On "Virtual Silence"

Since ancient times, China art has a history of millions of years. At first glance, there seems to be no source in this long river of artistic development. At first glance, it seems endless. If we explore China's artistic thought, then the proposition and development of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi's "theory of emptiness and quietness" is undoubtedly the most important one. It holds that "virtual quietness" is the essence of nature, life and art, so "virtual quietness" has become a necessary attitude in China's traditional artistic creation. It is countless artists in China who, through this caring attitude, make art return to the essential state of life and nature when creating, thus arousing endless beauty and flashing waves in the long river of art.

First, the emergence of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi's theory of "emptiness and quietness"

As early as the pre-Qin period, Laozi proposed that the main idea of Taoist cultivation was "to be empty, to be quiet and to be sincere". He thinks that everything in the world is empty and quiet, and the life of everything is from "nothing" to "existence" and from "existence" to "nothing", and finally it will always return to the root, which is the most empty and quiet, thus thinking that "empty and quiet is the essence of life". Therefore, if people want to pursue the essence of everything, they must achieve "ignorance, no desire, no action and nothing" He believes that only by getting rid of all distractions, leaving your mind empty and keeping your heart calm and clear can you observe the world with clearer eyes.

Since then, Zhuangzi has further developed Laozi's exposition of "emptiness and quietness" on the basis of absorbing Laozi's thought of "emptiness and quietness". He pointed out that to achieve the state of "keeping still but not moving", we must "stay in the heart" and "sit and forget". Zhuangzi thought that "only the Tao gathers emptiness, and the empty people also stay in the heart." In Zhuangzi's view, if people want to achieve the realm of "emptiness and quietness", they must forget everything in the world, forget their own existence, stay away from secular interests, be free from the interference of selfish desires and distractions, and feel the "Tao" in the world with a mentality of no desire and no desire, so as to achieve the realm of "materialization" of things and me, and then they can truly experience nature, know nature and create works of art that are truly connected with nature.

This has found the theoretical origin for later artists to cut into the field of artistic experience, and also has important guiding significance for later artistic creation.

Second, the introduction of the theory of "virtual quietness" in the art field.

Laozi and Zhuangzi's thought of emptiness and quietness was originally a philosophical thought of life attitude, but it was not applied to the art field. In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the theory of emptiness and quietness was introduced into the aesthetic field of vision, and then penetrated into the practice of artistic creation. At this time, emptiness not only becomes a necessary psychological state before creation, but also permeates all aspects of artistic creation.

Lu Ji, a literary critic in the Western Jin Dynasty, first introduced the theory of "emptiness and quietness" into the art field. He mentioned Wen Fu's "staying in the central area to explore the mystery" and stressed that a good work should make extensive and in-depth observation of external things, and in this process, people should not be disturbed by external things, thinking clearly and being single-minded. He emphasized that the subject must have an "empty and quiet" state of mind before writing, free from external things and distractions. Therefore, he believes that "emptiness and quietness" is the essential mentality of the author's creation. But at this time, Lu Ji did not explicitly use the concept of "virtual quietness", and his "virtual quietness theory" still stayed in the stage of ideological narration and did not form a complete theoretical system.

Until Liu Xie wrote in Wen Xin Diao Shen Long Si: "It is based on the spirit of Tao Jun's literary thought, taking quietness as the most important thing, dispersing five treasures and bathing in snow." This is the introduction of the concept of "virtual quietness" into the category of literary theory, and the in-depth theoretical discussion of "virtual quietness" has raised this statement to a theoretical height. He believes that "emptiness and quietness" is the best creative realm achieved by the creator in the creative process, which can make the creative subject empty and quiet, eliminate inner distractions and desires, and all external interference, free the subject from the secular world, enter the realm of aesthetic vision, and then create works of art in harmony with nature.

With the rise and development of metaphysics, Laozi and Zhuangzi's "theory of emptiness and quietness" has also been further developed. Zong Bing, a landscape painter in the Southern Dynasties, said in "Preface to Painting Landscape": "A saint reflects things with Tao, and a saint is sincere and tasteful." "Purifying the heart" is a requirement for the aesthetic mind of the experiencer. Influenced by Zhuangzi's theory of "Xin Zhai", it requires the subject to clarify his mind and get rid of vulgar thoughts. The "taste" of "taste image" refers to body odor, taste and ponder, and refers to experience; "Image" refers to objects and aesthetic objects. The so-called "true taste" means that the aesthetic subject tastes, experiences and feels the deep interest and life spirit inside the aesthetic object with clear and pure feelings. The aesthetic proposition of "taste and taste" directly introduces the theory of "emptiness and quietness" into the aesthetic field of artistic creation, and connects the aesthetic mind that the creative subject must have with the beauty of nature as an object, making the system of "emptiness and quietness" theory more clear.

With the perfection of the theory of "virtual quietness" in the field of art, painting, calligraphy, literature, music and other artistic creations all regard "virtual quietness" as the most basic condition for the self-cultivation of the creative subject. Sue: "When I was able to draw bamboo, I saw that bamboo didn't see people, so I didn't see people alone and suddenly left my body." The body and bamboo are integrated, fresh and infinite. "This means that the painter has kept his" quiet heart "and entered the realm of selflessness. Wu Kuan, an Amin scholar, said in his book Calligraphy and Painting that Wang Wei was able to achieve "painting in poetry and poetry in painting" precisely because he was "free and easy in his chest, accessible in the middle, such as curling, deep-water mirror and fine texture in the hole, so he was unscathed from the microscopic point of view, so he put pen to paper, which means painting poetry is different", which requires the creative subject to have one before creation. Zheng Banqiao divided bamboo painting into different creative stages, such as bamboo in the eye, bamboo in the chest and bamboo in the hand, and asked the subject to get rid of practical and utilitarian distractions and desires, so as to truly form a pure aesthetic relationship with natural objects, and at the same time reflect the position and role of "emptiness and quietness" psychology in the process of artistic creation. Li Rihua in the Ming Dynasty said in Zitaoxuan Miscellaneous Notes: "It is knowing that there is nothing in the chest, and then the clouds are beautiful, and nature is in harmony with heaven and earth, and the painting is wonderful. If you are thinking about the world and the snow has not been exhausted, you will only compete with the soil that collects dirt in the end. "When the subject is engaged in artistic creation, he must enter a state of emptiness. At this time, all kinds of vivid images in reality, such as "beautiful clouds" and "breath of heaven and earth", will automatically flood into his heart. Only in this way can he create a "fantastic" fairyland. In a word, only when the subject reaches the realm of "emptiness and quietness" can he deeply understand the inner spiritual beauty of everything and the theory of painting.

Thirdly, the realization of the theory of "virtual quietness" in the process of artistic creation.

"Virtual quietness" is an attitude that people engaged in artistic creation need. The creative subject absorbed the spirit of "emptiness and quietness" of Laozi and Zhuangzi into art, making the theory of "emptiness and quietness" a core part of the ideological system of artistic creation and permeating all aspects of artistic creation. To realize the theory of "emptiness and quietness" in the process of artistic creation, we must first create a creative subject who can maintain the freedom of mind and spirit and observe everything with a calm heart. Zhuangzi said in the article "Heaven": "The quietness of saints is not only good, but also good, so it is also quiet. Nothing is enough to forgive, so it is quiet. When the water is still, the candle is bright and the eyebrows are clear, the level is accurate, and the master takes the method. The water is still bright, but what is the spirit? Heart of a saint, calm down! Like the mirror of heaven and earth, everything is quiet. Husband is quiet and lonely, heaven and earth are flat and virtuous, and emperors and saints rest. " "Quiet" is not the result of deliberate pursuit, but the result of being unmoved by foreign objects. To achieve the realm of "emptiness and quietness" in artistic creation, we must first calm people's spirit, eliminate all external interference and selfish distractions, and make the mind accommodate everything, that is, achieve the state of mind of "nothing in the chest". In this state of mind, subjects can enter the realm of "emptiness" in their creation, and then their artistic conception and creation can easily reach the realm of "creation", so that their works can turn into a "fantasy" fairyland.

To achieve the realm of "emptiness and quietness" in artistic creation, it also requires the subject to achieve the realm of "forgetting things and me", which requires the subject to transcend reality and self, so as to achieve a "deified" realm of "integrating things and me". Zhenwu of the Yuan Dynasty painted a quatrain on his own topic: "Start with pen and ink, gradually forget pen and ink, forget your heart and hand, and create together." It is believed that before painting an ink-wash play, we should forget the pen and ink, forget the heart and forget the hand, so as to integrate with creation, completely obliterate the boundary between subject and cognitive object, and reach the realm of "emptiness"

The theory of "emptiness and quietness" advocated by Laozi and Zhuangzi can be said to be the necessary mentality for artists to integrate with everything and nature, the psychological premise of artistic aesthetics and the root of China's artistic life. It is precisely because of this that artists constantly absorb their own essence, improve their own sentiment, and constantly abandon secular distractions, so as to maximize their artistic creativity.