On the Philosophical Connotation of Flower and Bird Painting in Song Dynasty

Confucianism established the mainstream aesthetic consciousness of Song Dynasty flower and bird painting. Xuanhe Painting Manual pointed out that the significance of flower and bird painting lies in the maintenance of social ethics. The flower and bird painting of the Song Dynasty Royal Academy embodied the Confucian ethics of "three cardinal principles and five permanent principles". The popularity of Cheng Zhu's philosophy and the spirit of "knowing things by their nature" had led to a rigorous and meticulous style of flower and bird painting. Under the influence of Taoism, the Song Dynasty flower and bird painting field appeared the "ink flower and ink bird" school which replaced the color with ink. In Song Dynasty, Zen painting was very popular, with simple style and naive nature. However, it was criticized by the mainstream aesthetic consciousness of Song Dynasty, so it was on the edge.