In the process of the development of figure painting, an indispensable process is the companionship of the image of ghosts and gods, especially the representative image of "ghosts, gods and people" like Zhong Kui. The legendary Zhong Kui is a talent in zhongnan mountain who has tried many times because of his ugly appearance, and later committed suicide because of this, and then he was canonized as a god, with the ability to drive away evil spirits and catch ghosts. Although he has an ugly appearance, he has a strong spirit inside, which also makes him the god of exorcism in folk beliefs.
Zhong Kui is a popular painting subject since the Tang and Song dynasties. The earliest painter of Zhong Kui was the Tang Dynasty painter Wu Daozi, who painted Zhong Kui in the Five Dynasties, including Huang Xiao, Zhou Wenji, Shi Ke and others. Zhong Kui either comes with an image that symbolizes auspiciousness and avoids evil, or is the embodiment of a depressed and frustrated literati, or a threat to ghosts and a righteous spirit... Under the pen of different eras and different painters, the image of Zhong Kui is naturally different.
Southern Song Dynasty Gong Kai "Zhongshan Travel Map" part
Southern Song Dynasty Gong Kai "Zhongshan Travel Map" part
The scroll of "Zhongshan Travel Map" consists of two parts, the main part depicts the scene of Zhong Kui and his sister traveling with many little ghosts; the second half of the scroll is a 17-person inscription, including Gong Kai's self-narration.
The Zhong Kui in the painting makes people feel fierce at first glance, his hair is full of whiskers, and his leopard nose is ringed with eyes. Zhong Kui's sister and two handmaidens, the author uses "ink makeup" to perform, that is, thick ink instead of rouge, from their eyes to the root of the neck from the depth to light, the lips are white, and the inner contour of the face is vacated with white lines. The author pays great attention to the portrayal of details, and even the patterns on their clothes are ugly and evil patterns based on the "five poisons". The little devils at the end of the scrolls are carrying rolls and wine altars, some carrying books, and some are waiting to be cooked, and they behave convulsively and stare with their eyes wide open. It is based on the image of the soul messenger in traditional Chinese culture, so most of the little ghosts in the painting are bull-headed and horse-faced. The ghost team of the curly tail rushing and the shoulder of the slow line of the roll head change in rhythm, reflecting the power of Zhong Kui's breath swallowing. The poems and paintings of "Zhongshan Travel Map" are full of absurd and humorous interest, and it is also the first work of Gong Kai's use of comic techniques to draw Zhong Kui and Ghost Fun Diagram, which has been borrowed and played by many later painters of Zhong Kui and Ghost Fun Map.
Yuan Dynasty Yan Hui "Zhong Kui Moon Night Travel Map" part
Yuan Dynasty Yan Hui "Zhong Kui Moon Night Travel Map" part
Yuan Dynasty painter Yan Hui's "Zhong Kui Moon Night Outing", depicts Zhong Kui with the ambushed little ghosts, in the moon night with great pleasure to travel. At the beginning of the volume, the author depicts eight little ghosts who perform various jugglings, and they appear one after another, which can be described as ugly. This was followed by a group of ghosts serving Zhong Kui, who was lifted high by three little ghosts, and behind him there was a ghost band holding umbrellas and percussion. Some of the ghost pawns also wore the helmets of the Mongolian army, and their meaning was very clear. Yan Hui's pen and ink not only has the southern Song Dynasty Liang Kai, Fa Chang rough and bold temperament, but also some literary popularity, presenting the ancient and thick brushwork, the character shape is dynamic.
Yuan Dynasty Yan Geng," part of Zhong Kui's "Diagram of Marrying a Sister"
Yan Geng, who lived in the same era, had a similar painting style and composition form with Yan Hui's "Zhong Kui Moon Night Outing". Zhong Kui in "Zhong Kui's Sister's Picture" does not have an ugly ghost-catching image at all, but wears a hat on his head, hugging forward and backward, like an official style.
Ming Dynasty Dai Jin "Zhong Kui Night Tour"
Ming Dynasty painter Dai Jin's "Zhong Kui Night Tour" depicts the picture of Zhong Kui swimming at night surrounded by little ghosts. The background of the painting is closely related to the theme of "night tour", with dead tree branches, snowy snow, cold air, cold mountains, barren grass, meteorological depression, a frightening and gloomy atmosphere. In the picture, four little ghosts carry chairs, and one little ghost holds up a broken umbrella and walks on a mountain path. Zhong Kui had thick beard and intimidating gaze, and his leaning down to urge him to hurry up made the little ghosts who served beside him tremble with fear. In the depiction of details, the author also strengthens the situation of the characters and the underworld of the environment, such as broken umbrellas, swords, and small white flowers on Zhong Kui's turban.
Ming Dynasty Zhu Jianshen 《年朝兆圖》
Ming Dynasty Chen Hongshou 《簪花鐘馗》
Before the Ming Dynasty, hanging bells was an important custom during the New Year's Festival. Zhong Kui's image is mostly combined with bats, spiders, ruyi and other auspicious meanings, resulting in a pursuit of auspicious wishes. Created in the 17th year of Chenghua (1481), the "Year Dynasty Jiazhao Tu", the author of the painting Ming Xianzong Zhu Mishen mainly depicts Zhong Kui. The Zhong Kui in the picture is paired with a small ghost holding a tray, and the little ghost is like a waiter, holding up a plate of persimmons and cypress branches. The background is dyed with light ink to create a foggy effect, and in the fog there is a faint image of a bat spreading its wings and flying, which symbolizes the auspicious meaning of blessings descending from heaven and all the best. In the Ming Dynasty Chen Hongshou's "Hairpin Flower Zhong Kui" diagram, Zhong Kui is the image of an old man wearing a bow head, who holds a bronze knight in his left hand and a sword in his right hand, retaining the image elements on Zhong Kui's clothing. However, unlike the more zhong kui images, Chen Hongshou's zhong kui has no beard and no angry eyes, but adds a strange symbol - wearing flowers on the head. Chen Hongshou's Zhong Kui is more of an ordinary person, less of the divinity of a ghost exorcist, and more of the smell of fireworks in the world.
Qing Dynasty Huang Shen 《Zhong Jinshi Tu》
Qing Dynasty Huang Shen "Zhong Kui Tu" part
At the turn of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the custom of hanging statues of bells and horses gradually moved to the Dragon Boat Festival. Qing Dynasty painter Huang Shen painted more than 20 Zhong Kui paintings, of which as many as 10 were created during the Dragon Boat Festival. Zhong Kui in Huang Shen's "Zhong Jinshi Tu" stands leaning against the trunk of the tree, staring at the red bats flying above the ancient tree, the fold lines of the clothes are turned naturally, the old dry branches, and the artistic conception is simple and simple. In one of Huang Shen's "Zhong Kui Diagrams", Zhong Kui and a child lean toward each other, each living on the left and right of the picture. Zhong Kui bent his knees slightly, leaned over and grinned, and he held a pomegranate in his left hand and sent it to his open mouth to tease the children. Created in middle age and late age, Zhong Kui's paintings laid the foundation for Huang Shen's creative style of writing with a work belt, Zhong Kui was exaggerated in face, bearded and lush, long whiskers fluttering, short figure, clothing written in the way of mountain stones, and lines more taking the law and grass.
Qing Dynasty Jin Nong "Drunken Bell Kui" part
Qing Dynasty Jin Nong "Drunken Bell Kui" part
Qing Dynasty Luo Ping "Zhong Kui DrunkenNess Diagram" part
The origin of the drunken Zhong Kui's schema is relatively late, and Jin Nong and Luo Ping of the Qing Dynasty have painted many images of Zhong Kui drunk. In one of Jinnong's "Drunken Zhong Kui" paintings, Zhong Kui wears a red coat, a black hat, black boots on his feet, a belt around his waist, his eyes closed, and a drunken state of shaking his head. Luo Ping's "Zhong Kui DrunkenNess Diagram" depicts the situation of three little ghosts under the bamboo tree sending the drunken Zhong Kui back to the house, a small ghost taking a jade belt and coat with a black gauze hat, two small ghosts supporting the drunken Zhong Jinshi staggering, Zhong Kui drunken eyes slightly closed, big belly and poop, raising his left leg high, the shape of the name is vividly portrayed, and the pen is turned in a measured manner, which is a masterpiece of Luo Ping's character sketches.
Qing Dynasty Ren Xiong 《Zhong Kui Drunk"
The late Qing Dynasty painter Ren Xiong also painted a "Picture of Zhong Kui Drunk", the drunken Zhong Kui held the wine jar, slept soundly, hats, long swords, magic instruments scattered aside, wearing flowers on his head, messing with hair and whiskers, unguarded, but the aura was still fully open, which could be described as lazy and domineering.
Qing Dynasty Jin Tingbiao "Zhong Kui Tan Mei" part
In the Qing Dynasty, Zhong Kui had been promoted to the god of the Mayflower, but there were still a few painters who were keen to paint Zhong Kui's Yaxing on a snowy day, in order to "borrow the scenery to express nostalgia". Zhong Kui in the Qing Dynasty Jin Tingbiao's "Zhong Kui Exploring Plums", wearing a broken bucket hat on his head and carrying a bundle of plum blossoms, stepped on the snow and wanted to cross the bridge. The attendant who followed had a plum blossom in his mouth and wanted to open the broken umbrella. Jin Tingbiao's painting is intended to use the situation of Zhong Jinshi's visit to Mei to reflect the inner personality of the lonely and tall people in the painting.
Under the brushwork of painters, Zhong Kui has been given many new meanings in addition to the original function of exorcising ghosts and evil spirits. In particular, literati painters have always been loyal to the creation of various forms of Zhong Kui paintings, forming a historical context for the development of Zhong Kui paintings, which not only reflects the differences in the aesthetic tastes of different eras and different painters, but also shows us that the same subject in Chinese painting can contain extremely rich aesthetic tastes and cultural connotations.