북송 말(北宋 末)-남송 초(南宋 初)의 소경(小景)과 소경화(小景畵)

Abstract

Xiaojing which can be translated into intimate scene, began to be painted by the monk poet-painter Huichong(c.965-1017) during the early Northern Song period. It first recorded in the Tuhua jianwenji by Gou Ruoxi in 1074, and appeared as one of the painting categories in the Xuanhe huapu compiled in around 1120 and Huaji by Deng Chun completed in 1167. The twelfth century when the xiojing painting became popular and widely appreciated, marks one of the turning points in Chinese painting history, and the appearance of new painting category reflects the changes in production and appreciations of painting during the time. This article aims to illuminate the meaning of xiaojing and examines the social, cultural, intellectual background behind the development of xiaojing painting, and impact of the painting style on later period through the literary and visual evidences. Xiaojing appeared when the monumental landscape style and full-scale bird-and-flower painting which prevailed among the court painters of the Northern Song reached its peak during the reigns of emperor Shenzong(1067-1085) and Zhezong(1086-1100), and painters began to look into new directions in stylistic and technical mode. Northern Song literati found the Southern Tang(937-975) painting style described the tender, muted scenery with flora and fauna of the southern Chinese region more appealing to their aesthetic temperature and highly evaluated the innate quality of xiaojing painting as the embodiment of literati tradition in which verbal and pictorial images interact and enrich the meaning of the art work. Thus the emergence of xiaojing related to the evolvement of literati painting theory formed by Su Shi and his circle, who considered the practice of painting as a means of private expression and personal interaction. The development of bird-and-flower painting and the increasing use of album leaf and fan painting format also influenced the popularity of the genre. Emperor Huizong’s support for the theory of literati painting consistent with the ideas of literati artists in spite of their differences in political opinions accelerated the emergence of xiaojing and wide acceptance among professional painters of the academy, as well as the aristocratic and literati painters alike. Xiaojing paintings depicted the various kinds of flowers, birds, and trees in waterside landscape setting focused on near ground, became intimate in scale, yet spatially expansive with an emphasis on seasonal, temporal atmospheric mood and pictorial unity. The simple, almost mundane scenes marked a vivid contrast to monumental landscape painting and large scale bird-and-flower painting, and convey a visual and emotional intimacy with poetic appeal to the viewers. Stylistic comparison of xiaojing painting with other Northern Song examples clearly shows technical and stylistic changes that occurred in painting during the twelfth century. By exchanging the immeasurable vastness of composition for a more limited, more intimate view and exploring new brush and ink technique for depicting pictorial motifs, xiaojing painting provided the stylistic ground for the development of the Southern Song styles of landscape, bird-and-flower painting, and formed a painting tradition continued to inspire later painters as one of the sources of fanggu, imitating old styles. Therefore, close study of the xiaojing which came to be appreciated and recognized as an important genre of Chinese painting would shed more light for the better understanding of the Song painting.