回顧與前瞻馬來西亞佛教：第一屆馬來西亞佛教國際研討會論文集=Retrospective and Perspective of Malaysian Buddhism: Proceeding of the 1st International Conference on Malaysian Buddhism
Buddhism came from Da Yue (present day north west China) into China during the 2nd BC. Since then Buddhist paintings with strong characteristics of western lands have undergone a long process of interaction and “Han”nization, and by the time of the Tang dynasty, have been completely integrated with Chinese philosophy and arts, culminating in a new ethnic characteristic in Chinese painting. In terms of creativity, skill, theme and content, Buddhist paintings have contributed to the transition and popularity of traditional Chinese painting. Wang Wei of Tang dynasty innovated the “Zen painting”; The scholars of Song dynasty transformed it to personality painting, making it imbued with literature, philosophy and making it more soothing. After the Ming and Qing dynasties, personality painting reflected the contemporariness, after having been influenced by Western arts and absorbing foreign skills and creative thoughts. During the first half of the 20th Century, personality paintings were brought into Nanyang by the immigrant Chinese painters. This paper intends to discuss how, based on traditional Chinese aesthetic values, several generation of painters attempt to absorb elements of Western arts, integrating the local plural cultural characteristics, breakthrough the traditional framework, and creating Nanyang paintings that depict traits of the tropical land. How painters of Nanyang, while preserving the essence of traditional personality paintings, uses personality painting of Taoists and Buddhists to convey the Enlightenment of Buddhism, and the creative thoughts in the integration of Confucianism Buddhism Taoism. This will also be discussed.
