十八世紀畫家金農自稱於晚年習佛並轉而畫佛。本文以蘇州博物館所藏《香林掃塔圖》為中心，探討金農以佛畫為自我表象之工具的命題—藉金農畫中所表達的多重形象，闡釋金農在歷經了科舉不利，游食四方之後，晚年的了悟。金農首先經由畫中沙彌散髮執帚的形象引入禪宗散聖拾得的身份。他然後又借沙彌手中掃帚所影射的巨筆，將另一散聖寒山之身份重疊於拾得之上。金農借寒山拾得言志，不僅有大智若愚之寓意，更有敝帚自珍的無奈與自許。帚與筆的堆疊與轉換更見於畫中的飛白筆法。借著飛白的勢微，金農表達的是作為一個文人的失落。金農以佛畫做功德，參與寺廟的供養捐贈，也可以說是他以地方士紳為另一個身份的認同。從另一角度綜觀之，金農的畫佛似可為傳統中國社會儒釋融通之現象做一小小註腳。

This study explores the issue of self-representation in Jin Nong’s Buddhist painting. In focusing mainly on his undated painting entitled “Sweeping under the Pagoda in the Fragrant Woods,” this study argues that Jin Nong’s portrayal of a nameless and faceless acolyte engaged in mundane chores might have been a means of fashioning his self and public image in his late years. In this painting Jin expresses his hope to be recognized as an eccentric saint of Chan Buddhism, much like the famous Shide and Hanshan, by overlapping Shide’s attribute (broom) with that of Hanshan (brush). The interrelatedness of broom and brush is further manifested in his choice of the brushstroke called feibai, which then serves as a vehicle to express manifold messages, including a sense of loss. As Jin came to terms with his failure in a life-long pursuit of public recognition by finding solace in Buddhism, his painting of Buddhist subject circulated in the monastic community seems to serve as a marker of his membership in the local gentry society. They also stand as a footnote of the ubiquitous strand of Buddhist culture in Chinese social fabric.

金農; 畫佛; 悟; 寒山; 拾得; 飛白

Jin Nong; Buddhist painting; enlightenment; Hanshan; Shide; feibai