Manual of Painting, Opening Volume

Preface VIII

The technique of dotting and painting ink plums originated at Huaguang Mountain with the monk Zhongren Shi Zhongren (active 11th century) was a Song Dynasty Buddhist monk famous for capturing the ethereal quality of plum blossoms using ink washes rather than outlines, reportedly inspired by seeing the shadows of blossoms on his window at night.. Yet, this style did not actually begin with Zhongren, but with Teng Changyou Teng Changyou (active late 9th century) was a master of the late Tang period who specialized in flowers and bamboo, providing the foundational brushwork for the later monochrome ink style..

The painting of feathered creatures, insects, and fish flourished under Xu Xi Xu Xi (active 10th century) was a foundational figure in flower-and-bird painting. He was known for a naturalistic style that favored "spirit-resonance" and sketching from life, often contrasted with the more decorative, colorful court style of his rival, Huang Quan.. However, it did not begin with Xu Xi, but with Xue Ji Xue Ji (649–713) was a high official and artist of the Tang Dynasty, particularly renowned for his paintings of cranes, which were said to define the standard for the genre. and Bian Luan Bian Luan (active late 8th century) is often credited as the artist who established flower-and-bird painting as a fully realized, independent genre during the Tang Dynasty..

One might wonder, as we look further back through the accumulated layers original: cenglei (層累), referring to the deep, historical stacking of artistic lineages over centuries. of time, what even earlier origins might be found?

I say: they all likely originate from the ancient poets original: fengren (風人), referring specifically to the authors of the "Airs of the States" (Guofeng), the evocative folk songs that comprise the first part of the Classic of Poetry.. One need only look within the Three Hundred Poems The Shijing or Classic of Poetry, China's oldest collection of poetry, compiled around the 6th century BCE. The author argues that the vivid imagery and natural observations in these poems are the true "ancestors" of Chinese painting..