Visual Source 8.3
A Literary Gathering
Confucian cultural ideals gave great prominence to literature, poetry, and scholarly pursuits as leisure activities appropriate for “gentlemen.” Confucius himself had declared that “gentlemen make friends through literature, and through friendship increase their benevolence.” Thus literary gatherings of scholars and officials, often in garden settings, were common themes in Tang and Song dynasty paintings. Visual Source 8.3, by the tenth-century painter Zhou Wenju, provides an illustration of such a gathering.
Question
What marks these figures as cultivated men of literary or scholarly inclination?
Question
What meaning might you attribute to the outdoor garden setting of this image and that of Visual Source 8.1?
Question
Notice the various gazes of the four figures. What do they suggest about the character of this gathering and the interpersonal relationships among its participants? Are they interacting or engaged in solitary pursuits?
Question
Do you think the artist was seeking to convey an idealized image of what a gathering of “gentlemen” ought to be or a realistic portrayal of an actual event? What elements of the painting support your answer?