PREFACE
The art of Chinese painting, must be in an ingenious principle with some individuals could be sensed.The person who are superior could detached from the world, bear with a lonely, cultivate spirituality and invest his mind is mostly elder people since ancient time.Under the impact of urban intensive modern civilization, the relationship between man and nature is constantly alienating.Returning to the embrace of nature, pure heart but meaningful image, attention to the truth contained, and think of the law of nature, come to the end of person's rope.Art or meaning has their mutual intelligibility, and the art believed in the truth, the benevolent sees the benevolence, the wise sees the wisdom, and they could communicate with each other.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, under the guidance of the literary and artistic policy of“Hundred Flowers Campaign”, Chinese painting has achieved unprecedented prosperity and development.However, Chinese painter's theoretical understanding stands in a blurry position where the crisis of cultural orientation still calls for attention.The traditional Chinese painting originates from the studies of Chinese ancient civilization.The philosophies of I Ching, as the core and source of Chinese classics, are the prime mover to traditional Chinese painting's inheritance and innovation.Besides, the thoughts cast a significant importance upon traditional Chinese painting in clarification of noumenal language, evaluation standards and influence over its artistic creation.
The I Ching philosophy nourishes the model mentality of the traditional Chinese painting, the consubstantiality with which coincides the concept of Xiang（meaning learning from its laws）and the concept of Zaohua（meaning the nature）.Therefore, the idea focuses on Tao rather than utensils.Traditional Chinese painting's observing the object and extracting the Xiang is derives from I Ching“imitating its form and appearance, and learning from them”;modeling from the image from“drawing out the Xiang to fulfill its image”;managing the positions is derived from“six places to construct the art of composition”；using lines to form the model from“stacking the Yao to form Gua the divinatory symbol”;the construction concept of Change and Utility in tradition Chinese painting from“the theory of Tai Chi diagram”;human figures, i.e.portraits correspond with anthroposcopy in I Ching；landscape paintings accord with the geomantic omen in I Ching.
The I Ching philosophy nourishes traditional Chinese painting's ink and brushwork, and sketching.The four elements of liveliness, Qi, time and change are the key points of Yi-ology as well as the practice of ink and brushwork.Yi-ology highlights prospering and changing, sketching tries to accomplish each stroke reviving the liveliness of the objects.Yi-ology highlights the fusion of Yin and Yang breeds the world, sketching recognizes the brushwork as Yang and ink as Yin, which reflects the drawings.Yi-ology devotes care to the Gua and the time, sketching similarly stresses Qi and Xiang among four seasons.Yi-ology pays attention to the Change and the Tao, sketching follows it as the quality adopts the ancient fineness while the content adapts to the time.The traditional Chinese painting uses its own language of brushing and inking to experience the rhythm of the nature and life.The five colors and five inks derive from Yin-Yang and five elements in I Ching.Traditional Chinese painting one stroke with three twists and turns originates from Tai Gua（a barcode of I Ching）, which is decoded as no plane was not included with bumps, no moving outwards was not returning.Traditional Chinese painting's scenography the view goes as far as the sight limit comes from I Ching's reading Gua in the fair and just position to see the world.The romantic charm and spirit of traditional Chinese painting was guided by the no square spirit forms no fair integration in I Ching.
The formal language of traditional Chinese painting was composed by the philosophies of I Ching.Speaking for the carrier form, scroll painting contains the heaven, the earth and human three elements；circular fan implies the Tai Chi's fulfillment;Browsing through album of traditional Chinese painting can one experience the alternation of Yin-Yang, i.e.the Tao;appreciating the long coils can one moving along with time.Speaking for the formal language, painting values the rigid and the flexible, while Yi-ology notes that everyone wishes to comprehend the rigid and the flexible；painting values the scale between insufficiency and excessiveness, while Yi-ology notes that both ceasing and arising have advantages;painting distinguishes the activity from the inertia, while Yi-ology notes that the inertia was about to move, and the active was about to stop;paintings focus on the parts and the whole, while Yi-ology notes that the sun starts to fall from noon and the full moon will be encroached;painting values the square and the circular, while Yi-ology notes that virtues will contribute to the spirit and cognition;painting values joining and parting, while Yi-ology notes that learning gathers and winding scatters;painting values the favorable and the adverse;while Yi-ology notes that tracing back to history is easy but foreseeing the future is hard；painting values reflection, while Yi-ology notes that the same sounds echo and the same Qi meet；painting values explicit and implicit, while Yi-ology notes that the young dragon should not be burdened with tasks;painting values the relations of far and near, while Yi-ology notes that the human body should be observed from the near and the objects should be observed from the far;painting values the relations of odd-even, while Yi-ology notes that Yang Gua means odd and Yin Gua means even；painting values reaching up and reaching down, while Yi-ology notes that reaching up to see the Xiang in the sky and reaching down to see the laws of the earth；painting values dry and wet, while Yi-ology notes that the fire and the water are the solutions.
The unique style of traditional Chinese painting is originated from the philosophies of I Ching.The elements such as Qi, spirit, indication, Xiang, senses, time, observation, orientation are derived from the philosophical interpretation of I Ching towards the heaven-earth, the universe, the life and the orders of everything.Free-style painting frankly states the spirit and uses only several unrestrained strokes, the idea was originated from I Ching Qian Gua（one kind of Gua）meaning constantly striving to become stronger.Collaborate-style painting shall undergo three stages of alum water and nine processes of coloring, which would cost months even years of color-applying, the idea was originated from I Ching Kun Gua（one kind of Gua）meaning self-discipline and social commitment.Traditional artists cherish the ink over color, devote to the quality and morality.This feature comes from I Ching-Bi Gua, the spirit of White Bi contained in the Up Six Yao.Imperial-court decorative paintings in Song Dynasty were featured with the dedicated observation and meticulous drawing techniques.Exaggerated modeling and gorgeous colors of the folk paintings share indissoluble bound with Da Zhuang the solution of one particular Gua.Therefore, Wang Wei from the Southern Dynasties wrote in On Paintings that the drawings is more than art skills, they should be connected to the Xiang from I Ching.Dai DeQian from Qing dynasty wrote that my understanding on the change of painting coincides with the philosophies of I Ching.
Nowadays, the technological and information advances, scientism have flooded philosophy.The expansion of lust and the great wealth of materials are pushing human to their abyss.Traditional Chinese paintings hold the concepts of outline shape, structure, white blank, overall arrangement, the succession of teachings from a master to his disciples and so on.These ideas are embodied with the image of Qian Gua from I Ching.The nation applies Qian, as the modest demeanor that could lead the international relations reach to harmoniousness, people apply Qian as the modest in his or her behavior that would reach interpersonal concordance.Setting up Xiang and highlighting Qian would make a melodious nature, for which is one reason why traditional Chinese paintings out stand in the world.The concept image of I Ching was interpreted as the spirit derived from I Ching.The image of I Ching is not only the embodiment of Chinese nationality genes, but also reflects the national spirit of traditional Chinese painting.The image of I Ching is the main point to uphold Chi nese characteristics, gather national power and achieve the Chinese Dream among traditional Chinese painting circle.
Key words: Traditional Chinesee painting；I Ching；Qian Gua；image from I Ching[1]
TYPE OFDISSERTATION: Application Fundamentals