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    FRANÇOIS, Cheng - Empty and Full: The Language of Chinese Painting

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    Oriental Aesthetics

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    FRANÇOIS, Cheng - Empty and Full: The Language of Chinese Painting

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    RennanWillian
    797 views96 pages
    Oriental Aesthetics

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    Oriental Aesthetics

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    FRANÇOIS, Cheng - Empty and Full: The Language of Chinese Painting

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    RennanWillian
    Oriental Aesthetics

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    of 96
    Empty and Full THE LANGUAGE OF CHINESE PAINTING FRANGOIS CHENG “Translated by Michael H. Kobe SHAMBHALA Bator ShanbbaaPabicsons, ne. Boston Metab net © s99r by tind Su AM rights No par of th book maybe reproduced ay frm or by any aon leone or machina cud poopy ‘econ. oF by ay snformion storge and reo tec neat persion ming ete pubes pero saad ined inthe United State of Americ om acre paper irbued nthe United Sates by Random Hoss, brary of Congres Catling Publication Data CONTENTS Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Part One | cHINESE PAINTING AND Introduction. Historical Background npn in Chinese Philosophy The Conception of Emptiness -EmpeinessParccpating in the Nouenal EmpeinessParscpatng in the Phenomenal Enmprines-Fullaes and Yin-Yang, Enspnes in Haman Life wins Chinese Painting Brust Breath and Rbythan Form and Volume Yin-Yang (Darkness Brightness) Mountsin-Water Man-Heaven The Mental Disposition af the Elements ‘a Picture Perspect Tescription of Pocm in he Picture The Fifth Dimension PREFACE 3. Techical Terms Part Two | cuinese picrowia anr | Notes Bibliography The aim of ths book is to comprehend Chinese painting as a constituted language and to grasp the principles by ‘hich i functions. The approach taken is primarily struc tural and not historical Lam, of course, not unaware that theee is a history of Chinese painting that has been the subject of many works of scholarship, that Chinese paint Ing has passed through various stages of evolstion (partic: ularly inthe direction ofthe predominance ofthe painting of the scholars, whose ideal is the projection of a more inward and personal vision, designated by the term heel ‘hand that asa resule all the factors we observe init did nor come into existence at the same time, But [have made an effort to extricate our focus for once from the purely chronological concerns of a detailed recording of succes When all is said and done, the Chinese pictorial at, hhaving arisen in a specitic context, grew like a tree. With ts roots deep in ideographic writing (which theough calli: vat | Pie raphy made the use of the brush important and promoted the tendeney to transform elements of nature into signs) and with a definite cosmology as its framework, this art enjoyed from the beginning the conditions necessary for its spread, even if certain of its virtalties were notre vealed until later on. A global analytic approach is also justified because the concepts inherent in Chinese aesthetic thought—such as unitis composed of combined paits and ‘he discrimination of various levels—lend themselves natu esthetics, being based on an organicst conception of the universe, proposed an art that would strive to re-create a total microcosm, in which the unifying action of breath spirit plays the leading role, and in which emptiness fr from being synonymous with vagueness or arbitrariness, js the inner locus where the network of vital breaths is established. We see here a system that proceeds by the imegration of succesive additions rather than by discont nity. The at of the brushstroke, which painters raised t0 the utmost level of refinement, by giving form to the one and the many through identification with the original breath and alls metamorphose, contributed to the cont uity of this tirelessly pursued discipline of meaning, Painting, whichis though i action, thus became one of the highest exprevsions of Chinese spirituality. Through pointing, the Chinese have sought to reveal the mystery of ereation and to create for themaclves an authentic way of lie. From this perspective, the present study perhaps has ultimately to do with something that goes beyond the mere concer of ar ACKNOWLEDGMENTS { would like to express great gratitude to my master Jaques Lacan, who caused me to rediscover Lao-tzu and Shib a0; to Pierte Ryckmans, who authorized me to cit large extracts from his masterfl translation Propos sr la pen ture (Remarks on painting) by Shih-'20; to Frangois Wahl and Jean-Luc Giibone, whose challengiog texss have been indispensable to me; and to Nicole Lefevre, Janine Les ‘montier, Danie! Glorel, Brigitte Demaria, and all those who participated in making this hook ino a viable text. Paul Demiévill, who read and corrected the French manuscript ofthis work, departed from our midst while it was sil at the press. I respectfully dedicate this modest labor to his memory Empty and Full Introduction 1 2 | terion SK ons fate fer msm inebhe cose hs atta ieareoneandthetanes natant Gham etc agar ssh ia ih whe gs cea San Spe see a ven wf cpa a a (eet et an et ni shh te hg dee beauty, but the term shen-p' rok Sut emo ald nee awh nae sens rae et iivenc ACh nots de ase Thi fi ok po he ee pe otha ssh hint pounce ed srs Iran ee son ean png ie ee, tid maura cboniomma ee ipsa em oreo technical terms are not isolated elements. They make up. an organic whole with distinct levels and laws of combina iin com rags oc macrotis nd ans poake fe The fis part ofthis work provides a general ind: ton, tring wth the ntl notion of empises Teens ine th organization ofthe varios interac coneans through which he pictorial ar aque tnoomplecenes Ireoducin | 5 ing Inthe second part | explore the theoretical and practi: cal work of a particular painter. hope this wil help the reader to ste how the Chinese art of painting really works, A few passages in the second part that repeat content from the frst par semed to me useful, even indispensable, be cause they enable us to approach certain concepts from ‘more than one angle In addition to its theoretical concerns, this book has the practical goal of helping the reader appreciate Chinese painting. Ie will therefore be useful ro present here the nai historical outlines of Chinese painting, starting with the empire established two centuries before our era. Let us firs recall tha che long history of the Chinese empire i cludes a succesion of dynasties and altemating periods of tunity and division, The Ch'in and Han dynasties (22 8c to ce) was a perio in which unity was achieved, but they ‘were followed by a period of troubles resulting from inter hal conflicts and foreign invasions, This period (420-589) is known as that of the Nosthcen and Southern dynasties, The north of China was occupied by non-Chinese “barbar. fans who embraced Buddhism and became assimilated into Chinese alee Tewas not until the great Tang dynasty (618-907) that ‘China was reaifed. Bue after three centuries, this dynasty also sank into anarchy, The eta of division thar followee ‘was known asthe Five Dynasties period (907-960). This cra was ended by the advent of the Sung dynasty (960 1279). The Sung dynasty reached a level of cultural bil. liance comparable to that of the T'ang, but it was soon undermined by the unceasing attacks of the Liao and Chin tribes and was forced to withdraw to the south of che Yangetau River. After the decline of the Sung dynasty, China was to weakened to resist the overwheloing arack of the Mongols, who founded anew d who founded anew dynasty in China he Yuan (1371-1368). The Vian dynasty win sececed hp thelas evo great dynasties ofthe empire the Ming 68 4644) and the Ching (1644-1903), which were founded by Manchus, who were rapidly ated by Chine Throughout the course of chi history, paiting was um dergoing comsinuous devlopment. it was conditioned hy ents, yetit abo followed its own las of wanatospavon The prods of dsion ad order beso thee ation of mores and the selquestioning they bough wih them, were no los propos fr ate See oxhet periods. Two current, which fed cach other ah mated Chines pining: religious current ached the Bsiotng born of Taoism and later Buddhism. and seoreoe that could be called secular but as we have ssl nonce So costae pital pouch thier cor ten, viewed asthe application of an orignal ethene oe losopy, that willbe the objec of our study, It is generally agreed that the fir P : the fe great pater known by mame in the history of China was Ku Kearchh spe 411) ofthe Chin dynasty (a6s-4n0} This punter utonc work exhibis axonshing authorty and tchoteal sre saised painting to the level of primary worth at which ie tas remained ever since. His appearance on the soon was by no means purely fortuitous but was preceded bya tration of pictorial art that was aleady ancien: Theegh writen docaments and material remain, we Koo en throughout the feudal Chow dynasy (A12ioa6 he throughout the Warring Kingdom: d 2 " 40d throughout the Cin and Han dynasties ant meee 220.8), palaces and emp, a well as tyal tombe decorated by sumpei i gious ous mural paintings with relguus aud moral themes, We also poses a number of pangs Imtodacion | 5 con silk and a significane sampling of engravings on brick, ‘which afford us a view of an arc that is original in its treatment of brushstrokes as well a¢ in its approach to composition. ‘After the Han dynasty crumbled, the Chinese empire remained divided and menaced by forcign enemies and failed to achieve a stable peace until the time ofthe Chin dynasty. This situation of disorder and criss provoked signicane developments of thought. With Confucianisan temporaily in decline, neo-Taoism and Buddhism, which was newly introduced to China, reigned supreme, These ‘ngellectual movements in turn brought with them a veri ble explosion in the various domains of artistic creation: calligraphy, painting, sculpture, architecture, and so on. In the realm of painting, Kw K’ai-hih towered over his period. He was able ro integrate in his work the achieve: nents of the past with new elements, notably technical vances in eaigraphy and the bold imaginativeness of Buddhise art. Through the synthesis he brough about, Ku prefigured che later development of Chinese painting, in ‘which several intellectual currents cohabit, constantly in- tespenetrating and cross-fertiizing each other. Unfortu rately, nothing remains of Ku's mural paintings. We can ‘only guess at che grandeur of his art withthe help of a plan be wrote for a painting called “Note on the Painting of Cloud Terrace Mountain” and two famous scrolls that were attribued to him only late: The Goddess of the River Luo, preserved in China, and Admonition 10 the Ladies ofthe Cour, preserved in the British Museum ‘After Ku, in the time of the Nosthern and Southern ynastes (420-589), when China was cut in two, and during the shor: Sui dynasty (581-6r8), there were several urstanding painters—Lu T'an-wei, Tsung Ping, Chang Seng-yi, and Chan Tzw-

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