Comparing Dynasties: Tang vs. Song Dynasty Art 

The artistic creativity of the Tang (618-907 CE) and Song (960-1279 CE) Dynasties is some of the most dynamic and impressive in Chinese history. Spanning more than 6 centuries together, this dynastic duo brought to light the brilliance of new modes and materials that set Chinese art on course for its brilliance today. 

In this article we return to these pinnacle periods to explore the major styles, media, and themes that the artists of the Tang and Song dynasties perfected. In addition to contextualizing these advances, we’ll showcase each artistic accomplishment with exquisite examples. 

The Cultural Influences of the Tang and Song Dynasties

Following the fall of the Han Dynasty in the 3rd century CE, the cultural landscape of China was fractured and unstable. Emperor Wen of the 6th century Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE) was the first to reunite China’s fragmentary territory and thus set the stage for political reform. Thanks to this relative peace and resulting prosperity, the climate was primed for the 7th-century dawn of the Tang Dynasty and its resulting artistic blossoming. 

At the same time, a philosophical revolution was underway. Confucianism and Daoism were two philosophies that had been widely popularized across the Tang Dynasty, however, by the 3rd century the ideas of Buddhism had also arrived in China. The result was an exchange between these ideologies. While the former philosophies of Confucious and Lao Tzu emphasized the concept of “The Way,” or one’s moral pathway through life, the latter taught of the life of the Buddha and his path to nirvana (enlightenment). While the three ideologies offered their own nuanced approaches, they shared a general theme of the necessity for one to find their place in the universe that became central to many modes of artistic production. 

The result was a period of artistic creativity that both celebrated cultural and economic prosperity while also using art as a vehicle for spiritual reflection. These ideas, which became core during the Tang Dynasty, were equally absorbed by the following Song Dynasty. 

Tang Dynasty Innovations

Considered one of China’s golden ages, the Tang Dynasty was a period of military strength and economic prosperity for a newly unified culture. Thanks to this security, the arts were provided an ideal space in which to flourish. Add to this strength the rising practice of Buddhism and one can imagine how exciting a time it was to be an artist in Tang Dynasty China.

Sculpture

With images of the Buddha populating from the 3rd century onward, sculpture was a thriving field of Tang dynasty art. These included large rock-cut tableaus that filled Buddhist sanctuaries like those of the Longmen Caves. At this sanctuary along the Yi River, the sheer scale of the Buddha and his consort kings assuredly proved impressive from far distances. Smaller stone-carved likenesses of the Buddha rendered in materials like marble, limestone, and wood also proliferated during this dynasty as a testament to the rapid rise in Buddhism’s acceptance. 

Similarly enticing were smaller-scale figures crafted from earthenware. The already well-established field of Chinese earthenware ceramics enjoyed a resurgence in innovation during the Tang Dynasty with the introduction of the sancai glazing method. Sancai, or “three-colored” glazes gave ceramics a rich panoply of vibrant colors that allowed everything from pots to figurines to become energized. Some of the most celebrated examples are the earthenware figures created as tomb accompaniments for the most prestigious figures. These figurines, which ranged from horses and camels to guardian figures and dignitaries, would have accompanied the deceased in the afterlife and provided protection or companionship. 

Painting

Painting also achieved new heights in the Tang Dynasty. Particularly popular during this period was the expansion of the shanshui, or “mountain water” field of landscape paintings. These works, which celebrated the diverse and majestic Chinese landscape, were prime spaces in which painters could showcase their skills in subtle ink washes combined with bold linework. At the same time, Daoist and Buddhist themes also took center stage in these painting silk scrolls. 

Painter Wu Daozi, for example,  garnered significant acclaim for his energized painterly style imbued with vivacious brushstrokes in black ink that brought scroll scenes of the Buddha or Daoist deities to life. Other painters like  Yan Liben brought similar energy to courtly scenes such as this handscroll depicting The Training a Beast. In such scenes, artful calligraphy helped to illuminate the rich visual imagery that helped to chart the course for artistic acclaim in the generations to follow. 

Calligraphy

In step with the Tang Dynasty’s renewed emphasis on literature and poetry was the attention to creating standardized calligraphy that could transform contemporary literature. Core to this calligraphic evolution were figures like Yan Zhenquing, a military general whose Yan script became a template for generations of calligraphers to use in the subsequent years. Liu Gongquan was similarly influential in his calligraphic script that was similar to Yan’s yet was bolder in its lines, perhaps a nod to Liu’s parallel interest in the philosophies of artistic expression. 

Silk Textiles 

The material that contributed to the development of both painterly traditions and the Silk Road, one of the richest networks of trade routes in history, silk prospered during the Tang Dynasty. Surviving examples of these silk textiles beyond hanging and hand scrolls are rare given the challenges in preserving such delicate material over time. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that silk makers began experimenting with new patterns and techniques that cultivated increasingly elegant and ethereal fabrics during this period. 

Song Dynasty Innovations

As the successor to the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty was primed for an era in which the arts would once again flourish. Politically, though, the Song Dynasty experienced a significant loss of territory to outside cultures in part owed to a weaker military fortification. This shift must have encouraged introspection on a cultural and artistic level, as an inward-looking that can be sensed in the period’s contemplative painting and porcelain production. In addition to continued work in fields like sculpture, Song Dynasty artists especially excelled in the following categories. 

Painting

Song Dynasty painting is some of the most beloved of all of Chinese history thanks to the striking work of the literati, or scholar-painters. These talented artists followed the teachings of Neoconfucianism, the emergent fusion of Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist thinking that stressed an individual’s need to seek harmony with the natural universe. This concord can be sensed in the literati landscapes of painters like Fan Kuan, Guo Xi, and Li Cheng, each of whom created scroll paintings that transported the viewer into an all-enveloping vista. 

Such is showcased, for instance, in Recluse in Lofty Summer Mountains, a hanging scroll attributed to Fan Kuan that engulfs the viewer with its atmospheric layers. Guo Xi conjured an even more evocative scene in attributed scroll paintings like Traveling by the Mountain and Rivers, where a small boat carrying two men approaching a diminutive dwelling is almost overwhelmed by the soaring landscape around them. Such a vignette would have reminded the viewer of the frailty of humanity within the larger grandeur of nature and thus could be a springboard for meditation on the theme. 

Stoneware and Porcelain 

Song Dynasty artists continued the traditions of the Tang Dynasty by excelling in both porcelain and stoneware creations. Porcelain production excelled specifically as it became an export to international locales during this time. At the same time, various glazed stonewares proved equally striking. From the rich greens of Gu ware to the soft blues of Ru ware and the opaque whites of Ding ware, Song Dynasty glazes offered a kaleidoscope of color.  At the same time, these wares showcased remarkable precision in their clean lines and seductively sophisticated forms like lotus petals or artful striations. 

The Legacy and Influence of Tang and Song Dynasty Art

The ideas and techniques shared by the artists of the Tang and Song Dynasties proved formative for the following generations of artists. Introspective landscapes served as a cornerstone for painting studios across Chinese territory as did the standardized scripts of Tang and Song Dynasty calligraphers. Meanwhile, the porcelain and earthenware creations of these same eras fueled both Chinese artists and other workshops around the world to emulate their lustrous finishes and refined forms as more Chinese wares began to circulate in global markets. Even contemporary makers like Xu Bing have looked to these past traditions to seek inspiration for their work.    

Collecting examples of Tang and Song Dynasty art means becoming part of that enduring legacy. Whether it is a hanging silk scroll or a delicate porcelain vase, stewarding these scintillating Tang and Song Dynasty objects into the next generation makes collecting them both a part of a private collection and a piece of history.