The Yuan Dynasty marked the pinnacle of Chinese literati painting, and the Ten Masters Album (十人册页), a collection of works by ten renowned artists, serves as both a microcosm of Yuan painting techniques and a symphony of scholarly philosophy and natural aesthetics. Within its compact pages, this album encapsulates landscapes, flora, fauna, and human figures, embodying the Yuan literati’s pursuit of “expressing emotion through art” and their artistic ideal of “simplicity, subtlety, and spontaneity”. Including the following ten works:
- Fang Congyi’s “Looking at Chonggang Alone”
- Gao Kegong’s “Summer Mountain After Rain”
- Li Zhuyan’s “Bamboo Branches”
- Sheng Mao’s “Fishing Boat in Autumn Creek”
- Sheng Mao’s “Picking a Lame Boat on a Wild Bridge”
- Zhu Derun’s “Playing Lute in Pine Stream”
- Yuan Ren’s “Looking at the Wild Landscape from a Boat”
- Ke Jiusi’s “Bamboo and Rocks”
- Tang Di’s “Boat in Yunpu”
- Wang Mian’s “Spring in the Valley”
Traditional Chinese album leaves (册页), with their “one scene per page” layout and function as intimate objects for contemplation, aligned perfectly with the introspective, personal ethos of Yuan literati culture. Breaking free from the rigid formalism of Song Dynasty court painting, Yuan artists prioritized brushwork as an extension of their inner selves. The Ten Masters Album exemplifies this shift:
· Light Ochre Landscapes: Huang Gongwang’s pioneering technique of light ochre washes (using faint pigments like hematite and indigo) influenced works such as Gao Kegong’s Summer Mountains After Rain (《夏山过雨图》), where sparse hemp-fiber strokes and diluted ink evoke the misty freshness of post-rain woodlands.
· Calligraphic Expressionism: The concept of “painting as calligraphy,” advocated by Huang Gongwang, is evident in Ke Jiusi’s Bamboo and Rocks (《竹石圖》), where bamboo joints are rendered with ancient seal script (篆籀) brushwork, merging the vigor of metal-and-stone engraving with the literati ideal of “shared origins for calligraphy and painting”.
The album showcases diverse Yuan styles and subjects. Key examples include:
- Landscapes: Dialogues Between Reclusion and Nature
· Gao Kegong’s Summer Mountains After Rain (《夏山过雨图》): Blurred mountain contours and moist brushwork capture Jiangnan’s humid post-storm atmosphere, echoing Zhao Mengfu’s theory of “reviving ancient elegance” while blending influences from Dong Yuan and Mi Fu.
· Fang Congyi’s Gazing Alone from a Lofty Peak (《崇岡獨眺圖》): Solitary peaks shrouded in swirling clouds metaphorize the Daoist pursuit of “communion with cosmic spirit,” balancing wild brushstrokes with restrained emptiness.
- Flora and Fauna: Symbols of Virtue
· Wang Mian’s Plum Blossoms in a Secluded Valley (《幽谷先春圖》): Iron-like branches and sparse blossoms symbolize literati resilience, refining the ink-plum tradition of Yang Wujiu into an emblem of unyielding integrity.
· Li Zhuyan’s Bamboo Branches (《竹枝圖》): Flying-white (飞白) strokes depict bamboo as embodiments of scholarly grace, resonating with Su Shi’s adage: “Rather eat without meat than dwell without bamboo”.
- Human Figures: Between Mundanity and Transcendence
· Sheng Mao’s Fishing in an Autumn Stream (《秋溪釣庭圖》): A recluse angling by a stream merges minimalist drapery with landscape, reflecting Yuan-era detachment from worldly fame.
· Anonymous Watching Wild Geese from a Boat (《倚艇看鸿圖》): Sparse lines portray a scholar gazing at distant birds, evoking Du Fu’s imagery of “a lone gull between heaven and earth” to convey existential solitude.
- Ink Experimentation: Formal and Spiritual Innovation
· Tang Di’s Boating on Cloudy Waters (《雲浦拏舟圖》): Dynamic lines and misty ink washes reinterpret the classical principle of “vivid rhythmic energy” (气韵生动).
· Zhu Derun’s Playing the Qin by a Pine-Clad Gorge (《松礀橫琴圖》): Twisted pines and axe-cut texture on rocks contrast with flowing “waterweed” lines on the musician’s robes, merging Song and Yuan techniques.
The Ten Masters Album distills the Yuan literati’s cosmic vision into palm-sized leaves. As Huang Gongwang proclaimed, “Painting is the imprint of the mind.” These works are not mere technical feats but mirrors of a spiritual sanctuary—a timeless refuge crafted through ink and brush amid the Yuan Dynasty’s turbulent winds.
