Landscape and meditation in China from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth century

Video conference by Cédric Laurent, lecturer in Chinese language, literature and civilization, Rennes 2 University.

In the XNUMXth century, meditation was a common practice among scholars. It is especially encouraged by the thinkers of the school of the heart (xinxue) which proceeds to the synthesis of neo-Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist thoughts.
This practice gave rise to poetic and pictorial production among leading intellectuals such as Shen Zhou (1427-1509), Tang Yin (1470-1524) or Wen Zhengming (1470-1559). In their paintings, very different from contemporary engravings which describe the postures of meditation, the landscape takes on a metaphorical value; it evokes the inner state of the meditator. The proximity between the texts associated with these images and the poems of the theorists of Confucian meditation (Chen Xianzhang, 1428-1500; Gao Panlong, 1562-1626) brings a new look at secular practices in China and gives a new meaning to landscapes. painted.