中国绘画长河，名家辈出，各以独特艺理，卓绝技艺，成画坛辉煌。清初石涛，绘画称雄，著《画语录》，立画论基石。画论者，绘画之精髓，含技法、审美、批评。古画论导艺，东晋顾恺之《画论》最早最全。后有张彦远《名画记》、张璪《绘境》、郭熙《林泉高致》、董其昌《画旨》及石涛《画语录》，皆深远影响中国画艺。
The river of Chinese painting is vast and full of renowned masters, each with their unique artistic philosophies and extraordinary skills, creating a brilliant art scene. In the early Qing Dynasty, Shi Tao stood out in painting, authoring "Remarks on Painting," which established the foundation of painting theory. Painting theory, the essence of painting, includes techniques, aesthetics, and criticism. The earliest and most comprehensive painting theory is Gu Kaizhi's "Painting Theory" from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Later, Zhang Yanyuan's "Famous Paintings through History," Zhang Zao's "Painting World," Guo Xi's "Lofty Ambitions in Forests and Streams," Dong Qichang's "The Essence of Painting," and Shi Tao's "Remarks on Painting" profoundly influenced Chinese painting art.
《湖山渔隐图》
石涛(庚辰—戊戌)，桂林靖江王府人，僧籍广西全州，赞仪十世孙，书画常钤“赞之十世孙阿长”“靖江后人”之印。俗姓朱，名若极，小字阿长，法名原济，号石涛，大涤子、苦瓜和尚、瞎尊者、清湘老人等。
甲申，明亡，家破，随太监逃至全州湘山寺，居十余年，闻经化缘，启蒙绘画。十七岁作《花卉图》。为发展，北行南京、北京、杭州、宣城、南昌、武汉，尤久于扬州。半生游历，黄山、庐山、天台、敬亭留踪迹与画作。
出家实不得已，张潮《幽梦影》载：“瞎尊者曰：我不会谈禅，亦不敢妄求布施，惟间写青山卖耳。”挂“善果月之子”招牌求利，然一生扑于绘画，安身立命。勤作画，探索人生，总结经验。
Shi Tao (born in the year of the Metal Dragon, died in the year of the Earth Dog), was from the Jingjiang Prince’s Mansion in Guilin and a monk in Quanzhou, Guangxi. He was the tenth-generation descendant of Zanyi, often sealing his paintings with "Tenth-generation descendant of Zanyi, Achang" and "Descendant of Jingjiang." His secular surname was Zhu, given name Ruoji, childhood name Achang, Dharma name Yuanji, also known as Shi Tao, Datizi, Bitter Melon Monk, Blind Respectful One, Old Man Qingxiang, among others.
In the year of Jia Shen, when the Ming Dynasty fell, his family was destroyed. He fled with an eunuch to Xiangshan Temple in Quanzhou, living there for over ten years, hearing scriptures and begging for alms, which may have sparked his initial interest in painting. At seventeen, he created "Flower Painting." Seeking development, he traveled north to Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou, Xuancheng, Nanchang, Wuhan, and spent a long time in Yangzhou. Throughout his life, he visited famous scenic spots like Huangshan, Lushan, Tiantai Mountain, and Jingtieshan, leaving behind his works.
Forced into monkhood, as Zhang Chao recorded in "Shadow in a Dream," "The Blind Respectful One (Shi Tao) said: I cannot discuss Zen, nor dare to ask for alms, but I occasionally paint green mountains to sell for food." To survive, he hung a sign saying "Child of Good Fruit Moon" to attract customers, but devoted his life to painting, finding peace and sustenance in it. He diligently painted, explored life's philosophy, and summarized his experiences.
《细雨虬松图》
《画语录》乃石涛一生创作总结，十八章：首四章为总论，贯穿全旨;中十章论技法;末四章述人格修养，“功夫在诗外”。“一画”论为《画语录》之主旨。石涛曰：“法于何立，立于一画。”此一画，不仅技法之始，更是艺术创作之源。太古无法，太朴不散;太朴一散，而法立矣。此一画，非凡形质之画，乃“众有之本，万象之根”。画家无中生有，以表现实世界之原始确切。石涛云：“画者，从心也。山川人物之秀，鸟兽草木之性，池榭楼台之度……此一画，收尽洪濛之外，亿万笔墨，始终于此，听人握取耳。”
"Remarks on Painting" is Shi Tao's lifelong creation summary, consisting of eighteen chapters: the first four chapters are general discussions, embodying the book's guiding principles; the next ten chapters discuss techniques; the last four chapters emphasize personal cultivation, "skill lies outside poetry." The "one-stroke" theory is the core of "Remarks on Painting." Shi Tao said: "Where does the law stand? It stands on one stroke." This one stroke is not only the beginning of technique but also the source of artistic creation. "Primordial chaos has no law, primitive simplicity is not dispersed; once dispersed, laws are established." This stroke is not a simple line but "the root of all existence, the foundation of all phenomena." The painter creates from nothing, expressing the most original and precise aspects of the real world. Shi Tao stated: "Painting follows the heart. The beauty of mountains and rivers, the nature of birds and beasts, the structure of pools and pavilions... this one stroke encompasses all chaos, billions of brushstrokes start and end with this, depending on the artist's control."
石涛于创作实践中悟“一画”之道，常观万物理趣。谓“见用于神，藏于人，而世人不知所以。”倡随己意，立己法：“一画之法，乃我立。以无法生有法，有法贯众法。”一画为万物之始，亦为创作之源。画物之表现，始于一画，乃太朴散。笔墨线条，细微具体，能驱使之，造型准，神态远，皆画者心轨也。
In his creative practice, Shi Tao discovered the "one-stroke" principle, constantly observing the principles of all things. He said, "It is visible to the spirit, hidden in people, yet the world does not know why." He advocated following one's own feelings and methods: "The one-stroke principle is established by me. From no law comes law, and with law, all laws are unified." The one stroke is the beginning of all things and the source of creation. The representation of objects in painting begins with one stroke, the scattering of the primordial simplicity. Brush and ink lines, though subtle and small, can be manipulated to create accurate shapes and profound meanings, reflecting the artist's mental journey.
《黄山洁空金碧图》
石涛反对泥古不化，因循守旧。少时画坛，临摹为尚，谓“某家皴点可立脚，非某家山水不能久，某家清澹可立品，工巧只娱人。”石涛斥之：“我为某家役，非某家为我用也。”曰：“我之为我，自有我在，古须眉不能生于我面目，古肺腑不能入我腹肠。我自发我肺腑，揭我须眉。”纵时触某家，是某家就我，非我就某家，天然授也。纵笔不笔，墨不墨，画不画，自有我在。问南北宗，笑曰：“我自用我法。”
Shi Tao opposed rigidly adhering to ancient methods and following old traditions. In his youth, the painting world favored copying ancient works, thinking that only by imitating a certain style could one establish themselves. Shi Tao criticized this, saying: "I am a servant to the old masters, not they serving me." He emphasized: "I am myself, with my own existence. The ancient features cannot appear on my face, nor can their essence enter my body. I express my own essence and reveal my own features." Even when occasionally influenced by old masters, it was they who conformed to him, not him to them. This was naturally granted. "Even if my brush is not a brush, my ink is not ink, and my painting is not painting, I am still myself." When asked about the North-South Schools, he humorously replied: "I use my own method."
石涛之“法”，少时学古，花卉受沈石田、青藤、白阳，山水摹董源、倪瓒、沈石田、米芾、董其昌，人物取法李公麟、丁云鹏。梅瞿山见《十六应真图》，赞曰：“可敌李伯时”，刻“前有龙眠济”印赠之。书法先学鲁公，后习董文敏、倪瓒、东坡。中年猎众家之长，六十后成“石涛体”。
Shi Tao's method began with learning from the ancients. His floral paintings were influenced by Shen Shitian, Qingteng, Baiyang; landscapes by Dong Yuan, Ni Zan, Shen Shitian, Mi Fu, Dong Qichang; figures by Li Gonglin, Ding Yunpeng. Mei Qushan, upon seeing Shi Tao's "Sixteen Arhats," praised him, saying: "He can rival Li Gonglin," and gave him a seal with "Previously there was Longmian Ji." His calligraphy followed a similar path: starting with Lu Gong, then learning from Dong Qichang, Ni Zan, and Su Shi. In his middle age, he assimilated the strengths of various masters, and by sixty, he formed his own "Shi Tao Style."
《罗汉图》
石涛重画山川，须知熟山川，达“山川与予神遇而迹化”之境，似庄子“物化”：“山川使予代山川而言，山川脱胎于予，予脱胎于山川”，情景交融。观山川，重寻其神韵，须不断写生，得其质理。谓画理、笔法，天地之质与饰也。山川立传，须觅其精神内涵，“搜尽奇峰打草稿”最佳途径。
石涛遗作甚丰，著《画语录》传世。后人倡师造化，反泥古不化。“四王”渐衰，扬州八怪承其旨，倡写性灵，曰“我之为我，自有我在”。
Shi Tao emphasized the importance of understanding and familiarizing oneself with mountains and rivers to achieve the state of "spiritual encounter and transformation with mountains and rivers," akin to Zhuangzi's "transformation of things": "Mountains and rivers speak through me, I transform into them, and they transform into me," achieving a union of emotion and scenery. In observing mountains and rivers, he focused on capturing their essence, spirit, and characteristics, requiring constant sketching to grasp their essence and principles. He believed that the theory of painting and the method of brushwork are nothing more than the substance and embellishment of heaven and earth. To immortalize mountains and rivers, one must find their spiritual essence, and "sketching all the strange peaks" is the best, fastest, and most successful method.
Shi Tao left behind numerous works and this famous theoretical work, "Remarks on Painting." After him, artists advocated "learning from nature" and opposed rigid adherence to ancient methods. The "Four Wangs" revivalist school gradually declined, while the Yangzhou Eccentrics inherited Shi Tao's ideas, promoting the expression of individual spirit with the motto "I am myself, with my own existence."
《梅竹图》
近代吴昌硕、黄宾虹、齐白石、张大千、傅抱石循《画语录》成就斐然。王原祁评曰：“海内丹青，当推石涛为第一。”吴冠中云：“石涛为现代美术起点，亦传统画论集大成。《画语录》虽少，实国宝，乃世界美术明珠。”石涛一生执艺，通达生活。《画语录》非唯技法，亦生活之态。其艺思热爱，自然生活，笔笔画画，独特诠释，启迪后人。
In modern times, artists like Wu Changshuo, Huang Binhong, Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, and Fu Baoshi followed the path of "Remarks on Painting" and achieved remarkable success. The leader of the antiquarian school, Wang Yuanqi, remarked, "Among all the painters in the land, Shi Tao must be the first south of the Yangtze." Wu Guanzhong commented, "Shi Tao is the starting point of modern Chinese art, and also the epitome of traditional painting theory. 'Remarks on Painting' may be brief, but it is a true national treasure, a pinnacle in the history of world art." Shi Tao's life was a relentless pursuit of art and a profound understanding of life. His "Remarks on Painting" is not only a guide to painting techniques but also an embodiment of life attitude. Through "Remarks on Painting," we understand Shi Tao's artistic thoughts and feel his love for nature and life. Each stroke is his unique interpretation of the world, leaving endless inspiration and emotion for future generations.
责任编辑：苗君
