One of the most well-known painters during the Ming Dynasty
One of the most well-known painters during the Ming Dynasty, which lasted from 1573 to 1620, was Wu Bin. Wu Bin's moniker, "Zhiyin Toutuo," meant a mendicant monk who was hidden at the temple by three branches. His "Wenzhong" was his social name. Putian, in the province of Fujian, is where Wu Bin was born. Wu Bing's exact birth and passing dates are unknown. Wu Bing was a talented and well-educated painter and literary figure. Wu Bin was a staunch follower of Buddhism, and in about 1601, he had produced five hundred hanging scrolls in Qixia Temple. Wu Bin has produced multiple masterpieces for Mi Wanzong including the art under study, the Fantastic Rock.
Introduction
Shortly before the autumn of 1610 the renowned Ming Dynasty official, painter, writer and collector Mi Wanzhong (1570–1628) purchased a scholar's rock to add to his already famous collection. So mesmerised was he by this newly purchased wonder, which was said to eclipse all others he owned, that he commissioned his friend and fellow painter Wu Bin (c.1543–c.1627) to paint a scroll to celebrate this fantastic rock, showing not one, but ten paintings of the rock, each depicting a different 'view'. The first colophon to the scroll was written by the rock's devoted owner, Mi Wanzhong, giving a passionate account of its creation. The Fantastic Rock became one of the most storied and deeply appreciated paintings in China. Wu Bin, Fantastic Rock for Mi Wanzhong, 1610 was monumental scroll painting of such grandeur and originality marking a milestone in the Chinese tradition of rock collecting.
Visual Analysis of the Art
Wu Bin, Fantastic Rock for Mi Wanzhong is a monumental scroll which is more than nine meters in length. The scroll shows ten views of the rock. The rock's valleys and peaks which are streaked with sinuous veins suggest a mountainous landscape. At first glance, a professional landscape painter would associate the Wu Bin, Fantastic Rock for Mi Wanzhong to the 'still life' genre. One can clearly see that the rock is methodically painted. The descriptions of Mi Wanzhong concerning the rock are meticulous and factual taking into account that he documented the texture, gesture, shape, and size of the peaks of the rock. The rock is fantastic, bizarre, and unearthly with long stalagmite-like peaks which are separated by mysterious spaces. The rock seems to be writhing, moving as though it is being blown by the wind or on fire, yet it somehow still retains the solidity of stone. One of the most outstanding, most unusual and unique features of this piece of art was that the handscroll consists of ten life-size portraits of the rocks with each being painted from a different angle. The fantastic rock handscroll by Wu Bin catalogs a single rock as though it were multiple rocks. This compulsive repetition of the same objects is a characteristic depicted by another artist Pu Song-ling's rock. The similarity in compulsive repetition is demonstrated by Pu Song-ling's most striking feature of the 'Ethereal Rock' whereby the same plot with minor variations is repeated over and over again. Wu Bin stood out as an extraordinary and fantastic professional landscape painter and rock lover in that his paintings especially the Fantastic Rock are amongst the most storied and deeply appreciated paintings in China.
How the Art Manifests the Theories Endorsed by Dong Qichang
The Northern or Southern Schools of Painting
Wu Bin was a literati painter, scholars and sensitive poets who are also gentlemen painters since he painted all his arts intuitively without conscious thought of beauty or function. Despite appealing to a similarity sensitive elite, Wu Bin Fantastic Rock for Mi Wanzhong became a popular taste piece of art something associated with the Northern schools.
The great Synthesis
According to Stein (1990), a sudden enlightenment which is referred to as the 'great synthesis' occurs after the mastery of all orthodox styles of the correct lineage. It is at the great synthesis stage that an artist emerges enlightened and begins to demonstrate his own new style of art. Given the magnitude and uniqueness of his pieces of art, particularly the Fantastic Rock for Mi Wanzhong which has lasted for centuries as a deeply appreciated piece of painting in China, Wu Bin surpasses the 'great synthesis' theory endorsed by Dong Qichang.
The Value of Originality/ Qi
Dong Qichang was very sensitive and put a lot of efforts into emphasizing originality in artworks. He was so much into originality that he insisted on studying the original works of calligraphy and great painting whereby he passed the metropolitan exam with honors in 1589. The decision to portray a single rock in ten life-size separate views is an element of originality that has been considered a major innovation in Chinese art history.
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