Mi Fei

Mi Fu (Chinese: 米芾; 1051–1107)Barnhart: 373. He was born with the name 米黻, also pronounced Mi Fu. His courtesy name was Yuanzhang (元章) with several sobriquets: Nangong (南宮), Lumen Jushi (鹿門居士), Xiangyang Manshi (襄陽漫士), and Haiyue Waishi (海岳外史) was a Chinese painter, poet, calligrapher, and art theorist in the Early Song Dynasty. Born in Taiyuan, he was known for his misty landscape paintings, which consisted of broad, wet ink dots applied with a flat brush. This technique, later known as the "Mi Fu Style", significantly influenced Chinese painting. His poetry and calligraphy were inspired by Li Bai and Wang Xizhi, respectively.

Mi Fu is considered one of the most influential calligraphers of the Song dynasty, along with Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, and Cai Xiang. His major works include ''Zhang Jiming Tie'' (張季明帖), ''Li Taishi Tie'' (李太師帖), ''Zijin Yan Tie'' (紫金研帖), and ''Danmo Qiushan Shitie'' (淡墨秋山詩帖). Among these, ''Shu Su Tie'' (蜀素帖), also known as ''Nigu Shitie'' (擬古詩帖), is an important work in running script calligraphy. Mi Fu described his calligraphy as "a collection of ancient characters", indicating his style was rooted in tradition, yet he developed distinctive features. His artistic style was also adopted by his son, Mi Youren, who became known for interpreting his father's techniques, particularly the use of large, wet ink dots, known as "Mi Dots".

Beyond his artistic achievements, Mi Fu was reportedly known for his eccentricity and meticulous attitude.

Biography

Some historical sources trace Mi Fu's ancestry to ''Mi Xin'', a Later Zhou and Early Song Dynasty general associated with the Kumo Xi, a tribe believed to have descended from the Xianbei. Some scholars suggest his family may have had distant Sogdian heritage, though this is debated. The surname "Mi" may have Sogdian origins, coinciding with a period when Sogdian merchants and settlers formed communities within China.

Mi Fu showed an early interest in arts and letters and possessed strong memory skills. His mother worked as a midwife and later as a wet-nurse, looking after Emperor Shenzong. This connection led Mi Fu to spend part of his early life in the royal court.

He began his civil service career as a Reviser of Books in the imperial library. He then served in three posts outside the capital of Kaifeng, in Henan province. In 1103, he was appointed Doctor of Philosophy and served briefly as the Military Governor of Wuwei in Anhui province.

In 1104, he returned to the capital to serve as Professor of Painting and Calligraphy, and later Secretary to the Board of Rites. His final post was as Military Governor of Huaiyang.

Mi Fu collected old writings and paintings as his family wealth diminished. His collection grew in value, partly through inheritance. His collection was arranged in two parts: one kept secret and shown only to a select few, and another one to guests.

In his later years, Mi Fu became fond of Holin Temple (located on Yellow Crane Mountain (黃鶴樓)) and requested to be buried at its gate. Although the temple is gone, his grave remains.

Mi Fu had five sons, of whom only two survived infancy and eight daughters. His elder son, Mi Youren, was also a Chinese calligrapher.

Historical background

Following the rise of landscape painting, creative activities expanded to include other subjects such as religious figures, birds, flowers, and bamboo. These artistic pursuits were undertaken by educated men, often officials or those of independent means, for whom painting was not a profession but a means of expressing their connection to life and nature. Poetry and illustrative writing were highly valued. Despite being skilled in ink painting and calligraphy, they generally avoided the status of professional artists and became known as "gentleman-painters" (Chinese: 文人画 (wénrén huà)). Artistic occupations like calligraphy and painting were seen as leisure activities separate from official duties or practical occupations. Their technical skill was rooted in writing and calligraphy, which allowed them to convey ideas through symbols of nature as easily as in conventional characters. This art became a personal expression, later described as "idea-writing". The beauty of this art was associated with the visible ease of production, an ease achieved through intense training and contemplation.

Mi Fu is considered one of these gentleman-painters. His artistic observation, sense of humor, and literary ability have been noted. His approach was characterized by direct, first-hand observation, rather than relying on secondhand information. Mi Fu often expressed his views, even when they differed from prevailing beliefs or official opinions. His notes on painting and calligraphy are considered valuable by art historians for their spontaneous expression of his observations and independent ideas, which aid in understanding Mi Fu and the artists he wrote about.

Art

Mi Fu is associated with the Southern School (南宗畫) of landscape painting, though the extent of his direct contributions remains debated. Several paintings are attributed to him, but scholars question their authenticity. While his contributions to landscape painting are noted, Mi Fu is primarily remembered for his calligraphy and influence as an art critic and writer.

For Mi Fu, writing or calligraphy was connected with composing poetry or sketching. He believed an alertness of mind for these activities was best achieved through the enjoyment of wine. Su Shi (蘇軾) admired Mi Fu and wrote that his brush was like a sharp sword or a bow that could shoot an arrow a thousand '' li''.

Critics claimed Mi Fu could imitate the styles of calligraphers from the Six Dynasties. Mi Fu's son testified that his father always kept a calligraphic masterpiece from the Tang or the Qin period on his desk as a model, placing it in a box at the side of his pillow at night.

According to some writings, Mi Fu did most of his paintings during the last seven years of his life. He wrote that he "chose as his models the most ancient masters and painted guided by his own genius and not by any teacher and thus represented the loyal men of antiquity."

Paintings attributed to Mi Fu depict wooded hills or cone-shaped mountain peaks rising out of layers of mist. Bodies of water and clusters of dark trees may appear in the foreground. One example often cited as being in the "Mi Fu style" is a picture in the Palace Museum known as ''Spring Mountains and Pine-Trees''. It is the size of a large album-leaf and has a poem at the top said to be added by Emperor Gaozong of Song.

Many paintings attributed to Mi Fu are likely imitations from the Southern Song period or possibly the Yuan period, when some painters utilized the manner of Mi Fu to express their ideas. Many may date from the later part of the Ming period when a cult of personality around Mi Fu developed among followers who viewed him as an important representative of the Southern School. Mi Fu himself saw many imitations and noted wealthy amateurs spending money on famous names rather than original works of art, writing that they "place their pictures in brocade bags and provide them with jade rollers as if they were very wonderful treasures, but when they open them, one cannot but break out into laughter."

Mi Fu's manner of painting has been characterized by writers who knew it through observation or hearsay. He is said to have always painted on paper not prepared with gum or alum (alauns) instead of silk, and he never painted on the wall. In addition to using a brush, Mi Fu also utilized paper sticks, sugar cane, or a calyx (kauss) of a lotus.

Mi Fu's book ''Huashi'' ("History of Painting") contains hints as to the proper way of collecting, preserving, cleaning, and mounting pictures.

See also

* Chinese art
* Chinese painting
* Culture of the Song dynasty
* History of Chinese art

Citations

General references

* Barnhart, R. M. et al. (1997). ''Three Thousand years of Chinese Painting''. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. . p. 373.
* Rhonda and Jeffrey Cooper (1997). ''Masterpieces of Chinese Art''. Todtri Productions. . p. 76.
* Xiao, Yanyi
"Mi Fu"
''Encyclopedia of China'' (Arts Edition), 1st ed.

External links

Mi Fu and his Calligraphy Gallery
at China Online Museum
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mi, Fu
1051 births
1107 deaths
11th-century Chinese calligraphers
11th-century Chinese painters
11th-century Chinese poets
12th-century Chinese calligraphers
12th-century Chinese painters
12th-century Chinese poets
Painters from Shanxi
People from Taiyuan
Poets from Shanxi
Song dynasty calligraphers
Song dynasty painters
Song dynasty poets
Muslims from Imperial China