MASTERPIECES OF CHINESE WISDOM. Calendar of Paintings and Aphorisms, compiled by Wei Dehan

Quote "The sky appears blue, but is this its true color? The sky looks boundless, but is this its true limit?" Chuang Tzu What the book is about The traditions of Chinese art are such that each work is simultaneously an object and a text, that is, a system of signs that can be interpreted, for every subject has its symbolic meaning. In Chinese painting, for example in landscapes, it is essential to depict the implied movement towards wisdom and perfection. If you look closely, you will see a path that leads a traveler among mountain valleys and slopes upward to where a secluded cabin is hidden, and in that cabin lives a hermit to whom the wanderer directs his way. Confucius said that humanity and knowledge are like water and mountains. Water is one of the main images of wisdom and wise behavior in Chinese tradition. Therefore, we recommend you to contemplate the paintings and ponder the quotes of famous authors, finding parallels and similarities, relying on the organic affinity of the wise sayings of antiquity with the traditional masterpieces of Chinese painting. About the artists in the calendar GUN XIANG 1619–1689 — an outstanding artist, calligrapher, and literati. CHEN HUNSHOU 1598–1652 — an outstanding portrait artist of the Ming dynasty. CHEN ZHIFO 1896–1962, also known as Xuewen literally Snowy Old Man. SHEN ZHOU 1427–1509 — an outstanding Chinese artist, founder of the Wu School. YUAN JIAN presumably 1671–1746 and YUAN YAO presumably 1739–1778 — a father and son, known landscape painters. About the authors of the quotes WENZI — author of the book True Canon of Understanding the Hidden IV–III centuries BC. CONFUCIUS approx. 551–479 BC — teacher and philosopher. LAOZI VI–V centuries BC — philosopher, author of the Tao Te Ching Book of the Way and its Virtue. LAO JUN — author of the book Discussion on a Hundred Diseases and Praise of a Hundred Medicines. LI GUANDI 1642–1718 — an outstanding scholar, bibliographer, author of the most complete collection of interpretations of the Book of Changes. LIU YIMING approximately 1735–1820 — a legendary