The Buddhist Philosophy Embodied in Hongren's "Huangshan Album"

Abstract

As the foremost among the "Four Monks of the Early Qing Dynasty," the founder of the "Xin'an School," and one of the "Three Titans of Huangshan," Hongren played a pivotal role in the history of Chinese landscape painting. Among the few albums passed down from him, the "Huangshan Album" stands as a significant representation of his early sketching of Huangshan landscapes and a testament to the maturation of his artistic style. His paintings, characterized by their simplicity, elegance, and ethereal quality, feature innovative compositions that, while informed by ancient masters, are not confined by tradition. They emphasize the importance of sketching from life and observing the world, thus creating a unique landscape painting style. This paper takes the "Huangshan Album" as a case study to explore the Buddhist philosophy reflected in four aspects: the representation of objects, the layout of chapters, the expression of brush and ink, and the artistic conception of the painting.