繁峙岩山寺南殿西壁所绘金代叙事画的经营置位和时空结构OACSSCI

This article investigates the west-wall mural in the South Hall of Yanshan Monastery in Fanshi County,Shanxi Province.Integrating relevant visual conventions with Buddhist textual sources,it aims to explore the jingying-zhiwei strategies,which are often translated as'managing positions'or'com-position'for traditional Chinese paintings,and the spatial-narrative intent of this mural,revealing a dual'spatiotemporal structure'encompassing both formal(physical and narrative spaces)and conceptual(space of meaning)dimensions embedded in the mural.Drawing on the analysis of related textual sources and spatiotemporal structures of referenced pictorial materials,the article identifies two distinct threads for interpreting this mural.At the technical level,the mural depicts an entire imperial palace complex as its compositional and narrative framework,while simultaneously reconfiguring established painting conventions and techniques of suggestive repeti-tion,strategic omission(liubai),and subterranean thread(fumai).In doing so,the mural transcends the traditional'synoptic narrative'(yishi-tongtu)and en-ergises the narrative potency of the restricted com-positional field,transforming a finite surface into a dynamic site of meaning.At the conceptual level,the anchoring of key narrative episodes—such as the Four Encounters and the Great Renunciation(two stories of the Buddha's life)—to the palace buildings depicted in the mural,conveys concepts of reincarna-tion,impermanence,and ignorance.In this way,the mural articulates a temporal logic synthesising cy-clical and linear modes,paired with a spatiality man-ifested through the palace complex and rooted in an ascendant,transcendental verticality.This article pro-poses this dual spatiotemporal analytical framework to provide an interdisciplinary approach for mural heritage research.Meanwhile,the jingying-zhiwei strategies employed by this mural offer insights for contemporary artistic practices and built environment regeneration,particularly in balancing the relation-ship between tradition and innovation.