Southern School Literari Paintings

Why Southern School?
Often I hear questions from my around about Chinese paintings. Most of the times, the inquury is regarding whether the paintings they keep is worth to keep. They want to know the value of their artwork collections.

Surprisingly, in most times, people who have question also have accurate answers. Their hunches are respectable in assessing the market value of paintings and thus is particularly true when the painting in question is with elaborated schetches and colorings. But many people wonder the value of Southern painting. In fact it is so hard to appreciate such artwork for untrained minds that I even have some personal experiences: my brother in law told me 'that is less than nothing' when I showed him one of the most expensive Southern Style painting. I do not blame him because I know that is the common reaction from most of people.

Literari of Scholars

By the way, what is the Southern Style painting? Before giving you any simple definition, let me share an image.

What you are looking at is a piece of Southern Style painting. It is simple black and white. Not many lines or objects. Angles are not sophisticated. Nor complicated descriptions of persons or things. But some mountain and small houses secluded from the 'dusty world.' This is a typical southern style presentation. By the way this is another master piece of famous Korean painter Gyum Jae . Master Jung, a well known professional painter of 15C Chosun periods, is also from a high rank noble family. In facts, his uncle was the Teogye Lee Whang, one of the best known Korean confusionism scholar. Literari as they called, means that the painiting was the mirror images of the abstract ideal in the learned minds of scholars. Why mirror images? because that is the indirect expression of their philosophy and academics. House in the seclusion was the reflection of self ego, that was to stay away from the dirty palace politics; simple and bold brushing was to present honesty and moral stability from treachery and conspiracy of partisan struggles. Note that most of the scholars were also nobles and were encouraged to serve the emperor and poeple by taking the public office at that time. However, in reality it was very hard, almost impossible to keep oneself for clean ethics and moral amid of silly dictatorship and crony partisanism coupled with bribery and corruptions.

They draw the mountain as they wish to leave the palace politics. (sometime mountain also means the big struggle in the palace one must overcome) Almost always you can find a small cottage or person (figure) walking through the mountain ally or bridge; that is the true avatar of the painter himself. He expressed the surrounding circumstances in the scene of mountscape. The higher the mountain goes up, the harder the challenge was up against (Chinese way) or higher his own ambition was (Japanese way).

South v. North
They say distinctions between Nothern and Southern Styles can be traced back to old Tang Dynasty where you could find Ma-Ha school. (named after Ma won and Ha Kyu). During the Song Dynasty both schools have made notable progress toward their own ways. Nothern Style, basically it is very splendid luxury painting, more elaborated in sketches and colours, favored by the kings, nobles, and emperors as it was mean to reflect their powers.

This is one of the nothern style painting. Nothern style is either with elaborated lines or strong green colors.

Sothern style
To the contrary, Southern painting focused the pride and intelligence (cultivated mind); Southern style abhored the splendid color tending to despise it as poudered prostitute. Southern ideal rested on the good scholar official who owe duty to educate and enlighten the public, fighting against corruption and abuse of power. They thought best painting must be best simple in color; claimed that water and ink is the only twin pilars necessary to construe perfect art. BW painting bear specific meaning as they understood water (empty space) was spirit; whereas the ink part was the flesh. It was their ideal to make cross point of incarnation where the meta physics of spirit meets physics through the painting. Souther painters were all scholars and nobles who wished to present thier own cultivation and education through the paintings.


Sothern Representative
In China Southern painting is well known by Dong Ki Chang whose painting is presented below.

The painting present so peaceful riverside. There is no mountains around, meaning that Dong did not have any problem with the politics or self actualization when he was drawing this painting. If there was a mountain, he would have to go up beyond. He must have drawn this at his late age because the painting says there is no moutain to climb up any more. (since he already addressed all major issues of life) But at the same time, the riverside is windy, and you can see the willow branches are being blown, and shaking. That may gives some clues of minor issues around his life. Please note how he did save ink and minimize the touches with lots of empty space. It is the heart of Southern style highly cultivated mind. The below is also a Southern style painting, made by Dong's Korean disciple Kimg Jung Hui. (Chu Sa), titled in Warm house in Cold winter.

See this painting does not seem to say much. However if I remind you that this was drawn when Kim was suffered from a mandatory exile by royal order, perhaps you could come up with better idea. The cold riverside, windy in winter represents Kim himself. He was that much lonely when he was kicked out of the palace. People turned around and kept themselves from him. But one of his former students despite the political risk paid visitation to him. The old teacher was so much moved and immediately draw this painting; and attendant calligraphy says ..'I did not aware that the pine oaks were green color until it becomes winter...' Yes, he expressed his sentiment of thanksfulness for the forever companionship of visitor by comparing him with the forever greens of pine oaks. Kim was interesting person in many ways;  in fact he was the champion of Korean Southern worshippers. His view is well reflected in the following quote..

'..need to be more than just a painting.. what we are talking here is..aroma of the letters; coupled with aura of literature..' Now do you understand why they call it as literari painting?  By the way, the ink painting aboves goes more than $1200,000,000 in value.