"That pleasure which is at once the most pure, the most elevating and the most intense, is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful." ～Edgar Allan Poe / "Understood in its metaphysical sense, Beauty is one of the manifestations of the Absolute Being. Emanating from the harmonious rays of the Divine plan, it crosses the intellectual plane to shine once again across the natural plane, where it darkens into matter." ～Jean Delville
To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry.
～G. Bachelard
I would define the poetic effect as the capacity that a text displays for continuing to generate different readings, without ever being completely consumed.
～Umberto Eco
Innate in nearly every artistic nature is a wanton, treacherous penchant for accepting injustice when it creates beauty and showing sympathy for and paying homage to aristocratic privilege.
～Thomas Mann
Stay, little ounce, here in/ Fleece and leaf with me, in the evermore/ Where swans trembled in the lake around our bed of hay and morning/ Came each morning like a felt cloak billowing/ Across the most pale day. It was the color of a steeple disappearing/ In an old Venetian sky. (...)
Would they take/ You now from me, like Leonardo's sleeve disappearing in/ The air. And when I woke I could not wake/ You, little sphinx, I could not keep you here with me./ Anywhere, I could not bear to let you go. Stay here/ In our clouded bed of wind and timothy with me./ Lie here with me in snow.
~For a Snow Leopard in October, Lucie Brock-Broido
She-shaman princess in a stone boat in winged dragon-boat awning of fig-vine sweet flag paddles magnolia rudder Rides to that Island, to that Bright Island, abode of light Swinging her mesmere lamp, her incense burner on a gold chain She drops her thumb-ring in the Sea And turning, and turning, stretches her body burning toward me (though she told me, told me she was not free) And flying dragons sweep her far away from me I gallop my horse in the morning through the lowlands by the river
Sweet nostalgia: this beautiful photo brings back such precious memories... It was my first experience of seeing Cloud Gate Dance Theatre live on-stage (back when I was thirteen years of age), and Nine Songs was to become Lin Hwai-Min's work which left the deepest impression on me.
And the poetic, onirique experience of re-/discovering a dried scarlet rose (or a delicate, exquisite veined leaf) amidst the yellowed pages of a beloved old book... Chen Jialing's lotus flower.
Ｌotus, by Chen Jialing, *image courtesy of Sotheby's, Hong Kong.
Ring, 5th-4th century B.C.E., Eastern Zhou dynasty.
Glass, H: 4.0cm, China.
Freer & Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art (via)
A set of six graduated bells (yong zhong),
ca. 6th century B.C.E., Eastern Zhou dynasty
Bronze, H: 28.7cm, W: 13.0cm, D: 10.3cm, China
Freer & Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art (via)
Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest. In raiding and plundering be like fire, in immovability like a mountain. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
Freer & Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art (via)
Pendant (long pei) in the form of a dragon,
5th century B.C.E., Eastern Zhou dynasty
Jade, H: 3.6 W: 5.4 D: 0.5 cm, China
Freer & Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art (via)
One of the most intoxicating qualities of Vadim Repin's interpretation is his freedom and effortlessness, together with the utmost passion (yet always in a wonderfully relaxed, zen manner), as if he was forever deeply in love with the music...
"Music is Russian violinist Vadim Repin’s mother tongue. He is a virtuoso of many voices, and his astonishing ability to draw a rich palette of sound from his instrument, together with his dazzling technique, has enthralled audiences around the globe. Fiery passion with impeccable technique, poetry and sensitivity are Repin’s trademarks."(via)
Vadim Repin plays Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor, conducted by Valery Gergiev, Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Prom 48, live at the Royal Albert Hall, 2006.)
longed for as the sunwarmed earth is longed for by a swimmer
spent in rough water where his ship went down
under Poseidon's blows, gale winds and tons of sea.
Few men can keep alive through a big surf
to crawl, clotted with brine, on kindly beaches
in joy, in joy, knowing the abyss behind:
and so she too rejoiced, her gaze upon her husband,
her white arms round him pressed as though forever."
~ from, The Odyssey
Homer
translated by Robert Fitzgerald
My friend Leanne's lovely post on 楊貴妃 Yang Guifei has inspired me to re-read Tang poet Bai Juyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow (長恨歌), a poetic narrative of the mournful love story of Tang Emperor Hsuan Tzung 唐玄宗 (Xuanzong) and his beloved imperial consort Yang Yu-Huan 楊玉環 (Yang Guifei), and the emperor's perpetual grief and regret at the eventual loss of his love. Yang Guifei is known as 羞花 (xiu hua - literally meaning "shames flowers"), and considered first of the Four Great Beauties of China. 「西施沉魚, 昭君落雁, 貂嬋閉月, 貴妃羞花。」(Xi Shi sinks fish, Wang Zhaojun drops birds, Diaochan closes the moon, Yang Guifei shames flowers.)
In response to Leanne's beautiful post that I enjoyed reading so much, I wrote a rather long comment (see below, after the poem), which rarely happens even in my own blog! I included it here as I write so little these days - where has the writer in me gone...? (A writer friend used to say to me, "Did you choose to write? Or did writing choose you?") At the moment I suppose I am more of a "micro-blog" and visual/sensory type when it comes to recording my daily inspiration... Nevertheless, thank you, all the peonies of Chang'an...
The story of Xuanzong and Guifei, as well as Bai Juyi's Song of Unending Sorrow, are said to have inspired the Japanese Heian literary gem - The Tale of Genji (源氏物語 Genji Monogatari).
* * *
(Here is my comment in response to Leanne's post on 楊貴妃...)
The preservation of Tang dances in Japanese court also interests me very much. In fact Dr. Liu Feng-Xue (founder and artistic director of Neo-Classic Dance Company 新古典舞團, and the first Chinese dance historian/ scholar/ artist/ choreographer to receive a PhD) devotes a large part of her career reconstructing ancient Chinese court music and dance, including getting special permission to study in the royal court of Japan and learning Labannotation from scratch to record the pieces etc. Neo-Classic is premiering Dr. Liu's new work in October, another reconstruction of ancient dance/music - I must be back in Taipei to attend!
I love Dr. Liu's works and have a special affection for Neo-Classic as that was where I learned ballet since 5! I mentioned these in a blog post 唐詩樂舞 Beauty of Tang: Music, Dance and Poetry. (A reader later introduced me to an amazing artist Elyse Ashe Lord. Perhaps you know her work already? If not I highly recommend checking out her paintings...!)
Another gem I adore, Han Tang Yuefu 漢唐樂府, might also interest you - I have almost all their DVDs and CDs. Such beauty... Sigh. I can listen to the music and watch the dances all day long.
I really enjoyed reading the English translations of the Chinese poetry, and must re-read these poems one of these days... I am a lover of Li Bai - when I was a kid it was a drag having to memorise and recite all these classics, but now I realise they do stay with me in my heart (not just poetry, philosophy as well), even though one can no longer recite them! It's fascinating to know that the story of 玄宗 and 楊貴妃 might have influenced 源氏物語, as people tend to associate Tale of Genji to Dream of the Red Mansion, I suppose. I remember when I went to a special exhibition at Kyoto National Museum, I stood in front of a large screen depicting The Tale of Genji, forever. I think I was trying to absorb as much of that quiet yet glorious beauty as I possibly could. A while ago there was a small (yet well-curated) exhibition of noh masks, costumes, manuscripts etc. in Tokyo - it was magical, with quiet gagaku playing in the background at that wonderful little gallery... I miss it.
And the Oedipus Complex (or the reverse) you hinted at the end of this article... How universal and yet how different it is between the East and the West. The stories you mentioned here, and the poems, give me a sense of 無奈, 悵然若失 (I can never seem to find the right words for these in English). These are similar emotions I felt after watching one of my favourite films "In the Mood for Love." A kind of tranquil/peaceful sadness, but perhaps even more heartrending...
I also posted Tamasaburo's Yokihi in my blog post Adieu ma concubine! We do share such similar interests. :) I will search for his Peony Pavilion on YouTube. Do you know Tamasaburo performed Peony Pavilion at the last Hong Kong Arts Festival? Shame I missed it...!! My love for kunqu is even deeper than Peking opera, and Peony Pavilion and Peach Blossom Fan are my favourite.
On a slightly different note, I went to see 北京當代芭蕾舞團 Beijing Dance Theatre's Golden Lotus (adapted from 金瓶梅) at the Hong Kong Arts Festival this year. The choreographer Wang Yuanyuan (王媛媛) also did the full-length ballet drama Raise the Red Lantern, with Zhang Yimou's direction & stage design. Ballet being one of my "core passions," her Raise the Red Lantern is the single best ballet I have ever seen, perhaps as it is very close to my heart (a combination of ballet and Chinese opera - what a dream for me!). Wang Yuanyuan is seriously talented.
Just would like to say again how much I love this post!
Ting-Jen xx
* * *
I will leave you here with a few lines of beautiful poetry exchanged between Genji and Fujitsubo, also from Leanne's post...
"Through the waving, dancing sleeves could you see a heart So stormy that it wished but to be still?"
"Of waving Chinese sleeves I cannot speak. Each step, each motion, touched me to the heart."
I am overwhelmed with indescribable emotions again, after watching this short video clip of the film that "rocked my world" a long time ago... "霸王別姬" (Farewell My Concubine).
I think I fell in love with Leslie Cheung after watching "Farewell My Concubine," another one of my favourite cinematic treasures and probably the first film I felt so strongly about. My love affair with Chinese opera (both Beijing Opera and Kunqu) also started around that time. Since then I constantly dream of Chinese opera, like a stylised and quiet painting depicting exquisite landscapes decorated with tiny delicate jewels, presenting a mixture of its music, singing, movements, costumes, make-up, lyrics, a kaleidoscope of colours and beautiful narratives.
I still remember going to the cinema with my dad when "Farewell My Concubine" was first released - I was 13. I felt as if I was never going to be the same afterwards, and that I was so filled with something inexplicable that I could not allow anything else to enter my psyche for a while. Perhaps one of the definitions of a truly great film is that it gives the viewer a life-transforming, and sometimes out-of-body, experience.
Below is this beautiful video with Leslie Cheung singing the movie theme song, accompanied by some of the most gorgeous, intoxicating, as well as heartbreaking scenes from the film. I really must re-watch this gem one of these days.
張國榮, 著實地傾國傾城...
Ah, looking at Leslie now just makes me want to cry...
I recently came across the work of photographer and artist Nadav Kander, and was instantly drawn to his Yangtze River series of photographs. There is an intense, yet ethereal, layer of loneliness and quiet poetry in the vast space depicted in these images. Loneliness particularly in the emptiness, colour scheme, and feeling of displaced human condition/ disconnectedness with nature for the people living along the river. Quietness albeit the industrial development which is clearly in progress along the Long River of China, shown in these photographs. Curiously and alluringly, instead of the peacefulness and tranquillity that is often associated emotionally with vast, empty spaces (here Kander echoes beautifully with the Chinese aesthetic concept of 留白 liu bai—literally “leaving blank”), one senses unrest and unease, which perhaps fuels certain undercurrent revolution. As Peter Nitsch puts it, “River is the metaphor for constant change.”
Nanjing IV, Jiangsu Province
Mouth I (Wusongkou, where river meets sea), near Shanghai
Three Gorges Dam II, Yichang, Hubei Province
Changxing Island I (Island of Oranges), Shanghai
Mouth IV, near Shanghai
Three Gorges Dam V, Yichang, Hubei Province
Wu Gorge, Hubei Province
Xiling Gorge I, Hubei Province
Xiling Gorge IV, Hubei Province
New Fengdu (looking at Old Fengdu), Chongqing Municipality
Chongqing XI, Chongqing Municipality
Qinghai Province II
Qinghai Province III
(all images from Nadav Kander's official website)
*Read more about Nadav Kander's Long River Serieshere and here.
These photographs somehow remind me of the beauty of loneliness, and a paradoxical sense of agitation which unfurl in Ravel's Tzigane, performed here by one of my favourite violinists Henryk Szeryng.
Although having always been attracted to ancient Chinese culture and artefacts, I only fell in love with Chinese bronzeware "properly" during the studies of Chinese art and archaeology in my first year of university. Amongst various beautiful objects, the mystical and highly aesthetic bronze mirrors are my favourite.
Bronzes (simplified Chinese: 青铜器; traditional Chinese: 青銅器; pinyin: qīng tóng qì; Wade-Giles: ch'ing t'ong ch'i) are some of the most important pieces of Chinese art, warranting an entire separate catalogue in the Imperial art collections. The Chinese Bronze Age began in the Xia Dynasty, and bronze ritual containers form the bulk of the collection of Chinese antiques, reaching its zenith during the Zhou Dynasty. The appreciation, creation and collection of Chinese bronzes as pieces of art and not as ritual items began in the Song Dynasty and reached its zenith in the Qing Dynasty in the reign of the Qianlong emperor, whose massive collection is recorded in the catalogues known as the Xiqing gujian (西清古鑑) and the Xiqing jijian (西清繼鑑). Within those two catalogues, the bronzeware is categorised according to use: Sacrificial vessels (祭器), Wine vessels (酒器), Food vessels (食器), Water vessels (水器), Musical instruments (樂器), Weapons (兵器), Measuring containers (量器), Ancient money (錢幣), and Miscellaneous (雜器).
The most highly prized are generally the sacrificial and wine vessels, which form the majority of most collections. Often these vessels are elaborately decorated with Taotie (饕餮) patterns.
Tang Dynasty bronze mirror, National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.
周 羽狀紋鏡 徑11.1X厚0.3
器形：鏡/ 功能：生活用具/ 技法：塊範法/ 紋飾：四葉捲草紋，瑞獸
臺灣國立歷史博物館
Zhou Dynasty bronze mirror, National History Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.
In China, the greatest part of discovered and preserved bronze items were not forged to ploughs or swords but cast to sacrificial vessels. Even a great part of weapons had a sacrificial meaning like daggers and axes that symbolised the heavenly power of the ruler. The strong religious sense of bronze objects brought up a great number of vessel types and shapes which became so typical that they should be copied as archaic style receptacles with other materials like wood, jade, ivory or even gold until the 20th century.
The ritual books of old China minutely describe who was allowed to use what kinds of sacrificial vessels and how much. The king of Zhou was favoured to use 9 dings and 8 gui vessels, a duke was allowed to use 7 dings and 6 guis, a baron could use 5 dings and 3 guis, a nobleman was allowed to use 3 dings and 2 guis.
Western-Han Dynasty bronze mirror, National History Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.
唐 玉匣鏡 直徑16.0公分
圓鏡，圓鈕、四葉紋鈕座。內區飾四獸紋與規矩紋，外區銘文帶二十字。
臺灣國立故宮博物院
Tang Dynasty bronze mirror, National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.
宋 謝少塘造青鏡 直徑11.3公分
圓鏡，橋鈕、圓鈕座。鏡背飾乳丁紋與雲紋。有銘二處各四字。
臺灣國立故宮博物院
Song Dynasty bronze mirror, National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.
Bronze mirrors were produced in China from neolithic times until the Qing Dynasty, when western glass mirrors were brought to China. Bronze mirrors were usually circular, with one side polished bright, to give a reflection, and the reverse side with designs. They often had a knob in the center so that they could be attached to clothing. Some of the earliest examples of Chinese bronze mirrors belonged to the Neolithic Qijia culture from around 2000 BCE. However, until Warring States times, bronze mirrors were not common with approximately only twenty having been discovered. During the Warring States period, mirrors became particularly popular. It was during the Han Dynasty, and the introduction of the TLV mirror, that mirrors started to be mass-produced. Both Han and Tang mirrors are considered to be the most technically advanced. Bronze mirrors continued to remain popular up through the Song Dynasty, but then gradually lost their popularity and ceased to be produced after the arrival of Western mirrors during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Giuseppe Castiglione（1688年7月19日－1766年7月16日），中國名郎世寧。意大利米蘭人。天主教耶穌會傳教士、中國宮廷畫家，以西洋寫實畫風紀錄了清朝初期的中國宮廷人物與景色。十九歲入天主教耶穌會為修士，習畫兼習建築。二十七歲來華傳教，後以繪事供奉朝廷，歷仕康熙、雍正、乾隆三朝。兼善人物、花卉、鳥獸；動物中，以馬畫最多，亦最傳神。
Giuseppe Castiglione was born on July 19, 1688, in the central San Marcellino district of Milan, Italy, the site of a renowned Botteghe degli Stampator painting studio. As a youth, Castiglione learned to paint from Carlo Cornara at the studio, and he also came under the influence of the famous painter Andrea Pozzo, a member of the Society of Jesus at Trento. In 1707, at the age of 19, Castiglione formally entered the Society and traveled to the prosperous city of Genoa for further training. By this time, he had already achieved some repute as a painter and was invited to do wall paintings at Jesuit churches. At the age of 27, he received instructions to go to China, and, on the journey, did wall paintings in Jesuit churches in Coimbra (Portugal) and Macao. Castiglione's style was based on the emphasis on color, perspective, and light found in Italian Renaissance art. In China, where Castiglione went by the Chinese name Lang Shih-ning, he came to the attention of the Ch'ien-lung emperor (r. 1736-1795) and served as an artist for the court. Castiglione eventually became a respected painter and earned the appreciation of the Ch'ien-lung emperor, which was a considerable honor for a foreign artist at the time.
清 郎世寧 仙萼長春圖冊 聚瑞圖
Following the taste and tradition of painting in China, Castiglione was able to forge a new style that combined elements with his Western training in art. His paintings were done with Chinese materials but often incorporate Western techniques of shading and atmospheric perspective. (...) Using perspective to suggest depth and shading for the effect of light, Castiglione has used Chinese materials and Western techniques to impart a sense of realism to this native theme. In addition to the shadows, Castiglione has adapted the traditional texture stroke methods of Chinese painting to give the objects even more substance. The emphasis on washes of color, however, still reveals the focus on native techniques. This painting [One Hundred Horses - see link], done in 1728, represents an early masterpiece in Castiglione's syncretic style of East and West.
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