Poetry and painting in Song China : the subtle art of dissent

Alfreda Murck. Revision Of The Author's Thesis (ph. D.)--princeton University, 1995. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [353]-376) And Index. In English, Some Poems In English And Chinese. Poetry and Painting in Song China: The Subtle Art of Dissent Acknowledgments Contents Maps and Figures Dates of Chinese Dynasties and Selected Rulers Maps Introduction 1 A Millennium of XiaoXiang Laments Sage-King Shun and His Faithful Wives Qu Yuan Song Yu Jia Yi Wang Yi Yu Xin Shen Quanqi Zhang Yue Li Bo Du Fu Han Yu Liu Zongyuan 2 A Defining Moment: Shenzong's Reign (1067-85) Early Song Political Culture Emperor Shenzong Implements the New Policies A Painting Celebrates New Beginnings (1072) A Painting Admonishes the Emperor (1074) The Case of the Loyal Official Song Di The Luoyang Exiles The Crow Terrace Poetry Trial (1079) 3 Infusing Painting with Poetry The Importance of Du Fu Encoding Poetry Song Di' s Creation of the Eight Views of XiaoXiang Literary Characteristics of the Eight Views of XiaoXiang Titles 4 Exile, Return, and Dissonance Unjust Exile: Wild Geese Descend Reprieve: A Sail Returns Mountain Markets and Du Fu's Autumn Day in Kui Prefecture 5 Confronting Melancholy: Evening, Night, and Autumn River and Sky, Evening Snow Autumn Moon over Dongting Night Rain on XiaoXiang Evening Bell from a Mist-Shrouded Temple Fishing Village in Evening Glow Tree Leaves Fal Level-Distance Landscapes 6 Su Shi and Wang Shen: Misty River, Layered Peaks Su Shi Encodes a Poem Wang Shen Rhymes a Response Su Shi Writes After Drinking Wang Shen Responds with Thanks Misty River, Layered Peaks, Attributed to Wang Shen A Manuscript of the Four Poems 7 Huang Tingjian' s Laments Career and Political Exiles Wind in the Pines, 1102 Calligraphy Monk Zhongren's Painted Plums, 1104 8 Proclaiming Harmony: The Court's Visual Rhetoric Huizong's Ascension Paintings Proclaiming Harmony Era of Peace and Order Writing for the Emperor: Guo Si and Han Zhuo 9 Wang Hong's Eight Views of XiaoXiang The Chan MonkJuefan Huihong Wang Hong Paints Like a Poet Audience 10 New Uses of the Past Dream Journey over XiaoXiang Ma Yuan and the Eight Views of XiaoXiang Ma Yuan and Zhang Zi' s Poetry Gathering A Succession Crisis, a Banishment, and Spurious Learning "Seventh Month" from the Odes of Bin The Buddhist Monks Muqi and Yujian Epilogue Appendixes A Dti Fu Texts and Translations B SuShi's and Wang Shen's Matching of Du Fu's Rhymes C Huang Tingjian's Matching of Du Fu's Rhymes D Eight Views of XiaoXiang Poetry by Buddhist Monks Reference Matter Notes Bibliography Character List Index Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series Throughout the history of imperial China, scholar-officials were expected to criticize government policies and actions, even when such criticisms would encounter punishment from an angry emperor or those in charge of the government. Punishments could range from demotion to execution of oneself and one's relatives. Under the circumstances, some officials practiced self-editing and remained silent. Others confined their thoughts to poetry. In the eleventh century, during the Song dynasty (960-1278), some scholars turned to painting as an elegant and subtle means of expressing dissent.By examining literary archetypes, the titles of paintings, contemporary inscriptions, and the historical context, Alfreda Murck shows that certain paintings expressed strong political opinions. The message in some of these paintings was relatively transparent; in others the message was so deliberately concealed that only those with a wide-ranging knowledge of literature, particularly poetry and its modes of conveying dissent and criticism, would have been able to decode it. Beyond alluding to poetry in painting, some scholars emulated the conventions of verse in structuring their paintings, further strengthening the bond between text and image.Murck argues that the coding of messages in seemingly innocuous paintings was an important factor in the growing respect for painting among the educated elite. The capacity of painting's systems of reference to allow scholars to express dissent with impunity contributed to the art's vitality and longevity. "By examing literary archetypes, the titles of paintings, contemporary inscriptions, and the historical context, Alfreda Murck shows that certain paintings expressed strong political opinions. The message in some of these paintings was relatively transparent; in others the message was so deliberately concealed that only those with wide-ranging knowledge of literature, particularly poetry and its modes of conveying dissent and criticism, would have been able to decode it. Beyond alluding to poetry in painting, some scholars emulated the conventions of verse in structuring their paintings, further strengthening the bond between text and image. Murck argues that the coding of messages in seemingly innocuous paintings was an important factor in the growing respect for painting among the educated elite and that the capacity of painting's systems of reference to allow scholars to express dissent with impunity contributed to the art's vitality and longevity."--from back cover