Li 理 (Universal Principle), Li Kan 李衎 (1245-1320) and Yuan-Dynasty (1271-1368) Bamboo Painting

 Li 理 (Universal Principle), Li Kan 李衎 (1245-1320) and Yuan-Dynasty (1271-1368) Bamboo Painting

Date: 10 November 2014 (Wednesday)
Time: 5:00pm
Venue: Room 10.28, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus

In the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), the number of artists who painted the subject bamboo greatly increased. Li Kan 李衎 (1245-1320), Gao Kegong 高克恭 (1248-1310), and Zhao Mengfu 趙孟頫 (1254-1322) were all famous for their bamboo paintings. My research suggests that in the earlier Song, bamboo was interpreted as possessing the qualities of a scholarly gentleman. The famous philosopher Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130-1200), shifted focus in commentaries on bamboo so that it became a means to understand li, the universal principle that governs all in the cosmos. So when Zhu Xi’s theories and scholarship were endorsed by the Yuan government, many painters used some styles of bamboo to show support of the court whereas other styles of bamboo were used to show independence from the court. The aim of this paper is to examine how people in the Song to Yuan dynasties interpreted li and how they incorporated bamboo and painted representations of bamboo. This paper explores why bamboo became a favourable subject for the acquiring knowledge of li and how li became a criterion to evaluate paintings within this historical context. I argue Li Kan and his followers including Ke Jiusi 柯九思 (1290-1343) appropriated some of these Neo-Confucianist practices in efforts to revitalize the Wen Tong 文同 (1018-1079) style of bamboo for purposes of commenting on the court.

Speaker: Ruby Leung (PhD Candidate, Department of Fine Arts, HKU)