wang Wei. Ever since Dong Qichang put forward the theory of the Northern and Southern Schools of landscape painting, Wang Wei immediately regarded him as the leader of the Southern Schools. Their focus is on the painter's style rather than the place where they live. This is not unreasonable.

Zhu Yunming wrote in "Wang Wei's Snow Covered Pictures of Ten Thousand Peaks": "The ancient masters often liked to use pen and ink to paint landscapes for their own entertainment. However, those who mostly wrote about snow scenes wanted to use this as a way to express their feelings. It has a solitary and unconventional meaning, such as Li Cheng's "Snow on the Mountains", Li Tang's "Snow Mountain Pavilion"... I have seen them all, but I regret that I have not seen how the snow scene is. It is already spring in Hongzhi. Occasionally, I read this at Du Xia Qian Tai Chang's office... It was really Mojie's proud writing, and I realized that Li Cheng was a sect of Mojie."

Li Cheng had a high reputation when he was still alive. Almost all landscape paintings of the Northern Song Dynasty were attributed to Li Cheng, which shows his great influence. In the Yuan Dynasty, Huang Gongwang said: "In recent times, there are many painting schools of Dong Yuan and Li Cheng." During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, its reputation remained, but its style changed with the times. The influence of Li Cheng's painting style has come to an end. An important reason is that due to the war, very few of Li Cheng's works have been handed down. There were very few left in the Northern Song Dynasty. No wonder Mi Fu said in "History of Painting" that he saw only two authentic works by Li Cheng and 300 copies. There are still pictures that have been handed down to this day, such as "Reading Stone Tablets", "Qingluan Xiaosi Picture", "Qiao Songpingyuan Picture", and "Maolin Yuanxiu Picture", most of which are collected by foreign museums. Its authenticity is also highly controversial.

Take the "Reading the Stele Stone Picture" now in Japan as an example. Some experts believe that this painting is the original work of Li Cheng, and some experts believe that it is a copy of the Song Dynasty. However, the consensus is that even the copy is not the same as Li Cheng's. Cheng's painting style is not far different. This famous painting was a collaboration between Li Cheng and Wang Xiao. Li painted trees and rocks, and Wang painted figures. In the painting, dead trees and crotch trees on the mound occupy half of the picture. Among the branches is a huge monument. An old man wearing a bamboo hat is riding on a mule to look at the monument. A waiter is standing next to the old man with a staff. The entire painting is light in ink, cold and sparse, with an elegant charm, which fully reflects the brushwork skills and style characteristics of Li Cheng's paintings.

Li Cheng-Representative Works

"Reading Stone Tablets", "Cold Forest Plains Picture", "Qingluan Xiaosi Picture", "Maolin Yuanxiu Picture", "Picture of Qiao Songping in the Distance", "Picture of Xiaohan Forest", "Picture of Snow Peaks", "Picture of Riding a Donkey in the Cold Forest"

Appreciation of works:

"Picture of Qiao Songping in the Distance" 》, Song Dynasty, Li Cheng, ink on silk, 205.5 cm vertical, 126.1 cm horizontal, collected by Seikaido Bunko, Japan

This picture shows the long pines growing upright on the rocky slopes in the cold winter. The old tree is reflected in the distant mountains of Pingchuan. The slope is as strong as a cloud head. The needle is sharp and the pen and ink are clear and smooth. Li Cheng's signature is faintly visible at the roots of the tree. Those who know it think it was added by later generations, but this picture clearly shows the true nature of Li Cheng's painting style. There is no doubt that he is a master of the Li Guo School of painting in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The painting is stamped with the seals "Prince Yi Bao", "Mingshan Hall Calligraphy and Painting Seal", "Collected by Bao Family in Huaiyin" and other seals.

"Riding a Donkey in the Cold Forest", Song Dynasty, Li Cheng, light color on silk, 162 cm long, 100.4 cm wide, collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

"Riding a Donkey in the Cold Forest" "Picture" is from the collection of Zhang Daqian's Dafeng Hall. It depicts a scholar riding a donkey in the countryside on a large vertical scroll, accompanied by boy servants in front and behind. The ancient pines in the painting have the power of soaring clouds, and there are dead trees and cold streams in between, which is quite interesting. In the poetry hall, Zhang Daqian inscribed "The Dafeng Hall supports the paintings of Li Cheng, the best in the world." There is also a long title at the bottom of the painting, which reads: "History of Painting" by Mi Yuanzhang. Four paintings by Master Yun Baoyue and Li Cheng. A talented man rides a horse on the road, followed by a boy, as handsome as Mojie (Wang Wei). "Meng Haoran Riding a Donkey" "This cloud is riding a horse, and I accidentally read it." It is also said that "the pine branches are strong, the pine leaves are gloomy, and the thorns and small trees are not redundant, and they are not like dragons, snakes, and gods." In the picture, the old pine is also used as a hook. , the depiction is delicate and the writing style is vigorous. Only the sides of the rocks are cracked, and the upper part is left blank and slightly rendered with white, showing the effect of being covered with white snow. The scene is bleak and the realm is deep.

"Picture of the Xiao Temple in Qingluan", Song Dynasty, Li Cheng, light color on silk, 111.4 cm in length, 56 cm in width, collected by the Nelson Museum of Art in Kansas City, USA

"Xiao in Qingluan" "Temple Picture" uses a vertical format to paint a winter ravine scenery. In the painting, there are towering peaks and waterfalls cascading down. There are temple towers and pavilions built on the hills in the middle scene. Waterside pavilions, thatched huts and Banqiao are built on the waterfront at the foot of the mountain, with travelers in between. Character activities. The mountains and rocks are majestic and handsome, and the dyeing and dyeing techniques have many changes, combining the majesty of Guan Tong and the purity of Li Cheng. The artist uses sharp strokes to paint the dead trees in the cold forest, and the scenery is quiet and quiet. Although it is not a flat and distant scene, it still has the characteristics of Li Cheng's painting style. It is estimated that this painting was completed in the early Northern Song Dynasty, at least by the Li Cheng school.

"Reading Stone Tablets", Song Dynasty, Li Cheng, ink on silk, length 126.3 cm, width 104.9 cm, collected by the Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, Japan

This picture can't help but make people fall into a trance. In this desolate and desolate situation, there is a broken monument, a few dead trees, and the wilderness is desolate. The author shows the vicissitudes of life, the past is like smoke, and the feeling of being unable to look back, showing his cynical, arrogant and lonely character. In the painting, the side of the ruined stele is dyed with light ink, making it mottled; the dead trees surrounding the ruined stele are entangled, with branches hanging down like crab claws. The isolated desolate rocks, thorns and withered grass all create an atmosphere of infinite sadness.

In the early Song Dynasty, there were the so-called "three landscape masters". These three masters were Li Cheng from Yingqiu, Shandong, Guan Tong from Chang'an, Shaanxi, and Fan Kuan from Huayuan, Shaanxi. From the inscription on the side of the stele: "Wang Xiao's Figures, Li Cheng's Stone." It can be seen that "Reading the Stele Stone Picture" is a collaboration between Li Cheng and the figure painter Wang Xiao. The painter described several experienced trees in the cold forest plains. The vicissitudes of old trees and an ancient monument. This picture is set in a desolate environment, with a bleak atmosphere, ancient tree branches with strange and uneven branches, and an empty background with deep darkness and infinite sadness. In addition, when painting trees and rocks, the painting is first drawn and then dyed, making it light, bright and full of charm. It is not difficult to see from this work that the "desolate atmosphere and clear misty forest" of Li Cheng's art are closely related to his attempt to show his sensitive and rich inner world.

The desolate and cold wilderness, tall dead trees and standing stone monuments make people recall the past history and sigh with emotion about the changes of the times. The atmosphere of the scenery is lonely and dignified, and there is an intriguing philosophy in the landscape painting. The dead trees in the cold forest in the painting are varied, the pen is sharp, and the stone slopes are round and graceful, which is in line with Li Cheng's characteristics of "the atmosphere is desolate and sparse, the smokey forest is clear and vast, every detail is delicate, and the ink technique is subtle". The words "Wang Xiao's character Li Chengshu stone" are written on the side of the monument. This painting was collected by famous collectors An Qi, Liang Qingbiao and others in the early Qing Dynasty. Later it entered the Qing Palace. The painting is marked with "An Yi Zhou Family Collection", "Jiao Lin Jushi", "Sun Chengze Seal" and more than ten seals collected by Qianlong. Fang, and has been recorded in books such as "Coral Wood Difficulty", "Qinghe Painting and Calligraphy Boat", "Da Guan Lu", "Mo Yuan Hui Guan" and other books, and is recognized as the most representative masterpiece of Li Cheng's painting style handed down from generation to generation.

"Maolin Yuanxiu Tu", Northern Song Dynasty, Li Cheng, ink on silk, length 45.4 cm, width 141.8 cm, collection of Liaoning Provincial Museum

Close view of "Maolin Yuanxiu Tu" Boats were moored on the ferry, pedestrians and carriages were passing by, and the distant view was filled with palaces and shadows of towers looming. It was clear that the city was not far away. At the mouth of the flying spring, it's like hearing its sound and being there. Li Cheng's art had a great influence on later generations of landscape painters. The painter who pushed Li Cheng's painting school to a new stage was Guo Xi, a famous artist in the painting academy during the Shenzong period of the Song Dynasty. This painting was collected by celebrities such as Jia Sidao in the Southern Song Dynasty, Xian Yushu in the Yuan Dynasty, Xiang Yuanbian in the Ming Dynasty, and later entered the palace of the Qing Dynasty. It has more than a hundred collection marks on it.

"The Picture of Maolin Yuanxiu" depicts a mountain stream, with pedestrians helping to wade through the water. The surrounding rocks are lush and overgrown with weeds. In the distance, mountains stand tall, shrouded in smoke, and temples and palaces appear or disappear. The artist used hemp to rub and render the rocks, which are vigorous and thick, and set off the tree trunks outlined in light colors. The leaves are of appropriate shades and density, which is quite the style of Li Cheng's landscape paintings. The trailing postscript states that this painting is the work of Li Cheng. Very few of Li Cheng's paintings have been handed down to the world, making this volume extremely precious. However, some painting historians believe that it may be the work of Yan Wengui, another landscape painter of the Northern Song Dynasty.

"Picture of Snowy Peaks", Song Dynasty, Li Cheng, light color on silk, 77.3 cm in length, 31.6 cm in width, collected by the National Palace Museum in Taipei

"Picture of Snowy Peaks" There is no style, which shows the high mountains, dense snow, waterfalls and cold springs, and a pavilion in Gangfu. On the left side is a poem written by Gao Shiqi on the floating silk ribbon, which contains the sentence "Hao Duan master creates good fortune, and the history of painting focuses on the hills." The painting has the seals of Qianlong, Jiaqing and Xuantong. Li Cheng is good at painting with light ink to create snowy scenes, mountains and forests, every cigarette disappearing, water and rocks in quiet streams, desolate trees, and dangerous mountains and rivers, all of which are full of beauty. Folk records say that his paintings: "Scan thousands of miles at a glance, write thousands of interesting things at the fingertips."

The Jackdaw Picture of the Song Dynasty The Jackdaw Picture of the Song Dynasty is said to have been painted by Li Cheng of the Song Dynasty

The Snow Mountain Travel Picture of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Cold Forest Gaoshi Picture Scroll Freer Art Museum, pseudo

Freer Museum of Fine Arts, pseudo, Ming Dynasty painting

"Cold Forest and Plains", Song Dynasty, Li Cheng, ink and ink on silk, 120 vertical cm, width 70.2 cm, collected by the National Palace Museum in Taipei

"Cold Forest Plains Picture" is a masterpiece handed down by Li Cheng. It depicts a bleak midwinter plain, with long pines standing tall, ancient cypresses, green cypresses, and branches. In Jiaoke, the old roots are entangled, the river is twisting and turning, as if frozen and solidified, and the mist reaches to the sky. This is the scene that Li Cheng is best at expressing. The silk used by people in the Song Dynasty was very suitable for drawing threads. Li Cheng used a sharp pen to draw pine needles, thick trunks and twigs, and soil slopes and stone outlines on the silk. The lines are thin, hard and tough. Even without ink, they are full of energy. Therefore, his paintings only use a small amount of light ink for dyeing, giving people a delicate and elegant enjoyment. Outlining is the most important among the techniques of outlining, chaffing, rubbing, dotting and dyeing in Chinese landscape painting. Landscape painting in the Northern Song Dynasty has reached maturity. Li Cheng uses outline as the main means of expressing objects, and he has reached the level of proficiency. The pine needles in "Cold Forest and Plains" have straight lines and are extremely powerful.

Liu Yin Fisherman’s Scroll, Freer Museum, fake, Ming Dynasty painting

"Small Cold Forest", Song Dynasty, Li Cheng, ink on silk, 40 cm vertical, horizontal 72 cm, collected by Liaoning Provincial Museum

In this close-up picture, there are several pine trees growing on the slope. The pine trunks are straight and the branches are winding. The trees are shrouded in mist and mist, followed by the plains. Distant view. Across the water in front is the inscription "Li Cheng Xiaohan Forest Picture" in running script. The joints are stamped with the Qian Gua seal of Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty. The center of the painting is stamped with the half stamp of the Ming Dynasty Ji Cha Division. There are many seals of Liang Jiaolin's collection on the front and back. There is a mountain stream nearby in "Small Cold Forest Picture". The water in the stream is not deep, and there are people helping each other to wade through it. The surrounding mountains and rocks are covered with lush trees; the mountains in the distance are towering, the temples and halls are hidden in the smoke, and the roof ridges are intertwined. Although this picture is a later copy, it can also reflect the momentum and style of Li Cheng's landscape paintings. When painting mountains and rocks, hemp is often used to cover the edges, which is more important than scratching and rendering. "The backbone will be strong when the surface is scratched." When painting tree trunks, line hooking is used, and the color is light, which is highlighted by the dark color of the rocks. When painting leaves, the dot method is often used, with different shades. It is appropriate and dense, but this picture does not use the crab claw method (also because it is a copy). This picture is still different from other "cold forest" works such as "Qingluan Xiaosi Picture". Strictly speaking, it is not accurate to call it "Xiaohanlin".

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