Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden, Volume 5

Page 18

original: "房山" (Fangshan) refers to Gao Kegong (1248–1310), a high-ranking official and artist of the Yuan Dynasty. "南宮" (Nangong) is a reference to the Song Dynasty master Mi Fu (1051–1107), who held a position at the "Southern Palace" (Nangong) and was famous for his eccentric personality and revolutionary ink-wash techniques.

original: "元暉" (Yuanhui) is the courtesy name of Mi Youren (1074–1151), the eldest son of Mi Fu. Like his father, he was a master of the "cloudy mountain" style, but critics often debated the subtle differences in their brushwork.

original: "非烟雲" (fei yan yun). Literally "not-smoke-and-clouds," a poetic way to describe the ethereal, shifting quality of the atmosphere in "Mi-dot" landscapes.

original: "元章" (Yuanzhang) is the courtesy name of Mi Fu. The text is emphasizing that his specific genius lay in how he integrated solid structures like pavilions into his hazy, fluid landscapes.

original: "董華亭" (Dong Huating) refers to Dong Qichang, a native of Huating. Dong was the primary architect of the "Literati" painting history, and his endorsement of a style—or his calligraphic interpretation of it—carried immense weight for students using this manual.

The accompanying illustration (as noted in the visual data) shows a landscape rendered with "Mi-dots" (Midian), which are horizontal dabs of wet ink layered to build up the forms of hills. This technique moves away from the "bone" structure of traditional line-drawing, focusing instead on the "flesh" and atmosphere of the scene. The "pavilions" mentioned in the text are visible as small, precise structures that provide a focal point and a sense of human presence within the otherwise ephemeral, watery world of the Mi style.