《维摩演教图》卷,传为宋李公麟绘,纸本,墨笔,纵34.6cm,横207.5cm。
无作者款印。画后幅有明沈度书《心经》及跋“永乐丙戍岁,予客燕台真如寺,老僧元觉出示李龙眠演教图真迹,随索予书《心经》附后,自愧玉台难并,固辞再三。老僧索之甚笃,勉强净手谨书一通。是夕上元日也。云间沈度。”丙戌为明永乐四年(1406年)。并有明董其昌、王穉登题跋。钤元柯九思“柯氏敬仲”,清索额图“钦赐忠孝长白山长索额图字九如号愚庵书画珍藏永贻子孙”、“长白索氏珍藏图书印”,清宣统皇帝“宣统御览之宝”、“宣统鉴赏”等鉴藏印,共57方。
此图取材于佛教《维摩诘经》,描绘的是装病在家的维摩诘向奉佛祖释迦牟尼之命前来探病的文殊菩萨宣讲大乘教义的场面。全图意在表现维摩诘所具有的高深机智及其对佛教教义的巧思善辩。画中维摩诘坐于锦榻之上,精神矍铄地谈论教义,对面的文殊菩萨脚踩莲花,双手合十,对维摩诘的说法心悦诚服。画幅中部绘天女故意往大弟子舍利弗身上撒沾衣不坠的花瓣,令躲闪不及的舍利弗连忙振衣抖拂。维摩见此当即指出佛教应该视万物皆空的教义实质。
佛教是公元前6至5世纪由释迦牟尼于印度创立,相传东汉明帝时传入中国。艺术家们为了扩大佛教在中国的影响,在表现佛教人物或故事时逐渐将他们中国化,生活化,以符合中国人的审美观。从东晋顾恺之到隋唐敦煌壁画,维摩诘尚被表现为“须眉奋张,目光如炬”的形象,而此图中他已完全成为汉化的佛教徒的形象。文殊菩萨体态雍容端庄,犹如现实生活中名门望族之人。众天女于恭谨中显露出活泼的神情,毫无宗教的虔诚之态。文人世俗思想融入宗教画创作中无疑增添了作品的亲和力,同时也增强了作品的感染力。全图为扫却粉黛的墨线勾描,遒劲圆转而富于表现力度的游丝描和铁线描相辅相成,在成功地刻画出神态各异的人物形象的同时,洁净轻淡的笔法也与佛教“空即是色,色即是空”的教义相吻合。
此图无款,对作者有三种推测:明人沈度、董其昌、王穉登等人在画卷的跋中皆称作者为宋代李公麟。当代学者金维诺等先生认为作者应是金代的马云卿,主要根据是美国大都会博物馆藏有元代王振鹏《临马云卿画维摩不二图草本》。王振鹏在卷后题跋中称:“至大元年二月初一日拜住怯薛第二日,隆福宫花园山子上,西荷叶殿内,臣王振鹏特奉仁宗皇帝潜邸圣旨,临金马云卿画维摩不二图草本。”王振鹏的临本与此幅的艺术风格、构图章法等极为相仿,只是在局部纹饰上稍有细微变化。但目前亦有专家认为此图既不是李公麟所作,亦非马云卿所为,它应是宋佚名画家的作品。事实上,无论作者是谁,该图代表着早期白描人物画的最高成就当是无可争议的。
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"Vimo Exercise Pictures" volume, handed down to Song Li Gonglin painting, paper, ink, 34.6 cm in length, 207.5 cm in horizontal.
No author's seal. At the back of the painting are Ming Shen Dushu's Heart Sutra and the postscript "Yongle Bing Shi-year-old, who gave visitors Yantai a true Buddhist temple. Old monk Yuanjue showed the authentic picture of Li Longmian's performance and gave the book Heart Sutra with his request. He was ashamed that Yutai was difficult to combine and said many words. The old monk was very sincere and reluctantly clean-handed. It's sunset and yen. Cloud Depth." Bingxu is the fourth year of Yongle Ming Dynasty (1406). And there are Ming Dong Qichang and Wang Haodeng inscriptions and postscripts. Junyuan Kejiusi "Keshi Jingzhong", Qingsuo Etu "Qinzhong Zhongxiao Changbai Mountain Changsuo Etu Character Jiuru Yu'an Calligraphy and Painting Collection Yongyi descendants", "Changbai Soxhlet Collection Book Seal", Qing Xuantong Emperor "Xuantong Royal View Treasure", "Xuantong Appreciation" and other collection seals, a total of 57.
This picture is based on the Buddhist Vimalakirti Sutra. It depicts the scene of Vimalakirti pretending to be sick at home preaching Mahayana doctrine to Manjushri Bodhisattva who came to visit Buddha Sakyamuni. The purpose of the whole picture is to show the profound wit of Vimalakian and his skillful thinking and argumentation of Buddhist doctrine. In the painting, Vimalakia sits on a brocade couch and talks about doctrine in a spiritual way. The opposite Manjusri Bodhisattva steps on lotus flowers and folds his hands together. He is convinced of Vimalakia's statement. In the middle of the painting, the woman deliberately sprinkled the petals of her disciple Shriver, which made Shriver shake his clothes in a hurry. Vima immediately pointed out that Buddhism should see the essence of the doctrine that everything is empty.
Buddhism was founded by Sakyamuni in India in the 6th to 5th centuries B.C. and was introduced into China by the Ming Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In order to expand the influence of Buddhism in China, artists gradually localize and live Buddhist characters or stories in order to conform to Chinese aesthetics. From Gu Kaizhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty to Dunhuang frescoes in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Vimoheurism is still shown as the image of "having an eager eyebrow and eyes like torches". In this picture, he has completely become a Chinese Buddhist image. Manjusri Bodhisattva is graceful and dignified, just like a famous person in real life. All heavenly women show a lively look in respect, without religious piety. The integration of literati secular thoughts into religious paintings undoubtedly increases the affinity of the works, but also enhances the appeal of the works. The whole picture is to sweep away the ink line sketch of Fandai. The vigorous, round and expressive silk sketch and iron line sketch complement each other. While successfully depicting different characters, the clean and light brushwork coincides with the Buddhist doctrine of "empty is color, color is empty".
There are three kinds of conjectures about the author: Shen Du of Ming Dynasty, Dong Qichang of Ming Dynasty and Wang Haoden of Song Dynasty. Mr. Jin Weinuo, a contemporary scholar, believes that the author should be Ma Yunqing of the Jin Dynasty, mainly on the basis that the Metropolitan Museum of America has Wang Zhenpeng's "Two Graphics of Vimo in Linma Yunqing's Paintings" of the Yuan Dynasty. Wang Zhenpeng said in the postscript after the scroll: "On the second day of Feb. 1, the first day of the first year, he worshipped Xue Qie. On the hill of Longfu Palace Garden, inside the Xihe Yedian Hall, his minister, Wang Zhenpeng, drew the imperial decree of Emperor Renzong's buried residence, and Linjin Ma Yunqing painted Vimo two pictures." Wang Zhenpeng's Linben is very similar to the artistic style and composition of this piece, but slightly changed in the local decoration. But at present, some experts also believe that this picture is neither made by Li Gonglin nor by Ma Yunqing. It should be the work of a famous painter in Song Dynasty. In fact, no matter who the author is, it is indisputable that the figure represents the highest achievement of the early sketch figure painting.