ENGLISH VERSION Lin Yutang. Teoria cinese dell'arte. Valentino Bompiani editore, 1967

Translation by Francesco Mazzaferro
CLICK HERE FOR ITALIAN VERSION

Lin Yutang
Teoria cinese dell’arte [Chinese Theory of Art]

Original Title. The Chinese Theory of Art; trad. Elena Vaccari
Valentino Bompiani publisher, 1967

A Reader's Note by Luciano Mazzaferro

Yen-Li-pen (m. 673) One of the  'Thirteen Emperors'

[Note by Giovanni and Francesco Mazzaferro: This text is the transcription and faithful translation of a manuscript "Reader’s Note" (at the head of the manuscript appears in fact the word "nota di lettura") compiled by our father, Luciano Mazzaferro, around the year 2000. Although now 50 years old, the anthology by Lin Yutang is still considered a cornerstone of Chinese art theory].

"This book" - are the first words of the volume - "wants to be a collection of sources on the Chinese philosophy of art and to help better understanding the aims of Chinese painting, its streams and trends, and its development. It is composed for the most part of translations from the writings of Chinese artists and art critics on the problems and techniques of painting, style, and taste "(p. 7).

Shortly afterwards, the curator of the collection Lin Yutang, henceforth denoted by the initials LY, states: "The field of Chinese writings on art offers an extraordinary wealth of materials. Many of them, however, are made ​​up of statements of a general nature, without any timely and accurate references, and also the majority of them say the same things; [...]. I could name at least a dozen treatises which are one the repetition of the other, with only here and there some personal insights, some observations based on experience; translating all of them, without having first made ​​a judicious choice, would only waste the time to the reader. For my collection I chose, therefore, first those writings that are important from a historical point of view; second, those which illuminate a special aspect of the problem or differ for the accuracy of the details. I tried to offer as much variety as possible, and - also among the pages of famous artists - ... I made place only to those that do not contain repetitions" (pp. 8-9).

In addition to passages from Confucius (551-479 BC), of Chuangtse (fourth century BC), Han Fei (third century BC), Ts'ao Chih (also from the third century BC) and the two authors of the fourteenth century AC, i.e. Ni Tsan and Huang Kung-Wang, the anthology provides a most extensive and, in some cases, almost complete documentation of various works translated from Chinese. In this note, we deal exclusively with the second group of writings, omitting any reference to the six passages whose authors have been just mentioned. It should be noted that the titles of the texts have been mostly created by LY, who also indicates the period in which the works were written. The following list provides the distinctive features of the texts, and also specifies the beginning and end page of each work, taking into account both the space occupied by the text translated from the Chinese, as well as of the notes preceding it or placed at its end:

a)      KU K’AI CHIH, Notes for a yourney (original title: Hua Yün-t’ai-shan Chi), pp. 32-35.
The paper belongs to the second half of the fourth century AC and has survived thanks to its inclusion in the Li-tai-Ming-hua Chi (see letter e) ).

b)      TSUNG PING, The joy of painting (a transcript of the original title is not provided), pp. 36-39.

Second half of the fourth century AC or the first decades of the following century. It reached us, as the previous writing, though the Li-tai-Ming-hua Chi (see letter e)). LY writes: "Art historians have seen in these pages by Tsung Ping the pre-announcement of the birth of landscape painting, which was to become the most important of the "genres" of painting practiced in China. [...] The birth and development of landscape painting were accompanied by the emergence and development of art criticism and the rise of an acute aesthetic sensibility during the fourth and fifth centuries" (p. 38).

c)       HSIEH HO, The six techniques of painting (Preface to the Ku Hua-p’in Lu), pp. 40-44.
Second half of the fifth century AC : " The 'six techniques’ presented here have provided up to now the basic criteria of art criticism of China "(p. 40) .

d)     WANG WEI, Formulas for landscape painting (Shan-shui Lun), pp. 45-48.

Wang Wei lived between 699 and 759 AC. LY writes: "The attribution to the great poet and painter is not entirely sure, but it is more acceptable than the attribution to Ching Hao [see letter f)] suggested by some scholars. What is certain is that these are famous formulas handed down from generation to generation ... "(p. 45).

e)      CHANG YEN YÜAN, Famous Paintings (dal Li-tai Ming-hua Chi), pp. 49-73.

The work is dated 847 AC. LY says: "Our knowledge of the history of Chinese art in old centuries owes more to this work than to any other, which is known to exist." (p. 49) The writings placed under letters a) and b) are quoted from this source. The work can be divided into fifteen sections. LY does not translate the third part, consisting of a list of painters, and the last five parts (11. Imprint and signatures; 12. Official and private seals in different eras; 13. How to attach the paintings and catalogue them; 14. Frescoes in temples of both capitals and across the country; 15. List of famous paintings of unknown authors). The initial part of the n. 6 is presented in a summarized form (see p. 63).

f)       CHIN HAO, A conversation on the method (Pifa Chi), pp. 74-81.

First half of the tenth century AC. LY: "We are now in an important century, the tenth, which saw the full blossoming of traditional Chinese landscape painting. [...] Ching lived in the years of dynastic transition from the Tang first to the Liang later. He took his poetic name, Hung-ku-tse, from the location named in the first phase of this" text. The sentence is the following: "I own a few acres of land at Hungku ... less than what needed for the life of a peasant” (p. 74).

g)      KUO HSI, A father’s instructions (Lim-ch’üan Kao-chih), pp. 82-96.

The work dates back to 1090. LY: "Almost everyone would agree that the essay was written by the son of Kuo Hsi Kuo Sze" (p. 82), who, however, had to follow the instructions of his father. This circumstance explains both the attribution to Kuo Hsi and the title given to the work.

Partial reproduction of the text. LY warns: "There are other interesting observations on how to deal with poetic themes in the section entitled Hua Yi; on the technique to paint rocks, soil, aspects of rain, storms, snow, the sky clear, and the use of the brushes, ink, colours, etc…, in the part devoted to certain "formulas", Hua Chüeh. But the pages reproduced here are sufficient to demonstrate Kuo His’s sensitivity to the nature and his deep knowledge of the art of painting "(p. 96).

h)      KUO JO-HSÜ, Notes on painting (T’u-hua Chien-wen Chih), pp. 97-114.

Essay written in 1074, six years before the death of the author, and not reproduced here in full. LY: "Chang Yen-yüan [cf. letter e)] brought his valuable history of painting until the year 841 and ... expressed the hope that someone would resume where he had left it" (p. 97). The call was picked up by Kuo-Jo-hsü, whose work "covers the period from 689 to 1074 (ibid)."The script "enjoys much fame, although it is not up to the quality of Chang-Yen-yüan" (ibidem). Here are presented only "a few parts where the work is truly original and important as a source of history of art" (p. 97). "The work has been translated in full by Alexander Soper" (p. 98). With the help of an indication provided by Wai-Kam-Ha (S.U.A., XIV col. 852) I am led to believe that the study by A. Soper, which I did not consult, has been published in the "Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America", IV, 1950 

[Note by Giovanni Mazzaferro: in fact, it seems that the article dated 1950 was a sort of "anticipation" of the real translation, dating back to 1951: Kuo Jo-Hsü's Experiences in Painting. (T'u-hua chien-wên chih). Trans. and annotated by A. C. Soper. pp. xiii + 216. Washington, 1951. An eleventh century history of Chinese paintings together with the Chinese Text in facsimile. Translated and annotated by Alexander Coburn Soper, Professor of History of Art at Bryn Mawr College, pp. xiii + 216. American Council of Learned Societies, Washington, D.C., 1951].

i)        MI FEI, The Art of the Connoisseur (Hua Shih), pp. 115-125.

Work of the second half of the eleventh century. Mi Fei was a great painter who - we are told by LY - "exerted a wide and lasting influence on the subsequent centuries. Highly original artist, he created his own style in landscape painting: the Mi Fei style" (p.115). To me, the last two pages seem particularly interesting, dealing with the issue of the restoration of ancient paintings.

Mi Fei (1051-1107)
Mountains and trees between the fog

j) CHAO MENG-FUI, The ancient spirit, pp. 126-129
A section of a work is shown, belonging to the thirteenth century, of which LY does not provide the original title.

Pages 130-133 are occupied by two passages, respectively by Ni Tsan and Huang Kung-Wang, and the comment that LY dedicated to them.

k)      KAO LIEN, The point of view of a layman (Chung Sheng Pa Chan), pp. 134-141

The author lived between 1521 and 1593. LY: "Kao Lien is the author of a book on the pleasure of living, entitled Chung Sheng Pa Chan, divided into sections devoted to cooking, medicine, chess, hygiene, rest and all the amenities of a life full of comforts; there are also chapters on how to take care of the paintings and art of the connoisseur. We can say that Kao Lien presents the point of view of the profane art lover, but profane for ever "(p. 136).

l)        KU NING-YÜAN, On the Work with a Brush (Hua Yin), pp. 142-145

The short essay - "one of the smartest Chinese essays on art" according to LY (p. 142) - is reproduced here almost in its entirety. The only omission seems to be that indicated at p. 143, n. 7.

m)    YÜAN HUNG-TAO, Be Yourself, pp. 146-148

The transcription of the original title is lacking. Yüan Hung-tao, better known as Yüan Chung-lang, worked in the early seventeenth century. LY writes of him: he was among the founders of "the kung-an school of poetry, which gave the highest prominence to the ‘personality’ of the individual, deprecating the imitation of the ancients" (p. 147). I read at p. 148 these beautiful words by Yüan: "A good artist is derived from nature, not from another artist. A good artist does not take a painter of the past as his master, but the whole creation in its entire splendour."

n)      HSIEH CHAO-CHEH, Chatting (Wa Tsa-tsu, ovvero Cinque pots-pourris), pp. 149-161

Hsieh Chao- Cheh was not an artist, but a public official and a scholar "who lived throughout the long reign of Wan-li (1573-1619)" (p. 149). Hsieh is the author of a work, here partially reproduced, where – as LY notifies - "it is discussed about absolutely everything, from the history of homosexuality in China to folk medicine, ghosts, and elephants (and so on…). These are friendly talks, in a familiar tone, like a conversation between friends "(p. 150).

Hsieh repudiated the "six techniques" (see letter c)), thus giving a "considerable evidence of non-conformism" (ibid.). At p. 155 we read: "The ancients speak of the "six techniques": 1) create an atmosphere that gives the sensation of life; 2) create a structure through brushwork; 3) paint the shapes as they are in reality; 4) paint in an appropriate manner; 5) composition; 6) copy. Not one of these things beats the secret of painting." Hsieh does not exclude that these principles can indeed serve as a guide to those who devote themselves to particular genres of painting, such as flowers or birds, but then warns us: "trying to apply them to contemporary painting would be like trying to insert square tiles into round holes."

o)     SHIH-T’AO, An Expressionist Belief (K’u-Kia Ho-shang Yü-lu, literally translated as “The Sayings of Friar Bitter Melon"), pp. 162-188.
The writing dates back to 1660. LY: "Shih- t'ao’s true name was Chu Yüan-tsi: he signed also as ‘The Blind Abbot’, ’Great Wash–Stick’, ‘Friar Bitter Melon’." (p. 164). There are reasons to believe that the ellipses placed on p. 170 (fifth but last line) and p. 181 (fifth line) relate to omissions of a modest entity, corresponding to a few words only.

LY: the essay is "absolutely original and reveals a psychological insight, an in depth analysis of the processes of artistic creation of which we do not find any other examples in the literature of China. As for the style, it has an archaic grace, a limpidity and at the same time a fullness of meaning that make it very difficult to translate. But among all Chinese art essays, this is the deepest ever written" (p.165). I am recalling some of the statements of unusual vividness and beauty. At the end of p.168 and at the beginning of the next, I happen to read: "Those who pick up the legacy of the past and do not enrich it, perform in this way because their understanding and penetration is limited; if one is content to imitate those who have come before him, cannot in fact have a very sharp mind. The gentleman on the other hand accepts the past only as a means to progress." And then: "It is said: ‘The perfect man has no method’. It is not true: it has a method, the best of all, which is to have no method" (p. 169). A real cry of pride bursts from p. 170: "I am what I am, as I am; I exist, and that's it. I cannot stick on my face the moustaches of the ancients nor insert their bowels in my belly. I have my bowels, my chest, and I prefer curling with the tip of fingers my moustaches. If it happens that I look like someone, it is him who is imitating me, not me trying to be his ghost. This is the way things are. Why should I imitate the ancients and not try to progress, to develop myself?"

[Note by Giovanni Mazzaferro: due to their importance in the history of theory of the Chinese art, the Sayings of Friar Bitter Melon (of which two subsequent Italian and French editions are present in this library) will be the subject of a specific review.]

Shih-T'ao (1641 ca. - 1717)
Landscape

p) SHIH-T’AO, Inscriptions on Paintings (pp. 188-190).

Here are reproduced some of the inscriptions which Shih-t’ao has affixed to his paintings. I am pencilling three steps. First: "If you ask me: Do you belong to the School of the South or the North? or does the school belong to you? I would laugh and reply: ’I have my own style’"(p. 188). Second point: "It is difficult for artists to reach the level of the ancients, and the cause of this lies in the habit of copying them. We started to copy them at the time of Wang Wei [see letter d)], and we continue to copy them today. Please copy it three times, and the character wu will become wa. Is it not it sad?" (pp. 189-190). In this last inscription the high self-esteem is dissolved in a veiled reflection of sad irony: "I think my paintings have a significant value. Maybe, after my death they will have more admirers than now; I do not know. My true fans will smile when reading these words "(p. 190).

q)     SHEN TSUNG CH’IEN, The Art of Painting (Chieh-chou Hsüeh Hua P’ien, 1781), pp. 191-259

LY: "The work of Shen Tsung Ch'ien is in itself perfectly accomplished and organic. I have here translated the books I and II, which, in quantitative terms, account for roughly three-fifths of the work" (pp. 191-192). The two subsequent books are therefore omitted: book III, which is "a large treatise on portraiture" and the last book, the fourth one, including "considerations of a general nature."

One should not think, however, that the books I and II have been fully incorporated in the anthology. If some of the gaps (see p. 195 line 21, p. 238 l. 27, p. 249 l. 5, p. 253 l. 26) are likely to be of modest size, elsewhere they present very different traits. At page 201 is signalled the omission of the final section of para. 2 ("a purely descriptive passage") and of a part "in which beginners are encouraged to develop strength and grace" studying the ancient models. At page 230 LY informs us that he has omitted an entire paragraph. Finally, it is crucial to take note that, for ease of exposition, the whole subject has been extensively restructured by changing the order of paragraphs and including them "in three sections entitled: A) Technique Problems; B) Taste and style; C) Fundamentals of style" (p. 192).

L.Y. expresses an enthusiastic opinion on Shen’s writing : "It is the most readable, clear, detailed and explicit and, on the thinking underlying the Chinese art and its purposes, tells us more than any other work of this kind" (p. 191). Already in the Introduction, LY had anticipated his positive evaluation and had come to the point of advising the reader to examine "this anthology backward" (p.10), thus beginning from Shen’s work. This is an evaluation that I do not feel compelled to share: reading Shih-T’ao and some other author seems to me far more stimulating and rewarding.

This of course does not mean that the script shown here does not present any interest. Occasionally, the expression is illuminated by the presence of beautiful images and useful insights. Some examples. Page 217: "When one is preparing to put ink on paper, should feel to have a power in his wrist, like the universe creator of life. This power flows from the wrist free and generous, without hindrance and without premeditation. A small spot here, a slight brush there, and the objects take shape. It is the creative moment, when hand and mind and ink and brush work together in perfect cooperation." Page 240: "If the inner nature of things allows it, the artist can break away from the example of the ancients, may in his paintings depict something other than what the eye of the body sees. If he is convinced of what he does, he does not have to worry about the disapproval of the world; but he learns to understand that it is rare luck to find someone capable of understanding." Page 242: "The painter must try to capture the spirit and the essential form of what he wants to portray, not to make an effort to give an exact reproduction at the expense of rhythm and brushwork." At page 235 a connection is found between poetry and painting, which would not disfigure in a western treatise of past times: "Both poetry as well as painting are activities of scholars, ways of expressing moods and feelings. What is the subject of poetry can therefore also be the subject of painting; and what is vulgar in painting is like bad poetry." But, alongside these and a few other moments of well-inspired intuition, there is a widespread weakness of ideas which ends up with tiring the reader. I am of the opinion that, despite the resounding praise addressed to the author, even LY has also experienced some sense of annoyance or, at the very least, discomfort. If not, we could not understand why he decided to make cuts and rearrangements anything but limited in scope.

Shen Tsung Ch'ein (midth of XVIII century)

The work of Lin Yutang ends with two lists, one of the Chinese dynasties (from the third millennium BC until the establishment of the Republic) and another other one, always in chronological order, with the artists and the main trends of artistic production.