姚莹《谈艺图》与桐城派的江南传衍

Yao Ying's A Painting on a Discussion about Art and Literature and the Dissemination of the Tongcheng School in Southern Yangtze

自道光十一年七月至十七年十月,姚莹一直在江南做官。他在政事之暇,交游名士,主持风雅。《谈艺图》就是他第二次代理两淮盐运使期间为纪念扬州谈艺韵事而绘制,反映了他与李兆洛、蒋彤、毛岳生、吴德旋、刘宝楠、刘文淇等江南文士谈道论艺的雅集盛况。由此图再联系到他从政江南期间以及仕宦江南前后的文化活动,可发现:姚莹居官江南,与其幕府宾客道艺均进,并表现出汉宋调和之态势以及强烈的重道经世之意识,这也昭示着江南学风与士风的新变。不仅如此,他还有力推动了道光年间桐城派的传衍。总之,这幅《谈艺图》蕴含着丰富的思想内涵与多重的文化记忆,具有非常重要的历史文化价值与思想艺术价值。

Yao Ying （姚莹） acted as an official in Southern Yangtze （江南） from July of the eleventh year to October of the seventeenth year during the reign of Emperor Daoguang （道光）. He made friends with celebrities and presided over the meetings of graceful people when he was free from governmental affairs. He had A Painting on a Discussion about Art and Literature （《谈艺图》） drawn in memory of his talks about Art and Literature with some well-known Jiangnan scholars in Yangzhou （扬州） during his second term of office as the acting Salt Distribution Commissioner in Huainan （淮南） and Huaibei （淮北）. The picture depicted the grand event when he banqueted friends and talked about Art and Literature with such Jiangnan literati as Li zhaoluo （李兆洛）, Jiang Tong （蒋彤）, Mao Yuesheng （ 毛岳生 ）, Wu Dexuan （吴德旋）, Liu naonan （ 刘宝楠） and Liu Wenqi （刘文淇）. Seeing from this picture and then associating ourselves with his cultural activities before and after he acted as an official in Southern Yangtze, we can find that Yao Ying, together with his friends and aides, made great progress in the theory and practice of Art and Literature, which showed their reconciliation between Han studies and Song studies and also their strong sense of respecting Confucian teachings and administering state affairs. It also indicated the new change of academic atmosphere and intellectual atmosphere in Jiangnan. Besides, he strongly promoted the dissemination of the thought of the Tongcheng School （桐城派） during the reign of Emperor Daoguang. In a word, this painting contains rich connotation of thought and multiple cultural memories, and is of very important historical, cultural and artistic value.