Why the art of leaving blank space is the ultimate beauty of the Chinese artistic conception
The Chinese are modest and restrained
They believe that "when a vessel is full, it overflows"
In all things, leave some room
Thus Chinese aesthetics
Is sparse yet not empty, full yet not overflowing
Leaving space for imagination
And infinite possibility
During the Eastern Jin dynasty
The Grand Commandant Yu Liang fled the capital because of a rebellion
He planned to join forces with Tao Kan to suppress the rebel army
When Tao Kan and Yu Liang were eating together
A plate of rakkyo was brought to the table
As Yu Liang ate, he left the rakkyo bulb at the base of the stem
Tao Kan asked, puzzled:
"Why leave the rakkyo bulb?"
Yu Liang answered:
"It can still be planted."
This is the origin of the allusion "leaving blank space"
In all things, leave some room; do not exhaust them
The Song dynasty was a peak of civilization
Song dynasty Ru ware
Is a great brand name a thousand years old
Tang dynasty sancai is all bright and colorful
But the Song dared to propose a plain, simple style amid all that brightness and color
Ru ware sky-blue unpatterned narcissus basin
Plain color, no pattern
Matte, frosted surface
Without the slightest decorative border or fiery glare
Completely without showing off technique
The best expression is not to express
Not revealing a bit of technique, not revealing a trace of display
Zhuangzi said:
"When the empty room brings forth light, good fortune rests there."
Emptiness and stillness give rise to wisdom, openness gives rise to clarity,
"When the empty room brings forth light" is also "leaving blank space."
We live amid noise and clamor
The filling of the inner mind
Is the clutter and collision of life's trivial matters
Densely packed, breathing is stifled
Yet a dwelling that understands leaving blank space
Creates a calm and tranquil state, serene and far-reaching
Life always needs an outlet
To release that airtight stifling feeling
The environment around us
Is a matter of the freedom of the soul
Only a life that understands leaving blank space
Will be simple and happy
The highest realm of Chinese painting
Lies in leaving blank space in ink painting
One sheet of paper, the brush falls, three parts left blank, the charm lingers long
Deng Shiru, a Qing dynasty seal carver and calligrapher, said
"In calligraphy and painting, the sparse places can let a horse gallop through,
The dense places do not let the wind pass through,
Always counting white as black, and wondrous interest emerges."
What he speaks of is the wonder of leaving blank space
Ma Yuan, "Fishing Alone on a Cold River"
Southern Song, Ma Yuan, "Fishing Alone on a Cold River"
One boat, one old fisherman, no water
Yet reading it brings vast misty waves
This is the effect of leaving blank space: it speaks
But does not speak fully, letting you imagine freely
When masters paint
They all treasure ink like gold, counting white as black
The Qing dynasty Bada Shanren
And Shitao's paintings
Are mostly blank space
Ethereal and empty, like a wandering monk entering sagehood
Qi Baishi's painting "Shrimp"
Xu Beihong's painting "Horse"
When we look at Qi Baishi's shrimp
We can feel the clarity of the water
When we appreciate Xu Beihong's horse
We can feel the speed of the wind
Banqiao's bamboo paintings
A few sparse strokes
And the strength of character appears at once
Song dynasty block-printed books - Southern Song, Zhang Jizhi's calligraphy of the Diamond Sutra
Song dynasty block-printed books
Are precious culture for the whole world
Between the lines
The content and the white margins
All retain a gentle breathing in and out
Brush strength and aesthetics, carried to the utmost
In the auction market
Song dynasty block-printed books are sold page by page
The movable-type printing technology of the Song dynasty in the eleventh century
Made knowledge and education widespread at the time
Created a commoner culture
It also influenced the printing of the fifteenth-century German Gutenberg Bible
(the first Bible printed with movable type)
Su Shi, "Tie on the River"
A master's running cursive, characters and characters, staggered in size
Lines and lines, rising and falling
The dots and strokes and lines in the writing divide space into countless blacks and whites
Black and white cleverly divided and shaded, and there is the interest of landscapes and floating clouds
Wandering within it, one can see misty clouds over the whole paper
Jumbled rocks and steep cliffs, clear springs gurgling out from mountain streams
One can see flowing clouds and running water, swimming dragons and gliding snakes
Old trees and withered vines, winding through it
Leaving blank space is the essence of Chinese aesthetics
Literature has leaving blank space: without writing a single word, it fully captures elegance
Drama has leaving blank space: profound in meaning, endlessly evocative
Architecture has leaving blank space: within a small space, it reveals heaven and earth
Music has leaving blank space: the notes linger for three days, beauty beyond measure
Nature has leaving blank space: the greatest sound is scarcely heard, the greatest image has no form
Life has leaving blank space: do not rejoice over things, do not grieve over oneself
Leaving blank space is a state of mind
The body is like idle clouds; moonlight and stream light can attest to one's nature
The heart is like flowing water; pine sounds and bamboo colors together make one forget calculations
Cicadas chirp and the woods grow stiller; birds sing and the mountain grows more secluded
When water is full it overflows; when the moon is full it wanes
Where non-being meets being, being returns to non-being
Leaving blank space is a kind of unbridled roaming
A kind of soaring freedom like the kun and peng spreading their wings
A kind of Zen mind like an orchid in a secluded valley
A supreme realm where words end but meaning is endless
Wu Guanzhong's paintings
Chen Daoming described a very beautiful scene:
Sometimes my wife and I just sit together under the window
She embroiders her flowers and plants, I cut and sew my leather bags
Outside the window, falling leaves make no sound
Inside the room, time passes in quiet beauty
There is a kind of beauty in it that stirs the heart
Life also needs blank space --
We need to stop
And wait for our own soul
Spend some time and energy
To nourish the mind
Walk down unfamiliar streets
Look at the half-curved moon
Drink a cup of afternoon tea, listen to a piece of light music
Plant a little flower and wait for it to grow lush and full
Draw a small card to decorate the white wall in front of the desk
Write a postcard to greet a friend far away
……
Do some useless things
And feel once again the power of time slowly passing
This article is selected from "Shouyimen"
Copyright belongs to the original author
Wonderful replay:
Chinese bonsai welcomes you!
Enjoy at any timeadmirethe bonsai exhibition hall
Promote bonsai culture, exchange bonsai skills!
Appreciate bonsai art, share a happy life!