An Initial Exploration of Xudao Ning's Research

Abstract

"Li Cheng passes, Fan Kuan is gone, only Xudao Ning remains in Chang'an."  Guo Ruoxu （Song）This is a poem written by Zhang Wenyi, a prime minister in the early Song Dynasty (964-1049), praising the artistic achievements of Xudao Ning, placing him on par with the artistic prowess of Li Cheng and Fan Kuan of the early Song Dynasty. Guo Ruoxu commented, "This is not an exaggeration." He meant that the prime minister's words were not mere flattery; they were grounded in reality. But who was Xudao Ning? Why did such a distinguished prime minister and later generations praise his artistic achievements so highly? Due to limited historical records, we can only explore and study Xudao Ning through literary analysis, research methods, and reference to the findings of modern scholars. Through a series of studies and analysis, it becomes evident that Xudao Ning was not only an important representative painter in the Li-Guo landscape painting tradition, succeeding Li Cheng and preceding Guo Xi, but also, through his own innate talent, he learned from Li Cheng and developed his own unique painting style. This paper aims to explore these aspects further.