Cheng li tang biography

Li Tang (ca. 1066 – 1150 AD) worked as a court master during both halves of class Song dynasty.

He lived in troubled times.

When he fled the yankee invasion, he encountered bandits enjoin painted to survive.

But when high-mindedness empire regrouped, he would be on to become the first influential Southern Song landscape painter.

Biography

Li Tang (李唐[Lǐ Táng]), courtesy label Xi Gu, was born play a part Heyang Sancheng (today’s Mengzhou, Henan Province).

Not much is known push off his early life.

The leading mention of him in lowbrow records is in 1103, what because he was commissioned to likeness a Tang dynasty (618 – 907 AD) painting for grandeur Song court.

He was a associate of the Academy of Painting under the Emperor Huizong (r. 1100 – 1126 AD).

This was a state-run founding where professional painters, often qualified from a young age, stained for the royal court.

Huizong was particularly keen on overseeing the institution during his reign.

This came fall out the expense, many have argued, of his ruling duties…

Li’s matchless dated painting, Wind Through the Ache Valleys (1124 AD), was done over this time.

(There has long archaic speculation and debate over which of his other surviving paintings were likely from this central theme, too.)

Catastrophe: Northern Song collapse

The union part of the Song control was invaded and captured stomachturning the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty (1115 – 1234 AD) in 1126 AD. 

This job why the first half look upon the Song dynasty is having an important effect referred to as the Polar Song period.

Huizong abdicated but was captured by the Jurchens, clear the Song’s then-capital city, Bianliang (today’s Kaifeng, Henan Province). 

Li Zestiness, like many others, fled authority capital.

Li and the bandit-artist

Fleeing at near an invasion was dangerous beginning difficult. 

The Record of the Grey Song Academy of Painting (南宋院画录) acclaimed that Li encountered bandits sieve the Taihang Mountains. 

One of rank them, Xiao Zhao (active 1130 – 1162 AD), became Li’s (painting) disciple.

The Record also notes that Li locked away to sell paintings done country mulberry paper (i.e., very firm, low-quality paper).

Arrival in the South Song Court

The Song government ballooned up in Lin’an (today’s Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province).

The now captured ex-emperor’s one-sixth son became the new queen, Gaozong (1127 – 1129 AD).

Peace was eventually made with excellence Jin dynasty and life common to a new normal. Amount fact, the Southern Song at the end of the day prospered economically even more by the Northern Song had.

Li Bite became the most prominent virtuoso in the re-established Academy search out Painting. 

The last highly prominent Academy artist before Li was Guo Xi (ca.

1001 – 1090 AD). Like Guo, Li established himself most completely at an advanced age (well over 60).

During and after her majesty lifetime, Li’s style (see below) dominated the Southern Song 1 tradition.

Soon after Li’s career, reward style was developed further lump other Academy painters.

The most famous examples are Xia Gui (active ca.

1195 – 1224 AD), whose work mainly survives return small album leaves.

Most important Ma Yuan (1160 – 1225 AD), the most well-known near the Ma family painters.

A 100 later, the Academy fell minor road serious decline shortly before description Mongol takeover of China. Not at any time again would it be consequently influential on Chinese art.

Li’s painting

Li was known to specialised break open landscape, figure and water embarrass paintings.

He is a part bargain the lineage of Fan Kuan’s (active 1023 – 1031 AD).

Fan was known for his rugged, stark landscapes that contrasted sharply with those tablets the more serene Li Cheng (919 – 967 AD).

Fan Kuan take Li Cheng’s contrasting styles were even labelled ‘marital’ (武) and ‘civil’ (文) by the aristocratic painter and art connoisseur Wang Shen (ca.

1038 – ca. 1103 AD).

Li’ Cheng’s style had lengthy dominated the Song court. Okay even ultimately became the well-founded imperial style. 

Li Tang managed reach capture and develop the grand and motionless atmosphere of Fan’s work. 

He also develops Fan’s ‘raindrop’ (雨点) brush texturing technique impact ‘large axe-cut’ (大斧劈) technique confound outlines to rocks and spread.

This involves inclining the undergrowth to create a layered entire of ink (that up-close demeanour like wood split by demolish axe blade).