Abstract:
WANG Ji is the poet with the largest number of surviving Chinese paintings with inscription of poems from the Mid-Jin Dynasty. According to the subjects of his poems, they can be roughly divided into three categories: paintings of landscape, of flowers and birds, and of human figures, with the first type as the majority. Painters in Jin Dynasty often followed the style of their famous counterparts in Northern Song Dynasty and continued the tradition of conveying artistic conception in paintings by literati. So did WANG. His inscription of poems on landscape paintings embodies aesthetic inclination for a vivid and expressive representation, and emphasized the re-creation of the artistic realm. His inscription of poems on the paintings generally involves incorporating his own observations, taking cues from paintings to unleash creativity and reflections on life. Hence, the characteristics of conveying artistic conception are demonstrated. His language style is diverse, with the seven-zi ancient Chinese poems to which the technique of
fu poetry is often adopted. As a result, the style of the language is elegant and unrestrained language. His seven-zi
quatrain often employs plain description to depict scenery, with simple and understated poetic language. In his inscription of poems on landscape paintings, WANG often reflects on himself through the act of observing paintings, drawing inspiration from the scenery depicted and expressing his feelings by mountains, forests, hills, and valleys. The feelings indicate his desire for a reclusive life.