3 Artists You Should Know From China’s Yuan and Ming Dynasties (Pt. 2)| Tea With Erping

Welcome to Tea with Erping. Before we start, please subscribe to this channel and like the video if you enjoy watching this episode. Now, we begin our story. In 1260, Kublai Khan rose to power in China and finally finished the conquests his grandfather, the great Genghis Khan, had started in 1205. By 1279, Kublai Khan took the Southern Song Dynasty and China was entirely conquered for the first time in its history. Under the Mongol Empire, a new chapter of history unfolded. But instead of tyranny and force alone, Kublai Khan proved a different kind of ruler than his forefathers. Khan was wise to use the influence of soft power to legitimize his rule. He embraced local Chinese customs and his new policies were founded on a certain amount of tolerance. His government spoke both Chinese and Mongolian. He welcomed the mix of religions in China and he encouraged foreigners to come to China from the West, opening up trade. In many ways, he respected Chinese culture. This was a new era of multiculturalism. But for the literati officials who previously held important positions of government in the Song Dynasty, it was a painful transition. Some were invited to join Khan's cabinet to continue their political careers. But in reality, those who accepted were demoted and given jobs in local schools or as low-level clerks. The loyalists who refused to serve left political life altogether and became known as Yimin, or the leftover officials. The literati had fiercely resisted invasion and their hearts were still deeply loyal to the Song Dynasty. Now, their lives changed in many ways. Among them were some of China's greatest artists. How would they respond to the new social order? And what would happen to Chinese art? I would like to reintroduce Zhao Mengfu. If you watched my calligraphy episodes, you'll be familiar with his name. He is one of China's finest calligraphers. And as we'll see, he is also one of the great painters. This is a self-portrait of him, painted in 1299. Zhao was known for advocating In English, it means fine works of art have ancient meaning. So what did Zhao paint? Horses became one of his favorite subjects. He believed that his paintings could capture the true inner nature of a horse. In Chinese culture, horses are a symbol of a divine origin with ancient roots. Many classical texts describe a divine animal called dragon horse, which carries the qi, or vital spirit, of heaven and earth. The Tang dynasty especially is known for their horse ceramics and their astounding artworks from the earlier periods. Like the famous flying horse from Gansu. Horses were revered from as early as the Shang dynasty more than 3,000 years ago, when they were buried with their owners for the afterlife. Among the Chinese literati, good horsemanship showed the merit of a scholar or official. It symbolized power together with virtue. So it was said, if you could judge a horse, you could judge a man's character and his suitability for office. The Mongols also loved horses, and they were a symbol of national pride. So paintings of horses would have been well-received. They would become one of the most important symbols in the Chinese art. In 1280, Zhao made this painting, A Man and His Horse in the Wind. The Mongols had just invaded. The foundations of the literati, the stability of the Chinese government, had been shaken to its core. Maybe this painting reflects how the Chinese people would have felt at the time. That both group and horse remain standing must have been a comforting and relatable image for the literati, many of whom would rather live a life of poverty but of moral conscience than to serve under the Mongol empire. So when Zhao Mengfu was called before Kublai Khan in the capital, what did they talk about? Well, when he left court that day, he had just become a new member of the Yuan Dynasty government. If you feel surprised, just imagine the reaction among the literati. But you see, Zhao Mengfu was brought up which was reflected in his classical styles of calligraphy, and I feel he might have thought it better to use his position to serve society as a whole, to contribute what he could to China as an individual. It is said he gained favor with the Yuan Dynasty emperors, rising high in the ranks. Zhao painted this piece, Groom and Horses, in 1296, around the time when he chose to retire from office. Many think the attention to detail in this piece suggests a self-portrait. I believe that through this image, Zhao wanted to show the principles of good governance as much as he did by using the classic and upright calligraphy styles. Since the Tang Dynasty, artists have painted birds, trees, and flowers as they symbolize harmony with nature. Next, I want to introduce you to two artists who lived during the Ming Dynasty. As artists, they had illustrious careers. Today, they are widely regarded among two of the four masters of the Ming Dynasty. Despite their successes, they came from entirely different backgrounds. Shen Zhou was born into a wealthy Confucian family. He lived in Suzhou, not far from modern-day Shanghai. Both his father and uncle were also painters. Like them, he lived his entire life as an artist. Yet Shen would exceed them in all aspects, and he became known as one of the four great artists of the Ming Dynasty. Shen and his peers were lucky. They lived during the Ming Dynasty, which marked the return of Han Chinese rule. The literati returned to social circles, and their paintings were invigorated with new styles of personal expression. Painters of the Ming Dynasty expressed a newfound artistic freedom. The art scene exploded. When small, art became a part of essential social activity for the literati, a vehicle to express Confucian way of life. Colors became more vibrant. Compositions became more creative. Poetic verses became more lyrical. This is Lofty Mount Lu, painted by Shen Zhou in 1467, at almost 2 meters high. It is a mastery of form and texture. The inscription at the top tells us that Shen Zhou painted this for his teacher Chen Kuan's 70th birthday. In Chinese culture, the relationship between master and disciple, or teacher and student, held a deeper meaning. The connection is viewed in the same way as a parent-child relationship. Shen was showing his respect to his esteemed teacher, and he showed that as a scholar looking up to the mountains. This painting is crammed with texture, quite different from the sparseness of the paintings from the Yuan dynasty. Yet, the brushwork is very refined and feather-light. The style of texture is called Jie Suo Cun. Cun means wrinkle, and together Jie Suo Cun means tangled rope head technique. This style expresses the lushness of Mount Lu. Later in the Qing dynasty, a man called Zheng Ji wrote of 16 wrinkles or Cun. These 16 wrinkles are named by the shapes of various 16 mountains in China. Why were artists so obsessed with Cun? For literati painters, this was the essential creative exploration of the Taoist principles and Chinese natural philosophy, and thus what guided them to develop more refined and specific styles. Another famous painting of his is Poet on a Mountain Top. The scholar, maybe Shen Zhou himself, is alone with nature. As he looks out over the clouds, we are invited to join him in the scene. To fully experience this painting, we should read his inscription. Shen Zhou writes, To the wobble of a valley brook, I'll reply, whistling. Shen Zhou was known for painting personal scenes. People felt his art was genuine and non-pretentious. So quite a different feeling from the grand lofty scenes you might remember from my first episode on Chinese painting. Our third artist also lived during the Ming dynasty. His name is Tang Yin. Some called him a castaway genius in painting, poetry, and calligraphy. Some called him a playboy who lived a life of leisure. So which was he? Unlike Shen Zhou, who had an artistic family background, Tang Yin grew up from humble origins to become one of the four masters of the Ming dynasty. His father had a restaurant in Suzhou, so as part of the merchant class, his early life would have been worlds apart from the elite literati. Tang Yin was an extremely bright person, and he studied diligently, gaining the attention of the wealthy class in China. He made right friends in powerful circles, and he set his sights on civil service. But his dream was dashed just years later. He was accused of cheating in the national examinations, and he went to prison for a crime he didn't commit. His wife left him, and he was penniless. Despite this, Tang Yin made a name for himself as an excellent artist. In Chinese, we might say he is feng liu, or romantic. Or perhaps a lady's man. He called himself the first romantic scholar in southern China, and during these years, went by the name Tang Bohu. Here is a painting where we get a sense of his romantic expression, entitled Drunken Fisherman by a Reed Bag. An old fisherman, a symbol of retired literati, lies fast asleep on a tranquil night. Tang writes of the scene before us. The moon is a favorite subject of Chinese poets. You may have heard of the famous poet Li Bai, who lived during the Tang dynasty. He wrote over 320 poems about the moon. There is a famous poem from the Tang dynasty, It means Mountains and rivers apart, we share the same winds and moon under the same sky. The Chinese have long associated the full moon with family and reunion, and celebrate with the Moon Festival every fall. There are more layers of meaning. The sun and the moon represent the central Taoist concept of the balance of yin and yang, which together create harmony in the universe. And the character for the Ming dynasty, which looks like this, is a marriage of two characters, a sun and a moon. Together means bright. Tang Yin and his peers would have been sensitive to all these ideas, making this seemingly simple painting There is a famous love story about Tang Yin which made him a household name in China. He glimpsed a girl on a boat and fell in love at first sight. Turns out, the object of his affections was a servant of a local Suzhou high official. Determined to find a way to see her again, he hides his identity and sold himself to become a servant in the same household so they can meet. Of course, being Tang Yin, he succeeds in wooing her. His story became a popular lore in China. Eight films were made about him, so he may be among the most famous artists in China today. Indeed, Tang Yin had a colorful life, and his art is no exception. He was skilled in different styles of landscape and learned from Shenzhou in his early years. He also mastered bird and flower painting, like birds and bamboo in the rain. And bamboo in a spring thunderstorm. He painted this particular one on a folding fan flagged with gold. In semi-cursive style, Tang writes, Tang Yin's intimate paintings are brought to life with emotive poetry, but he is perhaps most known for his figure paintings of court ladies, like court ladies of the former Shu, also known as Four Beauties, one of his most famous pieces. He shows their powdered faces and elegant dress with graceful brush lines, giving an air of refinement. Tang Yin emulated the meticulous style from the Tang dynasty in his paintings. Here's another one, titled Lady Ban or Ban Jieshu was a Han dynasty beauty and consort of Emperor Han Chengdi. She was accused of witchcraft by other jealous consorts, but she pleaded her case, citing Confucius, and the emperor allowed her to remain at the court. She then wrote the famous poem, where she describes falling out of favor like a summer fan in autumn. Such was the romantic spirit of Tang Yin to depict this literary story. Perhaps on some level, he identified with Lady Ban. Now, you might be curious why I take such great interest in classical Chinese painting. Sadly, this actually began with a tragic story of our old neighbor in China. He was a well-known professor of arts history during the Cultural Revolution. He was frequently taken out of his home by the Red Guards to be paraded on the street, carrying on his neck a big sign with these words, As a scholar of dignity and honor, this professor decided to end such humiliation by taking his own life and jumped from a 10-meter-tall diving platform into an empty swimming pool. His death brought enormous pain to his wife, a Russian-language professor, and a former colleague of my father. Each time I visited her, this Russian-language professor would give me some of her husband's arts magazines, journals, and books so that I could imitate those masterpieces through sketching and painting. So I have accumulated quite a collection of their books with both Chinese and Western masterpiece paintings. For this lady, what her husband had left behind would only bring back painful memories. But for me, a kid who thirsts for arts knowledge and a chance to see world masterpieces, it was an unusual opportunity. Psychologists hold that by waging political campaigns such as the Anti-Rightist Movement in 1957 and the Cultural Revolution, the Communist Party has succeeded in eliminating the Chinese cultural elite and turning society into one of mediocrity and obedience. Worse still, the Party has eradicated the cultural roots, disconnecting today's Chinese populace from their storied past. As a child growing up in the turbulent Cultural Revolution era, indulging myself in the world of arts allowed me to entertain a surreal world and offered me an escape from the harsh reality. As the Chinese proverb says, The world of arts was my biggest joy back then. As mentioned in my earlier episodes, classical Chinese painting, calligraphy, and poetry go seamlessly well together as they all aspire to search for spiritual harmony with nature and for a boundless realm of imagination and possibility. Confucius said, I hope this episode will offer you a unique perspective on some of the greatest artists in China's age of empire. In our next episode, we'll explore Chinese painting in the Qing, the last of China's royal dynasties. Chinese people often say, if you want happiness for one hour, take a nap. But I'd rather have a cup of freshly brewed green tea. After all, as an old saying goes, Until next time, peace and tea be with you.