Introduction
The “Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden,” one of the most famous legends in Chinese cultural history, is said to have been a grand get-together held in the Northern Song capital of Bianjing (modern Kaifeng) that was attended by such literary and artistic luminaries as Su Shi (1037-1101), Huang Tingjian (1045-1105), Li Gonglin (1049-1106), Mi Fu (1052-1108), and Wang Shen (ca. 1048-1104). Though modern scholars have concluded that the meeting likely never took place, for many centuries, this romanticized event involving famous literati was passed down and became the prototype for scholarly gatherings through the ages.
This special exhibition revolving around the gathering begins with calligraphy and a series of images in the first section entitled “Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden.” The original illustration of the meeting was reportedly done by Li Gonglin, the activities depicted therein including Su Shi practicing calligraphy, Li Gonglin himself doing a painting of “Returning Home,” Chen Jingyuan (1035-1094) playing the lute, Mi Fu inscribing a large stone, and the Buddhist Master Yuantong (1016-1082) discussing the “doctrine of non-birth.” This section of the exhibit also features calligraphy by these cultural elites and such influential contemporary officials as Sima Guang (1019-1086) and Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072). Together with related works of painting and calligraphy as well as an ink rubbing of “Stele of the Yuanyou Faction,” they round out the cultural and period background in which these cultural elites lived.
The second part of the exhibit is titled “Free and Easy to the Heart’s Content,” which highlights the achievements in painting and calligraphy of these figures said to have attended the gathering. The calligraphy includes such famous examples as Su Shi’s “Former Ode on the Red Cliff,” Huang Tingjian’s “Poem on the Hall of Pines and Wind,” and Mi Fu’s “On Sichuan Silk,” which represent the late Northern Song trend towards diverse and personal styles of writing from the heart. The paintings in this section features the loan work “Five Horses,” a rare original by Li Gonglin, along with a faithful copy of his “Mountain Villa,” and Mi Fu’s “Cloudy Mountains” to offer audiences a glimpse of the different views and practices in literati art at the time. And finally, the last section of this special exhibition, titled “The Paragon for Generations to Come,” includes specially selected copies by later artists of works by Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Li Gonglin to illustrate their lasting influence in the history of Chinese painting and calligraphy.
Regardless of whether this elegant gathering of almost a thousand years ago occurred or not, today another precious gathering of treasured works of painting and calligraphy by and related to these literati is taking place in the Taipei suburb of Waishuangxi at the National Palace Museum, helping to make this legendary dream come true on the beautiful island of Taiwan. As we celebrate this year the centennial of the Museum’s founding, we hope and endeavor that the National Palace Museum can become another garden of culture to nurture future generations in the arts.