By the Song Dynasty, with the improvement of the economic level, the genre paintings in figure painting that adapted to the prosperity of urban and rural economies were prominently developed.
At the beginning of the 12th century, Zhang Zeduan created the ancient masterpiece "Qingming On the River Map" volume, which raised the genre painting to an unprecedented level. Zhang Zeduan, a native of Shandong, was a native of Dongwu (present-day Zhucheng, Shandong). He was a reader in the late Northern Song Dynasty, working on boundary paintings, boats, and bridges, and later entered the Huizong Painting Academy. His "Map of the Upper River of the Qingming Dynasty" takes the northern section of the canal, the Khan River, as the link in a specific environment, and describes the prosperous scenes inside and outside the capital and the daily lives of various characters.
Using the composition of the viewpoint (East) that constantly moves from right to left, in a long scroll of more than five meters, the three major parts of the suburbs, the banks of the Bian River and the streets in the city are described in turn, gradually introducing the viewer into the bustling and noisy city well, so that the three hundred and sixty lines and the activities of the characters of all classes in the urban and rural areas of Bieliang can be seen.
Northern Song Dynasty Zhang Zeduan's "Map of the Upper River of the Qingming Dynasty" Part 1
The tension and busyness of water transportation inside and outside the Bian River, the prosperity of commercial and handicraft activities in the urban area, the persimmon ratio of shops, and the bustle of pedestrians are dazzling and immersive.
The author also deliberately portrays the camel caravan from the north descending south along the Bian River, highlighting Kyoto's role as a hub in connecting the north and the south economy, truly reproducing the differences between life and fashion customs between work and leisure, the poor and the rich, and emphasizing the dramatic scenes near Hongqiao, making the whole volume undulating and fascinating.
This huge collection of landscape paintings, boundary paintings and character customs paintings, with accurate shapes, smooth pen and ink, light and elegant coloring, unified and diverse composition, has reached the state of pure fire, resulting in countless imitators since the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Northern Song Dynasty Zhang Zeduan's "Qingming River Map" Part 2
The popularity of genre paintings and seasonal paintings during the Southern Song Dynasty was more abundant and diverse than that of the Northern Song Dynasty. The prosperity of the urban and rural economies further aroused the painters' interest in secular life, and the painters' attention seemed to turn to the more ordinary and trivial scenes of life and a variety of life sentiments. The depiction of children's mood and psychology has reached an unprecedented level in seasonal painting and general genre painting.
The famous children's painter Su Hanchen was a native of Kaifeng, Henan, who was originally a candidate for the Xuanhe Painting Academy, and continued to serve after the southern crossing. His "Autumn Garden Baby Drama" axis, with a delicate and rigorous painting style and bright colors, depicts the autumn flowers blooming in the courtyard, the lake stone standing, and two children playing with toys on the embroidered pier inlaid with screws under the shade of the flowers. Another embroidery pier in the flower bush is also filled with toys, highlighting the children's playfulness.
This excavation of the trivial life of children shows the delicate and nuanced observation of life by the painter. Su Hanchen and others tirelessly paint children in seasonal paintings, probably to satisfy the psychology of the viewer who has many children and many blessings. Traditional New Year paintings of children may be indiscriminately coveted here.
Southern Song Dynasty Su Hanchen", "Autumn Garden Drama Baby Picture"
Su Hanchen also painted "Cargo Lang Tu", but the painter who depicted the children crowding the goods was Li Song, a courtyard painter who was a generation later than him. Li Song, who worked as a carpenter, was the adopted son of Li Congxun, a painter from the Northern Song Dynasty Xuanhe Painting Academy. He is versatile and good at all, and the people, landscapes, flowers and birds he paints all have the meaning of genre painting. In his figure genre paintings, "Cargo Lang Tu" is a large category.
In these scrolls or fan-shaped "Cargo Lang Diagrams", one can see a group of innocent and lively children attracted by the cargo lang and flocking to it. Children who are eager to get the toy begin to climb on their own, children who are slightly sensible pull on their mother's clothes must want to buy it quickly, and babies who are still sucking milk cannot forget to touch the toy with their hands. In this scene, the painter also depicts the patience of the mother and the ambivalence of the freighter who expects to sell well at the expense of loss and damage. He used the traditional "boundary painting" technique to depict the dazzling cargo burden, naturally distinguishing hibiscus, chrysanthemums blooming, two young children around the heart.
The fluttering of the lines used in the characters' clothing is probably not only to compare the precision of the pen used by the cargo lang, but also to show the texture of the cloth, from the point that the color is more simple than Su Hanchen, and the pen and ink are also very simple, and it can also be glimpsed that the court painter's interest is closer to that of ordinary admirers.
Another type of his work is aimed at criticizing the bad habits of chen feng. According to legend, his painting of the "Four Mysteries" was a flogging of the urban morbid life of alcoholism, prostitutes, and fighting. In connection with his pioneering work of painting "Thirty-six Portraits of Song Jiang and Others", it should be said that he is a thoughtful painter.
Southern Song Dynasty Li Song "Cargo Lang Tu"
Many of the similar genre pictures are based on rural life. Among them, Yan Ziping's "Four Seasons Cattle Herding Chart" volume and Li Di's "Return to Pastoral Chart" axis are very delicate and moving.
The former shows the various life conditions of the shepherd boy in the four seasons from different aspects, and the winter scenery vividly depicts the cold form of the shepherd boy creeping in the coat in the cold wind. The latter shows a shepherd boy in a sloping wind and drizzle looking for a straw hat blown off by the wind on the back of a cow, full of life sentiments.
This shows that the painter is very familiar with rural life. Another example is the "Village Children's Noisy School Map" page, which depicts the naughty rural children playing with Mr. Dong Bao, and the "Village Doctor Map" scroll, which is rumored to be Li Tang, which is also an excellent work that reflects the customs of rural life.
Southern Song Dynasty Li Di 《Wind and Rain Pastoral Return Map》
Reference: Xue Yongnian, Zhao Li, Shang Gang, "Five Dynasties of Chinese Art History to the Song and Yuan Dynasties"