論文發表人: 彭慧萍(加州大學聖塔芭芭拉校區藝術史與建築史系博士班)
http://www.sis.zju.edu.cn/sis/sisht/Article/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=4497
本文藉由北京故宮藏北宋徽宗畫《雪江歸棹圖》暨卸任宰相蔡京1110年題跋，折射徽宗宮廷不尋常的政治氛圍。在徽宗朝新、舊兩黨激烈的政治角逐戰中，新黨蔡京暨其政敵張商英利用徽宗的迷信，利用雪景圖、嘉禾圖等藝術品，及截然對立的政治語彙，將星變、雪災等自然災變，解讀為祥瑞/災異、天祐/天譴等極端闡釋，以攻擊敵黨。1109年罷相的蔡京於1110年題跋《雪江》時正值其個人的"政治冬天"，書法作為直觀的視覺刺激，是處於劣勢的蔡京賴以駁擊的最佳武器。藉由題跋，蔡京投射天災人禍下孤獨的自我意象，及對宇宙天文變幻無常的喟嘆，冀望喚醒徽宗的同情，沖淡政敵依附天變、雪旱災的無情攻擊。而徽宗作為一位文人皇帝，于公於私均扮演周旋雙黨的複雜角色。徽宗于公對蔡京罷相降官，於私命蔡京觀畫題跋，彌縫與蔡的私人交誼。而徽宗對"雪江歸棹圖"的五字簽題，亦是其對蔡京即將遭竄，然終將"歸朝"的無形暗示。兩年之後蔡京還朝，其政治春天終於來臨。徽宗贈給蔡京另幅氣勢壯闊的春景圖(北京故宮藏千里江山圖)，其中徽宗贈言暨蔡京題跋，正與《雪江》前後呼應。據此，藉由雪景圖、春景圖，可看出書畫藝術如何在徽宗宮廷中，作為政治戰爭的溝通利器。
Painting and other arts were strongly embedded in the unique culture of the court of the late Northern Song emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1125). While many scholars have examined the emperor's artistic patronage, none have recognized the crucial role that climate and the 'reading' of nature may have played in court politics. The scroll painting "Returning Boats on a Snowy River," with its colophon by Huizong's colourful Prime Minister Cai Jing (1046-1126), will be used as a springboard for consideration of a number of issues. For example, painting and calligraphy were used as potent weapons in the struggle for power in the court of an increasingly superstitious emperor. Additionally, art also played a central role in the binary game of 'auspicious' and 'inauspicious' reporting of natural events (climate, comets, sunspots, snowfalls, droughts) by rival political factions. Cai Jing was a central figure in these practices and his career provides us with an exceptionally rich case study for the relationship between artistic patronage and court politics. The popularity of snow-themed paintings during this era will be related to a significant climatic event which occurred during the closing years of Huizong's reign: the Little Ice Age. Such conventional seasonal paintings with 'auspicious' themes were produced in great numbers as the Song Dynasty dissolved, helping create an idealized world for the increasingly isolated Huizong, whose empire was crumbling under the social and economic upheaval created by the agricultural disasters of the Little Ice Age. Indeed, the subject parallels some current fears about global warming and catastrophic climate change. Complex new layers of meanings for art and climate are articulated in this study, which draws on various types of Song primary texts not previously considered by art historians.
