The role of the "plum blossom" in the development of traditional landscape painting in China

Lu Sa Graduate student, Department of Art History and Pedagogy of Art, Herzen State Pedagogical University 191186, Russia, Saint Petersburg, nab. Sinks, 48, room 6, room 51 tkachenko.lnik@gmail.com Other publications by this author

In China, the heyday of landscape painting occurred in the Middle Ages, when there was an "aesthetic discovery of nature" by Chinese masters of brush and ink. It consisted in the realization of the close relationship between the natural world and human life. It is not by chance that the landscape became the expression of the most lyrical and sublime feelings of the authors. For their transmission, the symbolism of the traditional Chinese landscape, associated with images of nature, was gradually formed. It eventually turned into a complex and detailed aesthetic system. Among the modern Russian orientalists who have studied this topic, N.A. Vinogradova ^[3], E.V. Zavadskaya ^[2] and V.V. Malyavin ^[5] can be noted. These researchers highlighted the identity and deep spiritual foundations of traditional Chinese painting. Thus, N.A. Vinogradova noted that the Buddhist–Taoist philosophical idea "the great in the small" was reflected in the works of the "flowers - birds" genre. She revealed the idea that in every even insignificant and inconspicuous part of nature there is a whole soul of the universe ^[3]. In the works of V.V. Malyavin, a variety of varieties of the genre "flowers and birds" is noted, depending on the motives that serve as a reflection of the characteristic features of a person ^[5]. E.V. Zavadskaya painting depicting wild plum flowers (meihua) was considered as one of the most common and, at the same time, one of the refined spheres of embodiment within the genre ^[2]. Floral symbolism in the fine arts of China was considered by researchers N.I. Roma and U.K. Tolmacheva ^[4]. They noted the fact that in Chinese culture, a flower, as a rule, symbolizes beauty, spring, youth, innocence and spiritual perfection. The Chinese researcher Wu Taisa focused on the fact that a flowering tree has been considered since ancient times as a kind of the universe in natural philosophical interpretations. The flower bud was likened to the male cosmic principle "Yang" (?), and the dark plum branches and trunk of the tree were likened to the female principle "Yin" (?) ^{[5, p. 56]}.

The attention of Russian and Chinese researchers to the landscape genre in Chinese traditional painting assumed consideration of this phenomenon in its entirety and development. At the same time, little attention was paid to individual motifs, which contradicts the importance of their analysis for a deep understanding of the essence of the landscape in the interpretation of Chinese artists.

Landscapes in early Chinese art were associated with a special attitude of the Chinese to nature. Such images were characterized in the beginning by an abstract symbolic meaning, and then by an increasingly lively and spiritual one. Such philosophical teaching as Taoism had a great influence on the development of Chinese medieval art and especially traditional landscape painting. In the country, it began to spread from the VI–V centuries BC. The main attention was focused on the laws prevailing in nature. The teachings centered around the understanding of the universal law of nature. We are talking about the "tao", which is considered as the path of the Universe, the eternal cycle of processes performed on earth and heaven ^{[2, p. 260]}. The ideas of Taoism were integrated into the Chinese philosophical system, which resulted in neo-Confucianism. At the heart of this system is the doctrine of "li" as a universal first principle that governs both nature and society, determines the inner essence of phenomena - "qi". "Li" is not divided into parts and resides in every phenomenon and object of the world as a whole. Therefore, the painter, according to the Chinese, is able to embody "li" in the image of an orchid flower, a lotus or a plum branch, since the world is one and spiritualized, as man and nature are one in every particle ^[4].

Mo-mei () - —blooming plum painted with ink" or "plum painting" is one of the most significant (along with "bamboo painting" or "bamboo painted with ink" () stylistic and thematic directions of the genre "flowers and birds". In the works of this kind of genre, images of a flowering plum tree vary in one way or another from a whole plant to several branches ^[5]. In the floral symbolism of China, there are various images that serve as the embodiment of a certain trait of a person's character. For example, sophistication, beauty and feminine charm are associated with an orchid flower. The lotus flower is often a symbol of a morally pure person, and the peony is a symbol of well-being and prosperity. Wild plum flowers were associated with such human qualities as fortitude, dignity and modesty ^{[5, p. 56]}.

Artists of the past centuries have used the image of a "plum blossom" to express their emotions, aspirations and diverse feelings. A plum blossom is fragility, helplessness and at the same time fortitude, wisdom and spiritual development. In nature, there are flowers similar to plum buds, for example, peach, apricot, pear, cherry and apple tree. They are very similar in shape and color, so they are often very difficult to distinguish. But there is one very important feature of the plum, which is that flowering occurs in early spring, ahead of other plants. The buds open when it is still cold and the leaves have not grown.

It is this feature of the plum that Chinese artists used to show the steadfastness, inflexibility of character ^{[1, pp. 668-670]}. The plum blossom has become one of the key images in the genre of "flowers and birds". Already in the VII–VIII centuries, images of plum trees began to be introduced into landscape compositions. An example of this is the scroll "Spring Walk" (), made by the artist Zhan Tzu-qian (550-617) in polychrome technique (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Zhan Zi-qian. Spring walk. The Sun copy of the work of the end of the VI century. Gugong, Beijing.

Plum blossom is also one of the favorite themes of Chinese literary artists who worked with ink. Master of the Jin Dynasty Yang Wujiu (1097-1169) created a scroll "Plum under the snow" (Fig. 2). It depicts a flowering plum and just fallen snow. The artist showed the tree trunk rough and crooked, and the flowers in contrast look delicate and fragile. Half of the leaves are written in white — fallen snow. All the work is obscured by a weak solution of ink, and the places of the canvas that are not painted over are still the same snow. All this together creates a feeling of piercing cold. At the same time, the essence of the image was the expression by the author of his life position, showed the determination not to bend under life circumstances ^[3].

Fig. 2. Yang Wujiu. Plum under the snow. Silk painting. XII . The Gugun Museum.

Xu Yugong (late XII century) is the most famous disciple of Yang Wujiu (late VIII — early IX centuries). He created a horizontal scroll "Plum and bamboo in the snow" and depicted a gnarled plum branch from left to right, on which small delicate flowers bloom along the entire length (Fig. 3). The curved trunk symbolizes firmness and perseverance, and the buds represent the vital forces associated with the coming spring. Branches bend under a layer of snow, also denoting patience and perseverance. The flowers on the branches look like carved figures of white jade and shine with a serene light in the moonlight. They seem to give hope for a miracle after the snow melts. Several bamboo branches are shown between the branches of the plum tree - a symbol of inflexibility. Vertical bamboo stems give a more horizontally oriented composition a more slender appearance ^[7].

Fig. 3. Xu Yugong. Plum and bamboo in the snow. The end of the XII century. Liaoning Museum.

A different approach was already demonstrated by an artist like Ma Lin at the beginning of the XIII century. In his works depicting branches and flowers, he sought to move away from the realism characteristic of the authors of the Northern Song Dynasty. His landscapes have become more decorative, retaining the same elegance. The scroll depicts two plum branches leaning towards the ground and much more curved than in the landscapes earlier ^{[8, p. 24]}. The master writes them thinly, and forms the petals with small rounded brush strokes, and then fills them inside layer by layer. The branches are painted with dark ink and flushing, and the flowers are painted with white-beige paints (Fig. 4). This creates a strong contrast that vividly reflects the beauty of the plum blossoming in the cold.

Fig. 4. Ma Lin. Ice silk. The beginning of the XIII century. Beijing Palace Museum.

Chinese artist and poet of the Yuan Empire Van Myan (1287-1359) created a painting called "Plum Branches" (Fig. 5). The most famous works of this artist in the genre of "flowers and birds" are dedicated to the motif in question and were distinguished by originality. Unlike the artists of the Song Dynasty, who depicted a plum with rare and small buds, in the images made by artists of the Yuan Dynasty, the branches are literally strewn with rather large flowers like "jade beads" scattered on silver threads. On the mentioned scroll, the plum is shown from right to left, and the branches are spread out in different directions. Some flowers have just bloomed, while others are already fading. The feeling of the passage of time is enhanced by the juxtaposition of tender petals full of life and dry branches. Note that the buds are mainly located on the young branches, while the old and dry ones remain bare. In this work, Wang Mian offers a new version of the image of plum flowers, since they are larger, and their petals are pronounced and painted with ink ^{[5, p. 56]}. In fact, the master introduced a new fashion within the specified image.

Fig. 5. Wang Mian. Plum branch. XIII . Beijing. The Palace Museum.

The work of another artist from the period of the same dynasty named Zou Fulei, whose exact years of life are not known, "Breath of Spring" is the only one of his paintings that has survived to our time. It depicts an old plum tree with young branches arched and stretching towards the sun, numerous, but already small budding buds, giving the image a lively atmosphere (Fig. 6). The font composition in the left corner echoes with a lot of flowers on the right, balancing the composition. The flowers are presented in the form of balls or ink droplets, as if strung on branches. The poem written in hieroglyphs is dated by the master to 1360, which gives reason to date the scroll to the same time. If we turn to the symbolic content, it turns out that the old and moss—covered undulating trunk of the tree is an image associated with the memory of the recent harsh winter. The young branches stretched up are signs of renewal, change and the revival of life after a winter sleep. The author uses a close-up to show details, using contrasts, then thinning, then compacting the images. The applied strokes are bold, however, the colors of the mascara are uneven ^[9].

Fig. 6. Zou Fulei. The breath of spring. XIV . Collection of the Freer Art Museum, USA.

During the later Ming and Qing dynasties, artists used plum primarily to convey their emotional states ^[10]. An example is the work of a Chinese artist of the Ming period named Tang Yin (1470-1524) "Plum Blossom". He depicted not a growing, but a broken branch of a plum tree. The branches are directed upwards and dotted with flowers (Fig. 7). The first ones are simple, and the flowers, on the contrary, are complex in terms of modeling the shape. The branches are pointing upwards, symbolizing energy and the desire to move forward. The petals of the buds are compositionally inscribed in a circle, which brings the effect of harmony. They are tinted with different shades of mascara, and the stamens are carefully drawn with droplets of paint. In this work, the author leaves a lot of empty space, filling it from the bottom to the left with a dark silhouette of a branch, and from above with an elegant ligature of hieroglyphs forming a poem.

Fig. 7. Tang Yin. Plum blossom. The end of the XIV century . Palace Museum, Beijing.

Another artist of the Ming Cheng dynasty Lu created a scroll called "Ten Thousand Jades". This work is located in the National Palace Museum of Taipei and dates back to the end of the XIV century. The painting shows a close-up of a branch of a plum tree. The painting is depicted on a vertical scroll. This time, the image of a plum blossom fills almost the entire space of the work. Dense branches descend from the upper right corner, the trunk is strongly curved (Fig. 8). The branches are thickly showered with white flowers, resembling the texture of jade, personifying spiritual purity. Thin twigs intertwine with flowers, literally drown in them. You can even notice a certain system in their placement, since they form a chess order, being directed in different directions. The flowers seem to dilute the severity of the image of dark and rough branches with their tenderness and fragile beauty. Here the image of a plum blossom symbolizes the desire to reach the spiritual peak and find maturity, despite the difficulties of life. It should be noted that Cheng Lu became famous for his elegant manner of depicting bamboo and orchids, but, as researchers of Chinese painting point out, he still achieved special skill in depicting a plum blossom ^[7].

Fig. 8. Cheng Lu. Ten thousand jades. The end of the XIV century .  National Palace Museum, Taipei.

Summarizing the results of the analysis of the most famous works of Chinese artists who turned to the image of a plum blossom, we note that the motif begins to occur in the works of the VII–VIII centuries. He was especially often approached by literary artists who worked in ink and often combined calligraphic compositions with this image. The lines of the hieroglyphs perfectly harmonized with the dark branches of the tree, and the flowers "enlivened" the image, giving it colorfulness, light and dynamics. This was important, since the semantics of the motif was just connected with the idea of contrasting life and death, light and darkness, etc. Meanwhile, both the semantic content and the artistic form changed over time. So, artists of the Song Dynasty period used the image of a plum blossom to express determination, inflexibility, depicting rare and small flowers on horizontally stretching branches. The artists of the Yuan dynasty have plums abundantly strewn with flowers, expressing strength and energy. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, artists used plum to convey the desire to achieve spiritual perfection, choosing more complex and rich compositions, often filling the entire space of the scroll with lush buds. Flexibility and the possibility of variations in terms of the compositional solution of this motif allowed us to maintain a constant interest in the motif for many centuries and made it one of the most popular in traditional landscape painting in China.