Snow landscape painting is an important subject in traditional landscape painting, the painter depicts snow scenes, expressing elegant and unworldly preferences, thus establishing a clear and low-minded personality. In terms of color, most snow scenes are mainly black and white. But some painters who like to go the extraneous way like to depict "colorful" snowy worlds. This painting "Jiangshan Snow Ji" is the work of the Qing Dynasty painter Shangguan Zhou, who depicts the colorful snow world.
Shangguan Zhou is a native of Fujian, who has not obtained a meritorious name in his life and makes a living by selling paintings and teaching. As a folk painter, we must first solve the problem of food and clothing in order to pursue artistic style. Therefore, most of his works are very popular in their intentions, and you can understand what he wants to express at a glance. It is easy to understand, so that his work has a wide audience, and anyone can understand what he paints.
Shangguan Zhou Jiangshan Xueji
"Jiangshan Xueji" imitates the painting method of Li Tang of the Southern Song Dynasty to outline the landscape, in order to emphasize the snow, he sketched a white powder on the dead branches, which seemed to have the effect of snow. Many literati painters disdain to use these relatively realistic expression techniques. It may even be thought that such a figurative depiction of snow will destroy the elegant artistic conception of the snowscape.
Shangguan Zhou not only used white powder to simulate snow, he also used colors other than black and white in the snow scene. The painting features green and red leaves, simulating the unique scenery of the southern snowscape. He painted in this way because he wanted to let go of the painter's sense of superiority. From the song dynasty onwards, folk painters did not reject the commercialization of their works. At that time, near the Xiangguo Temple in Kaifeng City, there was a famous painting market, and many famous artists sold paintings here before entering the painting academy.
Shangguan Zhou Jiangshan Xueji partial
Shangguan Zhou took the Technique of the Song Dynasty and emphasized the commodified nature of the work. He paints colorful snow scenes, but also to let everyone understand that painting works should not only be "pleasing to themselves" but also "pleasing to others". Pleasing the work of others is not necessarily inferior. Pleasing one's own work is not necessarily elegant.
There are many criteria for measuring a work, the most important of which is whether the admirer can be found and attract the attention of the admirer. Obviously, such a neat and realistic and beautiful work of "Jiangshan Xueji" is more popular in the market.
Paintings of the colorful snow scene also reflect Shangguan Zhou's sensitivity to color. Traditional landscape painting is the art of pen and ink, the pen can be understood as brushwork, and ink can be understood as color. From the Yuan Dynasty onwards, painters paid more and more attention to the expressive effect of ink painting. In this way, most literati painters gave up the study of color, but folk painters have a lot of experience in this regard.
Shangguan Zhou comes from the folk, he has a deep education, he hopes that through his own efforts, let the painters of the same generation see the charm of color. The diversified development of various styles can enhance the creativity of painters and improve the aesthetic taste of the public.
"Jiangshan Xueji" presents a colorful snowy world, which looks equally elegant and beautiful. It can be seen that there are not too many rules and regulations in the creation, and the so-called rules are not necessarily immutable. Occasional changes may have unexpected effects.