During the Song dynasty (960-1278), some of China's elite found an elegant and subtle means of dissent: landscape painting. By examining literary archetypes, painting titles, contemporary inscriptions and the historical context, Murck shows that certain paintings expressed strong political opinions - some transparent, others deliberately concealed.

Throughout the history of imperial China, the educated elite used various means to criticize government policies and actions. During the Song dynasty (960-1278), some members of this elite found an elegant and subtle means of dissent: landscape painting. By examining literary archetypes, the titles of paintings, contemporary inscriptions, and the historical context, Alfreda Murck shows that certain paintings expressed strong political opinions--some transparent, others deliberately concealed. She argues that the coding of messages in seemingly innocuous paintings was an important factor in the growing respect for painting among the educated elite and that the capacity of painting’s systems of reference to allow scholars to express dissent with impunity contributed to the art’s vitality and longevity.

This exhibition explores the poetry-painting relationship in Chinese art, the Ways in which the relationship manifested in visual art and the common themes that have inspired painters and poets throughout Chinese history, from the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234) through the 20th century. The 36 artworks features paintings, calligraphy, woodblock printed rare books and objects with inscribed poems. Western examples are also presented to enable comparison to be drawn. Bringing anothor important point of view to the study of Chinese painting and demonstrating that the linking of poetry and painting transcends the cultural borders between East and West and between China and Japan, this volume shows how that union, an ancient tradition, remains viable among artists today.

"This is the most comprehensive and insightful study on this topic in any language and the first written in English. In addition to its scholarly value, Professor Pan's book opens a window to a picturesque poetic world for Western readers who are interested in Chinese poetry and painting." - Zu-yan Chen, Professor of Chinese Literature, Binghamton University "In this book, Professor Pan provides a rare treat for the English-language reader with valuable information regarding this hitherto under-represented subject. He lucidly traces the development of this border-crossing genre from its prototype works to its maturity in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the subsequent expansion in late imperial China. He illustrates the tihuashi poetics of the master bard Du Fu (712-770) and that of the virtuoso poet-artist-philosopher Su Shi (1037-1101). Most remarkable of his contribution is the generous number of faithfully translated poems, all with great clarity and elegance. This book will help the reader better understand the relationship between Chinese painting, calligraphy and poetry, the interartistic, intertextual, and interdisciplinary characteristics of tihuashi, the cultural milieu of its creation, and its intellectual significance to the Chinese literati community." - Madeline Chu, Professor of Chinese Language & Literature, Kalamazoo College "A special value I find in this book lies in its bilingual texts of Chinese tihuashi poems, which will not only benefit scholars and students of classical Chinese poetry but also exemplify Professor Pan's insights on classical Chinese poetic language and the art of translating this language into contemporary English." - John S. Rohsenow, Professor Emeritus, The University of Illinois at Chicago

In May of 1985, an international symposium was held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in honor of John M. Crawford, Jr., whose gifts of Chinese calligraphy and painting have constituted a significant addition to the Museum's holdings. Over a three-day period, senior scholars from China, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, and the United States expressed a wide range of perspectives on an issue central to the history of Chinese visual aesthetics: the relationships between poetry, calligraphy, and painting. The practice of integrating the three art forms-known as san-chiieh, or the three perfections-in one work of art emerged during the Sung and Yuan dynasties largely in the context of literati culture, and it has stimulated lively critical discussion ever since. This publication contains twenty-three essays based on the papers presented at the Crawford symposium. Grouped by subject matter in a roughly chronological order, these essays reflect research on topics spanning two millennia of Chinese history. The result is an interdisciplinary exploration of the complex set of relationships between words and images by art historians, literary historians, and scholars of calligraphy. Their findings provide us with a new level of understanding of this rich and complicated subject and suggest further directions for the study of Chinese art history. The essays are accompanied by 255 illustrations, some of which reproduce works rarely published. Chinese characters have been provided throughout the text for artists names, terms, titles of works of art and literature, and important historical figures, as well as for excerpts of selected poetry and prose. A chronology, also containing Chinese characters, and an extensive index contribute to making this book illuminating and invaluable to both the specialist and the layman.

Winner of the 2020 Joseph Levenson Pre-1900 Book Prize. In Song Dynasty Figures of Longing and Desire, Lara Blanchard examines the writing of interiority in paintings of women, considering correspondences to examples of erotic poetry and how such works address the concerns of artists, patrons, and viewers.

An analysis of Chinese art attempts to explain why their artists wrote inscriptions and poems on their paintings and what the relationship was between the three arts.