I. The central question
Q: What's the connection between Su Tungpo's personality and his painting art?
A: Lin Yutang use a chapter talk about the art of painting in ancient China. At first glance, we may assume that it doesn't appear revelant to Su Tungpo's political life. Some may even think that painting was just one of Su Tungpo's hobbies, which was not so important as his poetry. However, we maybe underestimated the art of painting and how it influenced the scholars in the Sung Dynasty. It is the common view that poetry was the central literature in early ancient China. However, it's quite different in the Sung Dynasty, because the scholars believed that painting was the top level of knowledge. Let me add that when ancient scholars talk about "knowledge", they mean learning, inner spirits and personality. That is the reason why Su Tungpo thought painting can reflected one's heart and spirits. So we could know Su Tungo more deeply through his painting and ?calligraphy.
II. The sentences
1. Calligraphy provides the technique and aesthetic principles for Chinese painting, while poetry provides the spirit, the emphasis on tone and atmosphere, and the pantheistic delight in all the smells and colors and sounds of nature.
pantheistic ? 泛神性的
簡(jiǎn)單來(lái)說几蜻，這句話的意思是詩(shī)提供的是韻律與節(jié)奏哨毁，而畫帶給人的則是源于自然的感發(fā)與詩(shī)思
pantheistic delight在文中出現(xiàn)了兩次粱栖，宋代畫論講求抽象神韻是建立在對(duì)自然界細(xì)致觀察的基礎(chǔ)上的，在觀察的過程中融入詩(shī)人的喜怒哀樂，這是宋人獨(dú)特的觀物理念价认。
2. Here the Sung painters advanced one step further; in a painting, they tried not only to express the writer's impression or conception, but also the li or "inner spirit."?
advanced one step further ? 更進(jìn)一步
3. Chinese paintings unconsciously express the oneness of man with nature and the essential unity of the great mystic procession of life in which the human being occupies but a small and transitory part.
oneness ? ?a peaceful feeling of being part of a whole
the oneness of man with nature ? ? 天人合一
III. Thought
林語(yǔ)堂在這一章中的一些觀點(diǎn)與宋人畫論對(duì)應(yīng)脐彩，想要理解宋詩(shī)佛南，明白宋人詩(shī)畫合一的觀點(diǎn)非常重要愧怜。在宋代之前，文學(xué)觀念是以詩(shī)學(xué)為核心的猜惋，而到了宋人這里定续，提出了新的理念摹察，“畫者克滴，文之極也”（鄧椿之《畫繼》）望忆。宋人觀物入微歉备，異于唐人重興象书闸；宋人喜好清淡美牌借，少雄奇之景现柠，都可以從畫論中找到答案谈秫。讀這一章時(shí)课竣，順便重讀了師爺?shù)恼撝对?shī)學(xué)美論與詩(shī)詞美境》迂曲，向大家推薦這本文筆極美但十分難啃的論文集队寇。
