The so-called ladies: first, it refers to the beauties painted by painters, and after the Song Dynasty, they were mostly called scholars, and later they were ladies; second, they refer to women from bureaucratic families. The lady was born from the "scholar" in the pre-Qin period. It is recorded in "Shangshu Wucheng": "Wanton to the East, Sui Ji Warrior Girl." But the lady of the gentleman, Xuan Xuanhuang, Zhao I am the king of Zhou". "The Book of Songs, Zheng Feng, Qinwei" also said: "Weishi and the woman, Yi Qi scorned each other, and gave them peonies."
The paintings of ladies in the Wei and Jin dynasties were originally based on the images of virtuous women in ancient times and women in myths and legends. Gu Kaizhi's masterpiece "Luo Shen Futu" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty comes from the artistic imagination of Cao Zhi's "Luo Shen Fu": "Its shape is also like a frightening flood and graceful like a dragon." Rong Yao autumn chrysanthemum, Huamao spring pine. The hair is like the moon covered by light clouds, and the fluttering is like the snow of the flowing wind. Looking at it from afar, it is as bright as the sun rising in the morning glow, and when you are forced to observe it, it is scorching like a hibiscus rising out of the waves. ”
Eastern Jin Dynasty Gu Kaizhi Luo Shen Fu Tu (Song Facsimile Detail)
Tang Zhoufang hairpin lady (detail)
In the Tang Dynasty, the artistic creation of ladies' paintings entered a glorious period. In the book "Catalogue of Famous Paintings of the Tang Dynasty" written by Zhu Jingxuan in the Tang Dynasty, it is mentioned that Zhou Fang, Chen Hong, Zhang Xuan, Cheng Xiuji, Gao Yun, Tan Jiao, Xiao Qin, Le Jun, Zhang She, Zhang Rong, Li Minao, etc. are all good at painting "ladies". The images of women in the paintings of ladies in this period are more with the open and inclusive fashion of the Tang Dynasty, with full and plump bodies and faces, highlighting the luxury of the Tang Dynasty. Representative works include Zhou Fang's "Hairpin Lady", "Fan Lady", Zhang Xuan's "Pounding Practice" and so on.
Tang Zhang Xuan Pounding Diagram (detail)
During the Song Dynasty, the theme of ladies' paintings was innovative, and the images of low-level women began to appear, the painting method was more realistic, the figure modeling was more accurate, and the proportions were coordinated. Such as Mou Yi's "Pounding Clothes", Wang Juzheng's "Spinning Wheel" and so on. By the middle of the Song Dynasty, the term "ladies" was widely used. In "Pictures and Stories", Guo Ruoxu called Zhou Wenju: "Painters and horses, especially workers and ladies".
The picture below can be viewed in landscape mode
Southern Song Dynasty Mou Yi pounding clothes (detail)
In the Yuan Dynasty, due to the turbulence of the times, the creation of literati and artists was far from reality, and the creation of ladies' paintings was no longer in the grand expiry of the previous dynasty. In terms of subject matter, most of them are taken from literary and historical classics, and the image of ladies is more inspired by the style of the Tang Dynasty. Such as Zhou Lang's "Du Qiu Tu", Wei Jiuding's "Luo Shen Tu".
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the participation of literati painters, ladies' painting flourished again and developed further. On the one hand, the developed drama and novel creation and dissemination provided more subjects for ladies' paintings, and ladies' paintings began to become secularized; on the other hand, the images of ladies' were more beautiful and weak, dignified and elegant. For example, Ming Wuwei's "Wuling Spring Picture", Wen Zhengming's "Xiangjun Xiang Lady Picture", Qiu Ying's "Guifei Xiao Makeup Picture", in addition to Ming Chen Hongshou, You Qiu and Gu Jianlong and many other famous artists. But in the Qing Dynasty, the pursuit of a morbid deformed beauty became a trend among painters. This kind of lady painting, which pursues the image of a woman's delicate and powerless "sick beauty", reflects the male aesthetic of women, and also reflects the low status of women under the increasingly strict etiquette of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Ming Wen Zhengming Xiang Jun Xiang Lady Picture
Mrs. Xiang Jun Xiang (detail)
There is no shortage of criticism of this morbid aesthetic by latecomers. Zhang Geng wrote in the "Catalogue of Paintings of the National Dynasty": "The ancients painted ladies, three-dimensional or sitting or walking, standing or lying, all of which are simple and charming, natural and charming. Today's painters, in order to be new and gorgeous, are vainly bent and bent, and the disciples of Liyuan appear in dramas and advocate women and flattering people, which makes people feel disgusting." It is this kind of malpractice that he criticizes.
The Ming Dynasty poet Churchy once wrote a poem "Ladies", which can quite reflect the artistic conception of ladies' paintings:
Silk frost lotus root weaving fairy clothes, close to the plantain resentment of the sunset.
It was cold to step through the green moss and socks, and there was frost flying in front of the palace last night.
Ancient Chinese ladies' painting experienced the early development of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, the expansion of the Song and Yuan dynasties, and the development of an important art category during the Ming and Qing dynasties. With the changes in the society's aesthetic requirements for women and the changes in the social status of women in previous dynasties, the images of ladies in Chinese paintings reflect the female style of society in different eras, as well as the aesthetic interest and image shaping of people at that time.
Eastern Jin Dynasty, Gu Kaizhi, part of "Luo Shen Futu".
Ancient ladies' painting learning methods
To learn the painting of ancient ladies, we must first start with "copying", so that we can "enter the law of the ancients" and solidly understand the theory and painting method of ladies' painting. Secondly, it is necessary to start from the "rules" and master the faces, body shapes and hand styles of the ancient ladies portrayed by the ancients, so as to reflect the unique characteristics of traditional ladies' paintings. In addition, it is necessary to cooperate with the "teacher's creation", with shorthand and dictation to enrich the image, so that the face, body shape, and hand style created in ancient times can be injected with vitality and make it flesh and blood. Finally, it is necessary to "learn from creation", learn from traditional masterpieces, learn from the appearance and charm of beautiful women in real life, and learn from drama, dance, martial arts, gymnastics and other beautiful shapes, so that they can be imperceptibly imagined and creative.
Tang, Zhou Fang, part of "Hairpin Lady".
Copy the template
Copying is the most important way to understand and learn from traditions. To copy the ancient ladies' paintings, it is necessary to choose excellent models, have a clear purpose, focus on understanding the formal characteristics of traditional ladies' paintings, such as modeling techniques, line drawing organization rules, brushwork, ink rhyme, etc., and gradually have an overall understanding of the formalities, styles and technical characteristics of traditional ladies' paintings, so as to achieve better copying results.
First of all, it is necessary to figure out the template, carefully recognize, to look at it from a distance, first from the overall point of view, learn its chapter characteristics and its expression, and then make a specific analysis from the part, carefully discuss its pen type, penmanship, pen meaning, analyze its color application procedures and effects, from which to understand the characteristics and principles of traditional techniques, and gradually achieve "clear and rational law". To figure out the template, you should read it repeatedly, understand the techniques of the ancients, and don't rush to paint without seeking a solution.
Secondly, we should concentrate on copying, requiring the truth, "seeing, understanding, and chasing", and seek to make the gestures, ink rhyme, and color tones consistent with the template. At this stage, the focus is on seeking the law and understanding and learning the traditional techniques.
In addition, it is necessary to think about and summarize, and after copying, we must write down the experience, write the characteristics of the technique, the painting procedure, and the expression effect, and understand the essence of the technique, so as to adapt and achieve the use of the method.
Finally, to get rid of the rules, to give up the teacher to seek long, copying is a means of learning, the purpose is to obtain traditional techniques, not only to drill into, but also to jump out, to take the essence to the turnout, the strengths of each family, and gradually integrate into their own technical characteristics, in order to meet the requirements of the times.
Song, Liu Zonggu, "Yaotai Buyue Map"
Rules
Therefore, Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty proposed that "good scholars also follow the rules", especially the painters and folk painters of the Ming and Qing dynasties, who paid more attention to the eyebrow shape and face, body format and sample costumes of the ladies, and summarized and compiled the formulas and key tips, such as the eight eyebrows of the ladies, the six eye shapes, the eight laws of emotion, the palm and finger styles of the hand, the sitting, standing and walking postures of the posture, and the eight points of the clothing pattern, all of which are the procedures and rules that the ancient ladies must follow, reflecting the characteristics of the ancient ladies' paintings.
We must not only conscientiously comprehend and follow these rules and regulations, but also do not have to rigidly state the causes, we must absorb life, absorb new techniques and nutrition, and make them comprehensible, so as to respect the tradition and enrich the development to meet the requirements of the times.
Song, Su Hanchen, "Makeup Lady"
Shorthand memorization
Shorthand memorization is one of the traditional forms of painting, which is often used in portrait portraits and ladies' paintings, and is also one of the forms of "teacher creation". Shorthand is very popular in the two Han Dynasty to the Sui and Tang dynasties, and is still used after the Song Dynasty, according to records, Fang Jing, the eldest son of Emperor Liang Yuan, is an expert in shorthand, can put the guests on the seat, write at will, ask children can know it, Tang Dynasty Zhou Fang, Han Hu for Zhao Zong's photo, is also made in the form of shorthand.
Memorization is a kind of basic skill of writing images silently from memory, which has been very popular in the Han Dynasty to the Sui and Tang dynasties, from Yao's most comment on Sheikh, "Writing characters, not looking at each other, must be at a glance, then it will be returned to the pen, and the eyes are lost", which can show Sheikh's superb ability to memorize. The "Night Banquet of Han Xizai" in Gu Hong of the Five Dynasties is also a typical back-to-back work.
Shorthand memorization, ancient emphasis on "familiarity", "shape", "momentum", and "interest". "Familiarity": familiar with its charm character, shorthand or memorization can get its essence. Chen Zao of the Song Dynasty said that "focusing on the upheaval, making a familiar eye and tacitly knowing, a good idea, and rushing to use pen and ink", which shows that "familiarity" is an important key to the charm of shorthand characters. "Approximate form": Traditional painting emphasizes not to "be cautious and lose appearance", but to integrate, simplify and purify when shorthand and memorization, and concisely remember and paint human figures. "Taking the momentum": ancient shorthand and memorization emphasize that the body and momentum are consistent, and the combination is beautiful, and the separation is hurt, and the bone and aerodynamic momentum is the basic element to obtain the beauty of the body of the lady's painting. "Seeking fun": ancient shorthand and memorization emphasize the plot and interest, and we should be good at grasping the interesting plot of a moment, combined with "moving the imagination to be wonderful", so that it can produce interest and achieve the effect of intrigue and association. Shorthand and memorization is not only to improve the basic skills of ladies' painting, but also an excellent form of collecting image materials, the traditional shorthand memorization often uses a combination of pictures and texts, painting and memorization, drawing and form, remembering the essentials with texts, and even remembering the inspiration and passion of the time, so as to infiltrate the artistic conception or express the nostalgia with poetry when creating in the future.
Yuan, anonymous, "Xiangyue Chaoyin Diagram"
Draw on creation
Although the crown hair and clothing of ancient ladies are different from those of modern times, there are still similarities and similarities in the image and temperament of people. Therefore, with reference to the modern drama, dance, gymnastics, and the appearance and charm of modern movie stars or real-life women, when shaping the image of ancient ladies, organize and recreate, move their souls, possess their bodies, appreciate their shapes, take their potential, and seek the rhyme, so that they can be flesh and blood and vibrant, and often obtain new ideas and real effects. When borrowing from modern characters, we should keep in mind the tradition, reflect the formal characteristics of the ancient ladies, and do not modernize the ancient ladies.