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The Fisherman (Wu Zhen 1350 C.E.,)
The aim of Chinese paintings are to evoke inner essences, emotions, energy, and life. Contrary to what one might think, to accomplish this, the painter would choose to not use color. Each brushstroke is considered a piece to a balanced yet dynamic whole of the painting. This is a reflection of Chinese calligraphy practices, each brushstroke matters and requires a disciplined hand. China during the 1300s didn't necessarily have regular artists. Most artists were scholars that shifted from calligraphy to painting, using the same brushes and ink they would use for calligraphy for painting. These scholar-artists would use their calligraphic training and brushwork to express symbolism, style, and their own beliefs and feelings of the world around them.
A great example of how scholar-artists would do this is 'The Fisherman' painting, painted by a man named Wu Zhen in 1350. Wu Zhen was slightly different compared to other artists at the time. He was a recluse, fond of poetry and cartoon-ish styled figures in his paintings. Most of his paintings were either landscapes or landscapes with fishermen. The fishermen tend to be alone, depicting his reclusive nature. This painting follows the pattern, seemingly to be a reflection of himself, a lone fisherman in the water alone with himself and his thoughts. Accompanying the artwork is a poem Wu Zhen created, reading as: "Red leaves west of the village reflect evening rays, yellow reeds on a sandy bank cast early moon shadows. Lightly stirring his oar, thinking of returning home, he puts aside his fishing pole, and will catch no more."
Poetry being added to paintings wasn't an uncommon practice, but Wu Zhen didn't follow the traditional way of adding poetry to paintings. Most often, Chinese paintings had poetry on them, but it wasn't the artist that would typically write on the painting, but rather the recipient of the painting to show appreciation or their response to the painting. Wu Zhen would write the poems himself, another example of his reclusive nature that he would not pass the paintings on to another individual to appreciate. |
Sources:
Hearn, Maxwell. “Chinese Painting | Essay.” metmuseum.org, June 2008. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chin/hd_chin.htm.
“Wu Zhen | Fisherman.” metmuseum.org. Accessed October 23, 2020. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/41468.
“Wu Zhen: Chinese Painting.” China Online Museum, August 12, 2017. https://www.comuseum.com/painting/masters/wu-zhen/.
I love how you added the poem to your paper, and that you highlighted the artists break in tradition. Chinese ink painting is so expressive. I love how the artists incorporate feelings and mood through their brushstrokes. This has been one of my favorite topics to learn about so far. I have learned a lot about the expression of the 3 dogmas through these works. It seems that East Asian Art is less about the artist and more about the person experiencing the art.
ReplyDeleteI like how you emphasized that most of the "artists' from this time were actually scholars who had transitioned from caligraphy to painting. That is something I did not know before! I like how you are able to distinquish Wu Zhen's work as it wasn't too different but had its own distinct and personal additions to the traditional art style. I also thinks its crazy they did this on silk instead of the paper we use today.
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