Discussion about the Inscription in Chinese Painting

Mi Li

Chinese art has been full of deep poetic spirit since its emergence. Acquire inspiration from all things， express feeling through the poetry and gradually evolve into calligraphy and Chinese painting …Then all emotional appeals are generated here. For the inscription in Chinese painting， the poem， calligraphy， painting and seal are integrated so that the inscription can be regarded as an extreme enrichment and completion of poetic spirit in artistic expression.

“An inscription in the painting was originated from Su Dongpo and Mi Fu and gradually got increased in Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. If the picturesque scene was started from the location of an inscription， the painting will be much better on the basis of inscription. If lofty spirit or elegant thought can not be reflected in a painting， the inscription will be presented to express the said content， which is taken as the origin by later generations.” （Fang Xun） A desired inscription may be complementary with the painting and bring out the best in each other， or may make the painting better and better and cast beautiful reflections， and may even bring out the crucial point， sublime artistic conception and bring people into a delightful realm.

First of all， the quality of an inscription is related to the charm of calligraphy. The calligraphy and painting have been combined for a long time， just as the saying： “The one who is good at calligraphy must master painting and the one who is good at painting must master calligraphy， thus， calligraphy and painting actually have the same nature” （Zhao Xihu）. Zhao Ziang once maintained that “the stones are depicted in a style of calligraphy characterized by hollow strokes， the woods are drawn in an ancient style of calligraphy and bamboo leaves are written in octave method”. A “written” embodies this profound theory fully. The turning of strokes， variations of shape， arrangement of pattern and stress on look， which are used to measure the calligraphy， can be also used to measure the painting and their effect will be the same. Calligraphy and painting in integration can present a splendor； if the calligraphy is not ingenious， the layout of the whole painting will be broken. The inscription should follow the basic rules and be consistent with the interest， charm and style of a painting so as to make the whole painting in harmony and beauty in feeling. The Chinese painting can be classified into claborate-style painting and enjoyable-style painting and these paintings may be unruly and free， or rigorous and fine， or have both at the same time， there is sharp contrast and the different elements exert their own functions； the calligraphy includes seal script， clerical script， regular script， running script and cursive script， therefore， the character may be like the flying large swans that migrate in an endless stream， or like rising fog and clouds in mixing or like cool breeze and flowing water in ripple. The strokes vary freely and have different charm， just described as “seal script for elegance， clerical script for prudence， running script for graceful bearing and cursive script for free expression”. Consequently， the script of an inscription must be selected carefully and flexibly. Generally speaking， seal script， clerical script and regular script are suitable for claborate-style painting and traditional Chinese landscape painting； the running script is the best for enjoyable-style painting； running script and wild cursive script are suitable for splashed-ink painting and abstract painting. Apart from the script， the ink technique is also very important. The light ink is matched with relaxed and clear picture or dry ink displays forceful and rude realm or various ink changes are integrated in one painting to reflect warm rhythm. Different paintings will mirror different realms.

Secondly， the quality of an inscription is related to the elegance of poetic propose and inscription. Su Dongpo said：“By appreciation on Wang Weis （Wang Mojies） poem， his poem is integrated with the painting； by appreciation on Wang Weis （Wang Mojies） painting， his painting is integrated with the poem.” After such saying emerges， the understanding that painting appreciation arouses the scholars thinking on poem and that poem reciting inspires the painters wonderful ideas in painting before Song Dynasty can have a correspondence in spirit and be clarified theoretically. In addition， the melting in the format of future inscription art is achieved. The inscription is not only a contrast for images in the painting or not a simple interpretation. Its dictions must be exquisite， sometimes unrestrained and directly expressive and sometimes tactful， implicit and full of connotations. The purpose of such poetic prose is to indicate the essence of a painting， or describe an association according to sounds and shapes in the painting or add an interest to sublime artistic conception. These inscriptions are diversified and make the appreciators think over them and obtain an insight from them. The inscription may be short or long， which should not affect the layout of painting and form compact response. The copious and fluent contents always form an article in logic and with continuous meaning； a few words are often extremely concise and also profound. As the saying goes： “No one can understand the painting full of clouds and smoke， but an inscription in poem can express the meaning clearly” （Gu Ningyuan）， the different circumstances are attractive for people. On the basis of inscription， we can observe the painters thinking， know painting techniques， appreciate magnificent landscape and understand the fickleness of the world. The howling winds and rolling clouds are created under the pen， an article is composed of various elements in mood and both profound cultural meaning and proud style of a scholar are presented in a better way. For The Bird & Flower Painting Scroll Book by Li Shan in Qing Dynasty， the painting included is quite concise， only comprising one reed， one fish and one bird. The fish and the bird are the images often used in a painting. If the painting is not related to a person or there is no a trust， why do the scholars get involved in the painting？ We can see the bird in the painting have quick and forceful sight， waiting for an opportunity， smart and cunning and full of the intention to kill. The fish will flow with the water and the disaster is near us， but we do not. Take an inscription as an example： “An observation on the fish when there is a kingfisher.” The meaning beyond the painting is fully introduced and used to voice the feeling on human life by virtue of stake relationship between the bird and the fish. In those years when Li Shan （Futang） served imperial palace at the beginning， he was pushed aside and refused due to constraint in painting style， then demoted from the magistrate of a county and finally completely dismissed since his honest and upright behaviors offended the superior. What a pity！ “Shan” signed by Li Shan beside an inscription means an eel in rivers and lakes.

Thirdly， the quality of an inscription is related to the presentation of ideas in a painting. The layout serves as the general requirements for a painting. According to Discussion on the Paintings by Zhang Shi of Qing Dynasty， “The inscription and the painting must map each other. The inscription， which is presented upon the painting， is not a show of writing， but a painting in the painting to express meaning outside the painting.” If the layout of an inscription is appropriate and exquisite， the painting will become more glorious due to such an inscription； in contrast， the inscription will become a flaw on the white jade and destroy the beauty.” “There is always a natural position for an inscription in the painting， or else， the whole layout will not be so perfect.” （Shen Hao）. As a result， the layout of an inscription is quite connected with the success of the works. There are roughly three key points. The first point transfers virtuality to reality so as to balance the painting. The romantic charm of a painting is often originated from virtual things. However， if the virtual state is full of hollow and unorganized， an inscription will be required for supplement. The inscription may be composed of three or five words in one line or eight or nine words in one row， the words are inclined， neat and irregular in distribution， sometimes dense and sometimes sparse in various changes. You may not see any words in an intangible position. The layout of the whole painting will be complete and the response will be available everywhere in the event that such an inscription is given. Mr. Pan Tianshou argued： “For a flexible balance， we must firstly strive for its unbalance and then its balance.” “For the layout of an enjoyable-style painting， people often strived for its unbalance and supplemented that unbalance by an inscription after Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty， which formed a unique style but never followed the convention.” For his A Sleeping Bird， he centered on the lower left， located an inscription on the upper right， combined calligraphy and painting and made them an integral whole and surprising. Both calligraphy and painting are arranged with the form， collect atmosphere and enhance influence. The distribution is according to the trend of images， extended for the images or hidden in the painting， mixed in them and variable in cross in order to enhance vigor and add interest. In respect of Fruit of Pomegranate by Xu Wei， a blank is given above the branches of pomegranate and an inscription is presented in such blank as： “The fruit of pomegranate is ripened and smile towards the sun in deep mountains. There is no people picking them in such deep mountains and these bright pearls are shining each other.”The five-character quatrain is distributed at its convenience， just like inclined and extended branches of pomegranate， so that the vigor is enhanced and there is genuine interest. The third point is that the images are centered on regardless of their number. The inscription depends on the layout of the painting. If an inscription is only presented for nothing， there may be a ridicule of painting a lily. However， sometimes the inscription is indispensable， single inscription is not enough but many inscriptions are required. Take The Red Blossom by Wu Changshuo as another example， there are two inscriptions which correspond to each other and form a delightful contrast. If one of them is not available， there will not be any balance or any interest. The blank and margin are two extreme forms in contrast with the chaos. The blank space is as clear as a sky which is enough to make a dream fly； it is as grand as a temple where the gods can be invited to travel. Facing the blank in a painting seems facing an endless possibility of creation and the surging heart displays the inscribers state of mind and accomplishment.

Consequently， an inscription is associated with different aspects. It integrates poem， calligraphy， painting and seal with no gap and further reveals the uplift of poetic spirit in Chinese art. There has been hardly a royal painter who makes an inscription since Song Dynasty； but the inscription gradually rises from the works by the scholars for the purpose to express their emotion. At the initial stage， the inscription is presented as “a small character hidden among the tree roots or in the gap of stones” and “the painter who is not good at calligraphy always gives an inscription on the back” （Qian Du）. After Su Dongpo and Mi Fu， the person who was good at the painting also mastered calligraphy and terms， chanted poetry on the painting and expressed the emotion to form a literary pursuit. Till Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty， the description of emotion， disposition， mind and ideas were almost extinct. That“I” was for painting is actually “I” was for “me”. At that time， expressing emotion and shining individuality became the purpose of an inscription on the painting. From “unknown” to “well-known”， the changes in inscription in the Chinese painting witnesses “the disillusion of human beings” and “cultural awareness” in Chinese art history. The appreciator should not only appreciate the ink painting but also focus on the mind of the author in that situation. The painting is created with a feeling so that the appreciator should also experience a feeling from the painting. This is a creation that the scholars enters the art history， generates an emotion and strives for analysis mentally. Therefore， we know that the inscription and the literati painting are like two flowers from one bud. The flourish

of literati painting nourishes inscription art to get developed， while the development of inscription art deepens the connotation of literati painting. Finally， they will create a unique world of Chinese painting together. This world is full of surging affection in the stylized ink. The beautiful Chinese painting depicts a process but not a conclusion， a life but not a concept， and a pursuit for universal genuineness but not a blind imitation of natural persons in a painting. “If a thing is depicted， getting its shape is not better than getting its power； getting its power is not better than getting its charm； getting its charm is not better than getting its nature.” （Li Rihua）. What is the “nature”？ The nature is the truth of a life. The sky and the mountains are in the same color beyond bustling and beautiful sceneries. The emotion towards a life is centralized in our mind and formed in our eyes. If these are expressed under the brush， there will be the images and an inscription which may be bleak， desolate， quietly elegant or clear so as to condense into the endless poetry of Chinese art.

The present inscription has broken through conventional patterns and gradually become an important visual image in the painting. The painters integrate painting and calligraphy and make original creation in character pattern， composition & presentation， ink display， content of inscription and other aspects. With diversified artistic thoughts， our painters often keep exploration， look back the tradition and consider the update， which will contribute to the inscription， traditional Chinese painting and ethnic art greatly.