newsletter issue #3 february 2014 … · 2014-11-10 · newsletter issue #3 february 2014...

NEWSLETTERISSUE #3FEBRUARY [email protected]

{ PATRON }Prof. Jao Tsung-iUniversity of Hong Kong

{ HON. ADVISORS }Sir Guy GreenTasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

Prof. C.T. LoUniversity of Hawaii

Prof. Chan Yiu-namUniversity of Hong Kong

Dr. Thomas TangUniversity of Hong Kong

Dr. Andy Fung Shui-lungBNU-HKBU United International College, Zhuhai, China

Mr. Bill BleathmanTasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

{ PRESIDENT }Prof. Wong Shiu Hon

{ VICE-PRESIDENT }Mr. David Coleman

{ HON. SECRETARY }Ms. Julie Walters

{ HON. TREASURER }Ms. Robyn Devlin

{ SOCIAL CONVENOR }Ms. Rebecca Cong

{ NORTHERN REPRESENTATIVE }Mr. Leo Cui

{ HONG KONG REPRESENTATIVE }Ms. Christine To

{ COMMITTEE MEMBERS }Dr. Tony BrownMs. Jan EverettMr. Barry HineMs. Yvonne HineMrs. Nancy Wong

{ CONTENTS }Greetings from Alderman Damon Thomas,The Lord Mayor of City of Hobart 霍巴特市長湯馬士市議員新年賀辭 2Greetings from the President 會長黃兆漢教授新年獻辭 2What We Have Done in 2013 2013活動重温 3-4

What We Will Be Doing in 2014 2014活動概覽 5Imitation and Collaboration in Chinese Art (1)Prof. Wong Shiu Hon

中國繪畫藝術中之臨摹與合作(一)黃兆漢教授 6-8

{ EDITORS }Dr. Tony BrownMrs. Nancy Wong

{ LAYOUT & GRAPHIC DESIGN }Ms. Karnjamart Puengpaisal( [email protected] )

{ GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT會長黃兆漢教授新年獻辭 }

The new year is the Year of the Horse. I wish our committee members, members, and supporters a healthy and fruitful new year.

Since the inauguration of the Chinese Art Society, Australia (CAS) in July 2013, we have embarked on a variety of activities, namely, public lectures, demonstrations of Chinese painting and calligraphy, exhibitions, classes on Chinese painting and calligraphy, publication of Newsletters and production of the 2014 Calendar. We were fortunate that all these endeavours were overwhelmingly supported by our members and supporters. This is an auspicious sign and reflects that the community of Hobart is becoming more and more interested in Chinese art.The primary objective in establishing the CAS is to promulgate and promote the culture of Chinese art, so that local Chinese and non-Chinese can have a better understanding of the beauty and greatness of Chinese art and its influences and contributions to the art world.

As a Chinese intellectual, I strongly believe that at the present time we should take a systematic and proactive approach when promoting Chinese art and culture. We should not be satisfied in confining or limiting our activities to the emphasis of exquisite Chinese cuisine or concentrating on a few Chinese festivals. In fact, we should display and disseminate knowledge of Chinese culture at a high and in depth level. It is significant that we should introduce to the community the essence of Chinese culture, namely, art, philosophy, literature, history, religion etc. Therefore our Society will aim at introducing different

aspects of Chinese art, including painting, calligraphy, ceramic art, carving art, and will extend to other disciplines such as philosophy, religion, literature etc. I believe that it is only by doing this that we can reflect the greatness, uniqueness and the contributions of Chinese culture to civilization!

I am aware that it is not an easy task, it may take one’s whole life, or even generation after generation to carry out such a task. But I strongly believe that persistence and perseverance will help to realize this dream. Therefore I sincerely hope that our members and supporters can continue to support our cause.

Once again, I wish every one a happy and successful Year of the Horse.

您們好﹗今年是「馬年」，首先我在此祝願各位「馬年進步」、「馬到功成」、「龍馬精神」，身體健康﹗

中藝會於去年七月成立以來，匆匆的過了半年。在過去的日子裡，得到大家鼎力支持，我們中藝會舉辦了數次公開講座、書畫示範表演、繪畫展覽、書法班、繪畫班，又出版了兩期的特刊與印製精美的2014月曆，反應是出乎意料地熱烈﹗這顯示本地人士對中國藝術的興趣越來越濃厚，越來越投入。我們仝寅甚感欣慰。實際上，我們成立中藝會的主要目的就是希望宣揚、推廣中國的藝術文化，讓中國以外的華人和其他友好人士認識我們中國藝術的偉大和對世界藝術界產生鉅大的貢獻。

作為一個中國知識份子，我深深感覺到，時至今時今日——二十一世紀，我們在宣揚、推廣中國文化方面不應再長期地只限於強調中國美食文化和僅僅介紹兩三個中國的重要節日，而應該有系統地、雅俗共賞的向人們展示中國較高層和深層的文化，如藝術、哲學、文學、宗教、歷史等範疇。我們的中藝會因此會集中介紹中國的藝術，包括繪畫、書法、陶瓷藝術、雕刻藝術，而旁及哲學、宗教、文學等等。因為只有這樣，才可以將中國文化偉大的、獨特的、最有貢獻的和無與倫比的一面全幅展現於世界人士面前﹗任重道遠，這是一生一世的事，也是一代又一代的事，但我相信——堅決相信，只要我們鍥而不捨、埋頭苦幹，總會有成功的一日，至少總會做出一點成績來的﹗但願我們的同道共勉，更誠懇盼望各方面人士繼續支持我們，不斷的為我們打氣﹗

最後，再一次謹祝大家健康快樂，馬年進步﹗

{ GREETINGS FROM ALDERMAN DAMON THOMAS,THE LORD MAYOR OF CITY OF HOBART霍巴特市長湯馬士市議員新年賀辭 }

Whilst Australians have only recently embraced the Chinese New Year (Luna New Year) as both a symbolic and community activity we now recognise this highly significant event in the Chinese calendar. We the Hobart community believing in a tolerant, diverse and inclusive society and strongly encourage the expanded recognition of both the cultural and festival events associated with the Chinese New Year. This gives us the opportunity as a City and close knit community to embrace the tradition of cleansing our City, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and make way for good incoming luck with our wonderful Chinese friends. As Lord Mayor of this wonderful harbour City I on behalf of my fellow Aldermen salute the Chinese community, thank it for the significant contribution each

member is making to Hobart’s future and assure you that the City will do all it can to welcome members of the Hobart Chinese community into every aspect City life.

澳洲人只不過近年來才接受農曆新年是一個象徵性同時也是社群的活動，而現在我們已深切了解到這節日的重要性。由於霍巴特市的社群是包容與多元化的，因此我們能夠越來越認識與感受到與這個重要節日有關的文化與傳統。這個認同不僅可幫助我們了不起的華人朋友消除任何不安，更可為他們帶來佳音。作為霍巴特這個可愛海港城市的市長，我謹代表各市會議員向對本市貢獻良多的華人朋友致敬，並歡迎他們每一位全情投入我們的社群生活。

NEWSLETTER ISSUE #3, FEBRUARY 2014, p2 | www.chineseartsociety.net | [email protected]

{ WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN 2013 2013活動重温 }


{ 1 } 21 July 2013Sunday 2:00-3:00 pm, Written on TeaTalk and Demonstration by Prof. Wong Shiu Hon on “Non-brush painting in Chinese art”黃兆漢教授主講及示範「中國『非筆繪畫』藝術」Prof. Wong gave a talk and demonstration on Chinese non-brush painting, a little known but long-established field of Chinese art, where fingers are the main tool for applying ink to paper. Though it was cold and rainy on that day, over 80 members and guests were present.

{ 2 } 24 August 2013Saturday 3:00-4:30 pm, Written on TeaGroup discussion “Chinese Tea Ceremony”Speakers Prof. Wong Shiu Hon Mr. Leo Cui Ms Rebecca Cong「中國茶道」座談會講者黃兆漢教授崔立先生叢琳女士A short introduction on the history of Chinese tea–drinking by Prof. Wong , followed by a talk on various aspects of tea drinking by Rebecca, and concluded with a demonstration of the preparation of Chinese tea by Leo. All present enjoyed the exquisite tea and the delicious snacks.

{ 3 } 7 September 201314 September 2013

Saturday 3:00-4:30 pm, Written on TeaFree classes on Chinese painting by Prof. Wong.免費繪畫班(黃兆漢教授主持)Response was overwhelming.

{ 4 } 21 September 2013Sunday 2:00-3:00 pm, CLD, TMAGTalk by Ms Christine To (Assistant Curator, Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole, University of Hong Kong) on“Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole, University of Hong Kong and the promotion of Chinese art”.杜英華女士主講「香港大學饒宗頤學術館與中國藝術推廣」Ms To gave a vivid and detailed description of the renowned Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole and its activities, with special reference to the exhibitions of the artworks by Prof. Wong Shiu Hon organized by the Petite Ecole in Hong Kong and Guangzhou in 2012.

{ 5 } 30 September 2013Monday, starting 7:00 pm, Written on TeaDinner Gathering: Chinese National Day Celebration (Joint function with Australia China Friendship Society)聚餐: 慶祝中國國慶(與澳中協會合辦)Over 90 members and guests were present. Apart from the delicious food, they also enjoyed the entertainments including ping pong ball contest, pipa playing, swing dance, tango and singing. Guests of honour included: Mr. Song Yumin, Chinese Consul General in Melbourne, 宋昱旻總領事 and Consuls Mr. Zhang Xiaotao 張曉濤領事, Mr. Wang Zhanjie 王占杰領事, Alderman Damon Thomas, Lord Mayor of Hobart, Mr. Bill Bleathman, Director of TMAG etc.


{ 6 } 19 October 2013Saturday 2:00-3:30pm, CLD, TMAGTalk by Professor Wong Shiu Hon“Imitation and Collaboration in Chinese art”黃兆漢教授主講「中國繪畫藝術中之臨摹與合作」Prof. Wong gave a talk on the significance of imitation and collaboration in Chinese art, citing examples of masterpieces by artists of the past and present. A 10 metre hand scroll by Prof. Wong, which is an imitation of one of the most influential works (Living in the Fu-chun Mountains) by the great master, Huang Kung-wang (1269-1354) was shown during the talk.

{ 7 } 25 October 2013Friday 2:00-3:00 pm, CLD, TMAGFree classes on Chinese painting conducted by Prof. Wong Shiu Hon.免費繪畫班(黃兆漢教授主持)

{ 8 } 26 October 2013Saturday 2:00-3:00 pm, CLD, TMAGFree classes on Chinese calligraphy conducted by Prof. Wong Shiu Hon.免費書法班(黃兆漢教授主持)

{ 9 } 23 November 2013Saturday 2:00-3:00 pm, Written on TeaGroup discussion “Experiences in Learning Chinese Painting”Speakers Prof. Wong Shiu Hon Mrs.Yvonne Hine Mr. Aedan Howlett座談會「學習中國繪畫經驗談」講者黃兆漢教授 Yvonne Hine女士 Aedan Howlett 先生Speakers shared their experiences in learning Chinese painting. Prof. Wong also gave a demonstration after the discussion.

{ 10 } 28 November 2013Thursday, started at 7:00 pm, Written on TeaDinner gathering: Pre Christmas dinner gathering (In conjunction with Australia China Friendship Society)聚餐: 預祝聖誕(與澳中協會合辦)Over 50 members attended and enjoyed arelaxing gathering.

{ 11 } Production ofCAS 2014 Calendars

Includes dates of important Chinese festivals, in English and Chinese. Each month is represented by the image of a painting done by Prof. Wong Shiu Hon.

30 September 2013Monday, starting 7:00 pm, Written on TeaDinner Gathering: Chinese National Day Celebration (Joint function with Australia China Friendship Society)聚餐: 慶祝中國國慶(與澳中協會合辦)


{ WHAT WE WILL BE DOING IN 2014 2014活動概覽 }

{ FEBRUARY/MARCH }FREE CLASSES ON SIMPLE TAI-CHIProf. Wong to share with members some simple ways of practicing tai-chi, especially good for the heart and blood circulation.

4 one-hour sessions : 22 February (Saturday) 1 March (Saturday) 8 March (Saturday) 15 March (Saturday)Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pmVenue: Function Centre, Written On Tea 135 Bathurst Street, Hobart

Maximum of 10 people per session. CAS Members will have priority.

Enquiries/Bookings: Mrs. Nancy Wong 0418914007 [email protected]

{ MARCH }CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY CLASSES BY PROF. WONGTo commence in March. For course details please contact: Mrs. Nancy Wong 0418914007 [email protected]

{ APRIL }TALK BY PROF. WONGTopic: Chinese Antiquities: Acquisition and Appreciation 中國古董的購藏與鑒賞Date: 12 April 2014 (Saturday 2:00-3:30 pm)(tentative)Venue: Centre for Learning and Discovery, TMAG (tentative)

Attendees are welcome to bring along items from their collections for viewing and appreciation.

Enquiries/Bookings: Mrs. Nancy Wong 0418914007 [email protected]

Prof. Wong will be giving talks on the following topics in the ensuing months of 2014:

a) Chinese painting: Creating and Appreciation 中國繪畫的創作與欣賞b) Cantonese Opera: a General Introduction 粵劇藝術簡介與欣賞c) How to Create and Appreciate Zen Painting 禪畫的欣賞與創作d) Introduction to Various Scripts in Chinese Calligraphy 中國各體書法淺說e) Taoist Art: a General Introduction 道教藝術漫談f) The Spirit and Schools of Chinese Martial Art 中國武術的流派與武術精神g) The Principles of “cultivating one self, managing the family, governing the state and pacifying the world” in the philosophy of Confucianism. 儒家哲學中的「修、齊、治、平」思想

We will keep members informed of the exact dates and venue of talks on the above topics.

Also, we are pleased that CAS honorary advisors , Mr. Bill Bleathman, Former Director, TMAG and Dr. Andy Fung, Associate Professor, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, and our Committee member, Dr. Tony Brown have agreed to give talks to members of CAS in 2014. Details to be announced.

Special thanks to theMercury for assistance in the printing of this issue!

鳴謝:本期簡訊承蒙the Mercury 協助印刷，

謹此致謝!


IMITATION AND COLLABORATION IN CHINESE ART (1) 中國繪畫藝術中之臨摹與合作(一)

by PROF. WONG SHIU HON

I Imitation in Chinese Art

A) “Imitation “ and “Copying”

“臨摹” (lin-mo) is very important in learning Chinese painting. The word “Imitation” is a rough translation for this compound word “臨摹” (lin-mo). What is “臨”? What is “摹”? The meaning of “lin” is “to put a piece of paper on the side of a painting or calligraphy and to learn the techniques of it by following its forms”. “Mo” means “to put a piece of thin paper on the top of a painting or calligraphy and trace its forms accurately”. “Imitation”, in English, I think usually means “copy” or “copying”. That is why I have said that “Imitation” is only a rough translation or even a simplified translation of “lin-mo”. “lin-mo” actually means a lot more than “imitation”.

In the Six Principles in Chinese Painting 六法 produced in early 6th century, the last principle is “傳移模寫” (zhuangyi moxie). I just translate it into English as “imitating” or “copying”. Though it is listed last in the Six Principles, it is in fact the first principle in producing a good Chinese painting. Without going through this step—the first step, one can hardly produce a good Chinese painting.

This principle, which is made up of just four Chinese characters, is so important and yet is rather unclear or even ambiguous. Scholars have different interpretations for its meaning. For example, the Japanese scholar Shiho Sakanishi (1896-1976) has translated it as “that by copying, the ancient models should be perpetuated”. But Professor Chiang Yee 蔣彝 (1903-1977), who was the renowned Silent Traveller and professor of Chinese Art at Columbia University, had given this principle a rough and simple translation, which is: “Imitating and copying”. When we compare the translations of these two scholars, we can notice how different they are!

In fact, the actual meaning of this principle is “ Transfer the works of the ancient masters to the present age by imitating them.” Or “Transfer the techniques of the masterpieces of the past to the present by imitating them”. It seems that scholars have not paid enough attention to the two characters “傳移” (zhuan-yi), so they could not translate the words correctly! “傳” means “transfer” and 移 means “move”! The point is: “transfer” what? And “move” what? Since “transfer” and “move” have extremely close connection with “imitating”, there is absolutely no doubt that “the works of the past” or “techniques of the works of the past” is the object to be “transferred” or “moved”.

B) Masterpieces in the history of Chinese painting

Now, let us look at some of the masterpieces in the history of Chinese painting that have attracted numerous imitations over the ages. I really don’t like to use the word “copy”. “Copy” in Chinese denotes a negative sense. I prefer to use the word “Imitation”.

a) Landscape painting by Fan Kuan 范寬 (c.990-1030)

The first masterpiece of note in history is the landscape painting done by one of the greatest landscape painters in the history of Chinese painting. The artist was Fan Kuan. This work is one of the most famous paintings in the history of Chinese art and its influence had been far-reaching. Even artists of the modern times have been greatly influenced by this painting. This masterpiece had attracted many imitations.

But when we look at one of the imitation probably done by an artist of the late Ming dynasty or early Qing period, i.e. in the 17th century, we can see that there were lots of modification. The design of it was no good. The mountains in the middle have lost their power when compared with the original. They were too soft and cannot exert pressure upon the viewers. The whole was too common, nothing unusual. The picture was badly divided into two equal halves, without suitable emphasis on any part of it.

Another imitation of Fan Kuan’s work by a well-known artist of modern times, Lui Shou-kwan 呂壽焜(1919-1975), in Hong Kong in 1968. When compared with the previous painting , this one is much closer to the original by Fan Kuan.

b) Painting by Ma Yuan 馬遠 (active 1190-1225)

Now, let us look at the painting by another very famous artist, Ma Yuan . The composition of the painting is rather simple, with misty mountains as the background and large area untouched as the sky.

According to record, an imitation of Ma’s work was done around 1738 when it was acquired by the Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) of the Qing dynasty. Though an intentional imitation of Ma Yuan’s work, it had a lot of changes. For example, one more house was added, the background became more complicated by adding more trees, mountains and buildings. We cannot say it is a “copy”of Ma Yuan’s work, we can only say it is an “imitation” of Ma’s work.

c) Work by Xia Gui 夏圭(active 1200-1230)

The above is the famous horizontal scroll by Xia Gui. It is approximately 890 cm long. It has roughly four focal points and the background scenery is largely lost in the mist.

One of the notable imitation of Xia Gui’s work would be the one produced by Professor Jao Tsung-I 饒宗頤, my great teacher who is now the top scholar of the world in Chinese studies and one of the most famous and influential Chinese artists of the age. In Professor Jao’s work, the composition is more or less the same, but the brushworks were intentionally simplified.

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Brush-strokes became more causal and free. When compared with the original, more elements—especially mountains were added in Professor Jao’s work of “imitation”. The painting by Professor Jao was done in 1967. As Professor Jao loves Xia Gui’s painting so much that in 1980, thirteen years later, he did another “imitation”. Though the composition was roughly the same as the original, the brush-works were more and more of his own. In this work, Professor Jao used colours, which did not appear in the original piece. More big rocks were put in, forming the front view, while in the original, there was simply mist or empty space.

d) Long scroll by Huang Gongwang 黃公望 (1269-1354)

It was a long horizontal scroll painted by Huang Gongwang. It was approximately 848 cm long, painted in pure ink. Huang was regarded as one of the four greatest landscape painters of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) and was the icon of the Southern School of Chinese painting, the influences of which have lasted for 800 years. Huang had been regarded as the leader of the Southern School of Chinese painting. As we know as far as landscape painting is concerned, there are two main schools: the Southern School and the Northern School. The main differences between these two schools are that the Southern School places much emphasis on calligraphic strokes or brush-works, while the Northern School focuses on elaborate design and colouring of the painting. The painting by Huang is a model example of the Southern School of Chinese painting.

There is a great and interesting story behind this fabulous masterpiece. It was done by Huang Gongwang in 1350 for his good friend Master Wu Yong (無用師), who was a Daoist priest. After the death of the Daoist master, the painting had been passed from generation to generation. About 300 years later, it was in the hand of a certain Mr. Wu (吳氏), not a descendant of the Daoist priest. Mr. Wu loved this painting so much so that when he became very ill in his old age, he decided to burn this painting, with the intention to enjoy looking at it in his another life, i.e., after his death! That happened in 1650. But when he went into a coma, his nephew secretly and hastily grabbed the painting from the fire and hid it in a secret place. Unfortunately the first part of the painting was completely destroyed and the remaining part was partly damaged. Even today we can still see the marks on the painting that were caused by the fire.

In the history of Chinese art, we call this version of the painting “Master Wu Yong’s version” (無用師卷), because there is another version, namely, the “Zi Ming’s version” (子明卷) which had got lots of inscriptions on it.

Why are there two versions of this painting? For the past 300 years there were numerous studies and arguments on the authenticity of these two versions. It was only about 50 years ago that scholars came to a consensus that the “Master Wu Yong’s version” was the actual work done by Huang Gongwang, while the “Zi Ming’s version” was in fact a forgery, or a copy of Huang’s work. Why are there so many inscriptions on the “Zi Ming’s version”? Most of the inscriptions were written by Emperor Qianglong, the learned emperor of the Qing dynasty. By mistake, he thought that the “Zi Ming’s version” was the genuine work done by Huang Gongwang and he loved it so much that whenever he got time to look at the painting he was so fascinated by the artwork that he tried to write a poem on the painting! It was said that even when he travelled he would carry the painting with him to appreciate it. Some of the inscriptions were written by well known scholars or high ranking officials in the later periods.

As a matter of fact, the copy was of a very high quality, though not as good as the original done by Huang Gongwang. Actually the Emperor also possessed the original work, but unfortunately he thought it was only an imitation, so he did not write on it. It was most fortunate that the Emperor thought that the genuine work was an imitation, and because of this reason, he had not written anything on the painting. Though Emperor Qianglong’s calligraphy was not bad, yet too many inscriptions have certainly spoilt the beauty of the painting.

After the calamity of fire in 1650, a large portion of the painting still remained, but with the first part damaged to a certain extent. Eventually, that part was cut off from the remaining portion and was re-mounted separately. This portion is now what we called “the Remaining Mountains” (剩山圖) and is housed at the Collection of the Museum of Zhejiang Province. The larger portion, i.e., the “Master Wu Yong’s version” is now at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. The “Remaining Mountains” is only one-twelfth of the length of the “Master Wu Yong’s version”.

In June 2011 the National Palace Museum in Taiwan held a grand scale exhibition showing the “Master Wu

Yong’s version” and “The Remaining Mountains” by Huang Gongwang concurrently. It was a re-union of the two parts after 360 years, i.e., after the painting was partly destroyed in 1650. It was really a significant event in the history of Chinese art. Numerous papers and articles have been written on this exhibition and a voluminous book on the works of Huang Gongwang had been published.

In the past 500 years or so, this long scroll painted by Huang Gongwang had indeed attracted many artists who regarded the work as a model painting of the Southern School of Chinese Painting. They tried their best to learn from it and many of them attempted to copy or imitate this masterpiece. From the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) to the early Republican period (1911-1949), there were at least twelve very well-known artists, including some masters who produced imitations of this great work of art. They included Shen Zhou 沈周 (1427-1509), Dong Qichang 董其昌 (1555-1636), Zhang Hong 張宏 (1577-c.1652), Zou Zhilin 鄒之麟 (1601-1651) etc. It was fortunate that some of these imitations were done before the work was damaged by fire in 1650, otherwise we would have no idea what the full version of the masterpiece by Huang Gongwang would look like.

An imitation work worthy of mentioning was done by Jin Cheng 金城 (1877-1926) in the early 20th century. Jin only made a copy of the “Master Wu Yong’s version” without making a copy of the “Remaining Mountains”, because at that time he had no chance of seeing the latter! As a matter of fact, Jin’s imitation was the closest to the original. Even the inscription at the end of the painting was a great imitation. It was said that Jin was so fond of the scroll done by Huang Gongwang that he wanted to possess it, but his wish, of course, could not be realized. Hence he made a very close “imitation” in order to satisfy his strong desire of possessing this masterpiece. A few years later, he made another “imitation”. This time he had the opportunity of viewing the “Remaining Mountains”, which did appear in Jin’s second “imitation”.

Another great artist of the modern times who produced an imitation of Huang’s scroll is Professor Jao Tsung-i. His work is indeed a combination of the two parts of Huang’s scroll, i.e., the “Master Wu Yong’s version” and the “Remaining Mountains”. In this “imitation”, not only the spirit of the original has been captured, but it also shows the personal style of Professor Jao’s brush-works and ink-works. As to the composition of the painting, Professor Jao’s “imitation” only keeps eighty percent of the original. But when we look at it, we can immediately recognize that it is an “imitation” of Huang’s scroll. It is a very good imitation!

The “imitation” of Huang’s scroll by Zou Zhilin was done before the “fire disaster” in 1650. It was actually the full version of the whole work.



In 2010 Professor Fu Shen 傅申 after an in-depth analysis, found out that Huang’s original scroll was a picture of 8 pieces of paper joined together. Each piece of paper was 106 cm long. Totally it was 848 cm in length. The “Master Wu Yong’s version” occupied 6 pieces of paper, measuring 636 cm, about 6/8 of the whole scroll. The “Remaining mountains” was approximately 51.4 cm. The part which was destroyed by fire in 1650 was about 150 cm. It means that the part destroyed by fire was one and half pieces of paper. Professor Fu, basing on Zou Zhilin’s “imitation” re-constructed the composition of that part destroyed by fire. I have full confidence in Professor Fu’s findings, and so, at last I decided to re-create Huang’s full scroll. In 2010, I spent two long weeks in doing the painting (as shown below) which is the fruit of my hard and painstaking work!

I believe that my “imitation” is the full version of Huang’s work and closest to the original as far as the design and composition of the painting are concerned. As the scroll is too long, I have only chosen to show the beginning and the last part of it.

C) Purposes of “imitating”

Why is there “Imitation” in Chinese art? Or, why do Chinese artists like to produce imitations of masterpieces of the past? Before we try to find an answer to this question, I would like to point out that producing “imitations” is a common practice among artists, regardless of their nationality. Great western artists like Picasso, Matisse also liked to “imitate” well-known works of some of the masters in the past!

But let us concentrate on Chinese art. The purposes for Chinese artists to “imitate” great works of the past are manifold. First of all, by imitating great masters, artists themselves can learn from the techniques demonstrated by the masters. That is, in fact, the primary purpose for artists to “imitate”! So, “imitating” is not for the sake of imitating, it is a way—a good way to learn. A good “imitation” is the result of hard and painstaking work. A great deal of time and energy have to be spent in the process, not to mention the anxiety one has to bear and the concentration one has to afford. Moreover, in order to produce a good “imitation” in Chinese art, one has to be really good in skills or techniques in painting. That is basic and utmost important.

But what one learns from “imitating” is not the end of the matter. One has to make use of what one has learned in order to enrich one’s skill and to build up one’s own style. That is what we say”Make use of the past for the present” or “Make use of the past for one’s own self”. Chinese art has a very long history—at least as long as 4,000 years. One can find nearly all sorts of skills or techniques in the works of the past. The only thing we can do is to establish our own styles and certainly not to invent new skills. All painting skills are already there, what we can do is just to modify them, input some new elements in them. A real scholar in the history of Chinese art will be aware that those what people called “new skills” are actually not new at all! They would have existed long time ago in the history of Chinese art, but unfortunately they have long been neglected or forgotten. They have been hidden somewhere, but they would be discovered again.

It is noteworthy that those masterpieces forming the targets for “imitating” were largely created by artists of noble and upright character. Only the artworks of artists of noble characters could be passed on to posterity. Chinese people can never accept the works of artists with a bad character. They believe that a man with a bad character can never produce a good artwork, which is an expression of his entire personality.

In order to produce a good “imitation” of the masterpieces, one has to study the life history of its creator, i.e., the artist who produced the original. One has to understand the artist, to understand his time, his thoughts, his friends, his surroundings, the origins of his artistic techniques… and of course, his artistic styles. By doing so, one will invariably be influenced by the artist, and eventually one’s character or personality will be elevated, will become better and better, and will be improved. One will become a man of true nobility. To the Chinese, this aspect is even more important than learning the artistic skills of the artist. Chinese do not believe the slogan “ art for art’s sake”. They only believe that art is for the sake of education or morality. The ultimate goal of practicing art is morality. Failure in achieving morality, practicing Chinese art is almost meaningless. If one is good at art, but at the same time, one is a murderer, what is the use of art? In this case, art is useless, art is meaningless. To the Chinese, art always aims at morality. That means, no morality=no art! It is through art that one can achieve morality.

But some people may not be that “ambitious”. They only want to learn the skills of the masterpieces by copying or imitating them. That is perfectly alright. But I have to remind you or even warn you that they can never produce good “imitations” , because they do not understand the artist of the masterpiece. They do not have the same feelings of the artist. Their minds and hearts do not concur.

Another purpose for people to “imitate” is the realization of the desire to possess the masterpiece. Just like Jin Cheng of the early 20th century. Of course, it is also one of my purposes in “imitating” the famous hand scroll created by Huang Gongwang. On top of it, I want to have a “man made” copy of Huang’s work apart from learning his skills. Some people believe” that by copying the ancient models should be perpetuated” (Sakanishi). They may be right as far as perpetuation of the ancient models is concerned. At least, it is one of the many ways to make the masterpieces perpetuated.

May be, there is one more purpose –to make a forgery. Try to sell the “imitation” as the original in order to make money by deceiving the ignorant. The intention is absolutely evil, and totally unacceptable and unforgivable!

1 This talk(19 October 2013, TMAG) is divided into two parts: 1) Imitation in Chinese art and

2) Collaboration in Chinese Art. The first part is included in this issue.

2 Only the beginning and end parts are shown in the image.

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newsletter issue #3 february 2014 … · 2014-11-10 · newsletter issue #3 february 2014...

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