
The three perfections () is a term referring to Chinese , , and understood and practiced as related endeavors.
The earliest recorded mention known of "the three perfections" is found in The
New Book of Tang, where the term is used to describe the work of poet-painter , who, as described by calligrapher
Qi Gong
''Qigong'' (), ''qi gong'', ''chi kung'', ''chi 'ung'', or ''chi gung'' () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation
used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in ...
, "excelled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting."
''The Three Perfections: Painting, Poetry and Calligraphy''
Long Island University. Retrieved 7 July, 2022.
Legend holds that the Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
poets Du Fu and Li Bai
Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du F ...
were the first to introduce the combination of painting and poetry into one artwork. Several hundred years later, Su Shi
Su Shi (; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of t ...
, a poet and painter, promoted the use of poetry and painting together. Instruction of artists at the Northern Song
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ...
Imperial Painting Academy included the integration of poetry and painting.
Examples
* ''Anchorage on a Rainy Night'', Shen Zhou
Shen Zhou (, 1427–1509), courtesy names Qi'nan () and Shitian (), was a Chinese painter in the Ming dynasty. He lived during the post-transition period of the Yuan conquest of the Ming. Luckily, his family worked closely with the government a ...
, Chinese, 1427–1509
* ''Illustration to the Second Prose Poem on the Red Cliff'', Qiao Zhongchang, Chinese, late 11th or early 12th century
* ''Landscape after Li Bo
Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du F ...
's poem'', Ike Taiga
was a Japanese painter and calligrapher born in Kyoto during the Edo period. Together with Yosa Buson, he perfected the ''bunjinga'' (or '' nanga'') genre. The majority of his works reflected his passion for classical Chinese culture and painti ...
, Japanese, Edo period, 18th century
Gallery
References
{{Reflist
Further reading
* Battista, Carolyn. (May 12, 1996)
"Show of Three Perfections: Poetry, Painting and Calligraphy."
''The New York Times''.
Metropolitan Museum of Art.
''The Great Art of China's 'Soundless Poems'.''
The Schiller Institute.
Chinese art
Song dynasty art
Chinese painting
Chinese poetry
Chinese calligraphy
Japanese art
Japanese painting
Japanese poetry
Japanese calligraphy