Gu Kaizhi
Gu Kaizhi (c. 345–406), courtesy name Changkang, was a native of Wuxi, Jinling (present-day Wuxi, Jiangsu). Gu Kaizhi is versatile and has a high degree of achievement in poetry, calligraphy and painting, of course, the most prominent is his achievements in figure painting. This achievement not only made him outstanding in the Figure Painting Community of the Southern and Northern Dynasties of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but also had a great influence on future generations, which can be called a model for all generations. In this regard, he and the book saint Wang Xizhi enjoyed a very similar artistic status in the field of calligraphy.
Examining Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings, it can be roughly based on the following two materials: First, the work itself. Although Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings are all facsimiles of later generations, these facsimiles basically reflect the appearance and standard of Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings. In addition, some mural works from the Southern and Northern Dynasties can also be used as references. The second is the various evaluations of Gu Kaizhi and his paintings by later generations, as well as the painting opinions published by Gu Kaizhi himself, these two materials are combined and contrasted with each other, which can better grasp the true style of Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings.
Examining the linguistic characteristics and stylistic realm of Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings, we can first focus on his use of "lines". So, what are the characteristics of the lines painted by Gu Kaizhi's figures? Judging from the works such as "Luoshen Futu", "Female Shi ZhenTu", "Lienu Zhiren Tu" and "Jieqin Tu", most of their lines are soothing, vigorous and slender—which is in line with the line character of the Han Dynasty painting figures. It is on this basis that Gu Kaizhi plays and creates, making the lines appear more vigorous and resilient, more stretched and calm, more like turning to subtle perfection. Some scholars believe that Gu Kaizhi's line "round and turning" may have been influenced by the pen used in the seal book at that time, which makes some sense. Judging from the linear characteristics of the above works, the speed of the pen is relatively slow in control, but there is no sense of stagnation, thus showing a uniform, rounded and natural tone, which is indeed the same as the seal book. Later, zhan Jingfeng of the Ming Dynasty said in his evaluation of his "Roselle Futu", "His pen is like flying without a stroke of failure", "it is also like a gossamer and no pen sharp fall". Some people also use phrases such as "spring clouds floating in the sky", "flowing water", "spring silkworm spitting silk" and other words to describe Gu's pen (line), which can be described as image and appropriate. In particular, the four characters of "spring silkworm spitting silk" reveal well the characteristics of Gu Kaizhi's pen (line) of "cotton", "slowness", "toughness", "fine", "circle" and "turn".
Eastern Jin Dynasty Gu Kaizhi
Roselle Futu (Song Facsimile) (Partial)
Silk coloring
Length 27.1 cm
Width 572.8 cm
Collection of the Palace Museum
Gu Kai's character painting brush and style characteristics are concentrated in the "Roselle Futu" and "Female History Zhentu". The Roselle Futu has two facsimiles of the Tang and Song dynasties. I think the facsimile of the Tang dynasty should be closer to Gu Kaizhi's painting style. Numerous figures are depicted in the work—their clothes and streamers, their faces, hands and siblings, and even mountains, stones, trees, and clouds, which are completely outlined with thin, long lines. The characters in the "Female History Proverbs" are depicted with more slender lines, circles and flowing. Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings won with "gods", and there are many discussions on this in later generations. For example, Zhang Huaihuan of the Tang Dynasty said, "the beauty of elephant people" and "the gods of the gods are taken care of." He also said: "There is no magic in the world, and Gu is the most important." The great poet Du Fu gave a poem: "The golden shadow of the tiger's head is unforgettable." Zhang Yanyuan commented on Gu Kaizhi's "Wei Mo Jie Statue", saying that he could successfully show "the appearance of a clear and sick person, and the appearance of forgetting a few words". In the Ming Dynasty, He Liangjun said in his evaluation of Gu Kaizhi's "Female History Proverbs", "This god does not lose its nature" and "all are alive". Gu Kaizhi himself has repeatedly stressed the need to "write God in form" and "convey The portrayal of God." Obviously, in order to "convey the spirit", we must first focus on the portrayal of the character's appearance. The reason why Gu Kaizhi was able to win with "God" should have a lot to do with the characteristics of the pen (line) used in his character paintings. In this regard, Zhang Yanyuan has a relevant discussion in the "Records of Famous Paintings of Past Dynasties", which is worth carefully reading:
Gu Kai's traces, tight and vigorous, the cycle is super abrupt, the style is easy, the wind tends to be electric, the intention is to save the pen first, the painting is full of intention, so the whole spirit is also. ("Records of Famous Paintings of Past Dynasties: On Gu Lu Zhang Wu's Pen")
Roselle Futu (Partial)
The so-called "tight and vigorous cotton" is the "spring silkworm spitting silk" mentioned above. In addition to the characteristics of this pen being "cotton", "tough", "thin", "round" and "turning", there is also an important symptom, which is "slow". However, the meaning of "slowness" here is incompatible with what Zhang Yanyuan called "wind and electricity", how to explain this relationship? It should be said that as far as Gu Kaizhi's pen speed is concerned, it may be "slow" (slow), just like the spring silkworm spitting silk and slowly coming out, otherwise it would not have achieved what Sheikh said: "the pen is not vain" and "the body is subtle". Looking at a series of works such as Gu Kaizhi's "Roselle Futu", it is not difficult to find that his calm, tight and tenacious brush tone is obviously impossible to do with the "disease" pen, and it is conceivable that the painter must be "intentional and thoughtful" when using the pen (line) to shape the character. But in terms of the nature of the line itself— or in terms of the visual sensation produced by the pen, it is not necessarily "slow", but can completely form an aesthetic effect of "wind and electricity". In this regard, Gu Kaizhi's lines are different from the paintings of the Two Han Dynasties—their brush strokes are slow, and the visual effects are also slow. It is also different from some of the murals and lacquer paintings of the Two Han Dynasties. Rather, the brush (line) used in Gu Kaizhi's figure painting is the antithetical unity of "slowness" and "disease". That is to say, Gu Kaizhi's lines have both "cotton", "toughness", "roundness", and "slowness", as well as the "thin", "tight", "turning" and "disease" sides; it is "spring silkworm spitting silk" and "spring clouds floating in the air", and it is also "flowing water" and "wind and electricity". The former is biased toward "static", while the latter is biased toward "movement", which is the antithetical unity of "static" (slow) and "moving" (disease). And when the movement of the line is integrated with the flowing posture of the characters and the flying skirts, the "slow" (quiet) side seems to be hidden, while the "disease" (movement) is shown with a very strong trend and tendency, which is what Zhang Yanyuan said" "the cycle is superhuman, the style is easy". With the pen to do this, the character's mood will of course become more and more elegant and divine. This all shows that the aura of the figure painting is not only seen in the depiction of the eyebrows, but also in the wind style that radiates from the use of pen and ink--it holds up the shape of the figure and circulates and spreads around. Therefore, Zhang Yanyuan said: "The bones are similar, all of which are based on the intention and return to the use of the pen." In short, the beauty of the lines and the related postures and costumes of the characters have an important auxiliary role in expressing the "gods" of the characters. Zong Baihua once pointed out that Chinese painting "in the flow of the folds of clothing, various characters and life postures are expressed in various lines and patterns". Gu Kaizhi called this "helping the gods", he said, "The clothes and the things are very strange, as a woman Yuli's bun, in the pitch, every point and painting is in harmony with its beautiful posture", "the bones of the characters are made and the clothes are made, and the clothes are also used to help the drunken ears of the gods". It should be said that clothing ("clothes chapter" and "bun") has the function of "helping the gods", and the lines depicting the costumes ("one point and one painting") also have the ability to "help the gods". On the contrary, if the painter ignores the role of the line in the aesthetic creation, and ignores the special auxiliary role of the line in the character modeling ("shaped bone" and "beautiful posture"), then the performance of the "god" of the character will be very insufficient, according to Zhang Yanyuan's words, it will not be possible to achieve "full spirit".
Related to this is the problem of "loose body" and "secret body" of Gu Kai's figure painting modeling. The so-called sparse and dense two bodies refer to the degree of density of the lines in the figure painting modeling. After Gu Kaizhi, Lu Tanwei's figure paintings were a kind of "secret body"; while Zhang Shengxuan and Wu Daozi of the Tang Dynasty appeared as a kind of "loose body". Zhang Yanyuan once pointed out: "If you know that the painting has a dense two-body, you can discuss the painting." He also referred to Gu and Lu as representatives of the "dense body" of "meticulous handwriting", and Zhang and Wu's "away from the dot painting, sometimes seeing the lack" as the category of "sparse body". In fact, Lu Tanwei ("secret body") and Zhang Shengxuan ("loose body") both changed and developed from Gu Kaizhi. Therefore, if Gu Kai's pure "secret body" or pure "sparse body", then lu and Zhang's "dense" body must be difficult to trace back. I think that although the language structure of Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings is mainly based on "dense body", it also contains the factor of "thin body", which is both dense and dense. For example, his "Roselle Futu" and "Female Shi Zhentu" are obviously "dense bodies", and their lines are like spring silkworms spitting silk, which is endless, which is very different from the style of "loose body" of "detaching from the dot painting, sometimes seeing the lack". The formation of this "secret body" is due to the influence of the Health Association, and the "essence" of the Health Association has developed into a more perfect "precision" in the hands of Gu Kaizhi. In contrast, some of the characters in Gu Kaizhi's "Lienu Renzhitu" tend to be "sparse", and their "line" structure is not as fine and continuous as the above two works, but presents a strong and loose image. This may also have a relationship with the style of painting of the Health Association that "should not be prepared to resemble" and is seen with "grandeur". Therefore, later theorists and artists have two evaluations of Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings. For example, Sheikh said that Gu Kaizhi's paintings were "exquisite in style", and Zhan Jingfeng in the Ming Dynasty said that Gu Kaizhi's paintings were "ancient and elegant", and "women's clothes and gold clothes are extremely exquisite, which makes people frightened". These evaluations show that "dense body" is a very important aesthetic feature of Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings. But there is another evaluation. For example, the Song Dynasty Huang Bosi commented on Gu Kaizhi's "Renzhi Tu of the Daughters of The Column", saying that "this figure is simple and ancient"; "Slightly its Xuan Huang, take its donkey, but the true appreciator knows it alone.". In the Yuan Dynasty, Tang Gao commented on Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings: "At first sight, it is very easy, and the shape is like a time or a loss, and if you look closely, you have six methods, and there are those who cannot be described in words and words." These comments are a good illustration of its "sparse" characteristics. Later, zhan Jingfeng of the Ming Dynasty pointed out that Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings were "ancient and elegant", but also said that they were "handsome and elegant", and believed that the two "may as well be passed on at the same time". It can be seen that Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings do have two ("dense") systems. If you relate to the characteristics of his "pen", his slow pen is often "dense" and "subtle"; while the "disease" pen may tend to be "sparse", inclined to "simple and easy" and "handsome and elegant".
Female Shi Zhentu (Tang facsimile) (partial)
Silk coloring
Length 24.8 cm
Width 348.2 cm
Collection of the British Museum
The characteristics of the pen (line) expounded above and the two bodies of "sparse" and "dense" constitute the basic style of "language" of Gu Kai's figure painting. However, it must be seen that any language style is not isolated, it is always subordinate to and serves the character modeling (image), and only when it is unified with the shape of the character will it obtain aesthetic value and meaning. The language and shape of Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings are precisely such a relationship of water and milk, and on this basis, the unique style of Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings has been formed - Gaogu.
For this kind of ancient style, many theorists and artists in later generations have discussed it. Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty regarded Gu Kaizhi's paintings ("Traces of Gu Lu") as a "medieval" style that could be juxtaposed with "antiquity". Although the word "medieval" is a concept of time, the so-called "middle quality of Yan Xiang" points out its stylistic connotation, indicating that Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings have achieved a harmonious and complete unity in content (quality) and form (Yan), and it is from this unity that the weather of "Gaogu" is radiated. Zhan Jingfeng of the Ming Dynasty said that Gu Kaizhi's "Luoshen Futu" was "ancient and magical", "ancient and clumsy", and "elegant". Li Baoxun of the Qing Dynasty said that Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings were "simple and humorous" and had "ancient and clumsy interest". Wu Sheng of the Qing Dynasty said of Gu Kaizhi's "Female History Zhentu": "This picture is both ancient and ancient. Anqi of the Qing Dynasty also said that the "Female Shi Zhentu" "position of brushwork, the extreme of high antiquity" and "Xun is beyond the reach of the Tang people". It can be seen that "gaogu" is one of the most prominent features of Gu Kai's figure painting style.
The formation of Gu Kaizhi's "gaogu" style of figure painting was first of all due to the characteristics of his lines (with pen). His dense body composed of tough, delicate, gossamer-like lines ripples with a kind of "high ancient" style and weather that floats in the air and makes people forget the dust. Although Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings are rich in coloring, the whole tone is still pure and unified, as if it is a hue that naturally arises from the character shape and lines, rather than some kind of external algae decoration. Zhan Jingfeng of the Ming Dynasty said that Gu Kaizhi's paintings were "colored and clear to the bone". In the Yuan Dynasty, Tang Yan, Xia Wenyan and others also said that Gu Kaizhi "dyes the appearance of Fu Kaizhi's characters, embellishes them with thick colors, and does not seek algae decoration" and "does not seek halo decoration". This shows that the coloring of Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings also shows the clear and natural "high ancient" realm.
Female Shi ZhenTu (partial)
From the perspective of shape, the posture of its characters also reveals a "high ancient" style. Ye Dehui of the Qing Dynasty said that Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings "still exist in the han stone chamber stone que portrait will". Li Baoxun also praised Gu Kaizhi in this way, "the tiger's head is brilliant in ancient and modern times" and "ancient and simple, similar to Chinese painting stones". Indeed, Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings clearly bear the round and simple style of Han Dynasty portrait stones (bricks) in their shapes. For example, in the "Lienu RenzhiTu", the treatment of the wide robe with the sleeves of the characters is so full and full, showing the tension and simplicity of the circular arc common in han Dynasty portrait stone (brick) figure paintings. The facial depiction of the group of characters at the right end of the "Luoshen Futu" is also quite close to the oval shape of the Han Dynasty portrait stone (brick). Of course, Gu Kaizhi's figure painting modeling is not a simple reproduction of the Portrait Stone (brick) of the Han Dynasty, in fact, the heavy modeling texture of the Portrait Stone (brick) has been replaced by its flowing form here in Gu Kaizhi. Some works (such as "Female Shi Zhentu") have more subtle changes in their character shapes and postures, and present a thin and beautiful appearance, which first appeared in ni duan, which later "showed bones and clear images". However, on the whole, Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings and Han Dynasty portrait stones (bricks) are mostly in line with the shape structure, and after Gu Kaizhi's re-tempering and creation, a "high ancient" style paradigm has finally been formed. The influence of this stylistic paradigm on later generations of figure painting was extremely far-reaching.
As mentioned earlier, Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings place great emphasis on "conveying the gods". He believes that the depiction of the eye plays a key role in "conveying the gods" ("the portrayal of the gods is in the midst of a block"). In addition, he also has an important insight, that is, he believes that the depiction of the character environment also plays a special role in "conveying the gods". Gu Kaizhi said:
All living people have no hands to look at, and those who have nothing to do before, in the form of God and emptiness are actually right, the harmony of Tsuen Sheng, and the fun of conveying God is lost. Emptiness is actually a big mistake for the right, a small mistake for the right and not for the right, and it must not be unaware, and it is not as clear as the enlightenment. (On Painting)
Lienu Zhirentu (Song facsimile) (partial)
Silk coloring
Length 25.8 cm
Width 470.3 cm
That is to say, the figures depicted by the painter cannot be separated from a certain environment ("the right one"), otherwise it is impossible to achieve the purpose of "transmitting god", that is, the so-called "emptiness is actually right" and "the fun of conveying god is lost". And not only can it not be "right before", but also it cannot be "right and wrong"—the painter must pay attention to the subtle echo between the character and the environment in the aesthetic creation, which is called "enlightenment to the theosophy". Gu Kaizhi's insights are very wonderful, which is a profound summary of painting practice. His "Female Shi ZhenTu", "Luoshen Futu", and "Lienu RenzhiTu" are all exemplary works of "enlightenment to the gods", such as the depiction of the relationship between Emperor Wu of Han and Ban Jie in "Female Shi Zhentu". In the picture, Ban Jie stands demurely, and Emperor Wudi of Han returns to the prime minister in the middle of the car, which not only shows the plot of "Ban Jie has words, cuts and rejoices with the same people", but also reveals the respective psychological states ("gods") of Emperor Wu of Han and Ban Jie very vividly in this inseparable and insistent relationship. The two accompanying women at the end of the picture are in a graceful posture, talking to each other, and between the eyebrows, the spirit is in harmony. The characters in "Renzhitu of the Lady of the Column" are almost all facing each other, or leaning or leaning, or facing or sideways, or greeting or responding, and the situation of Wei Linggong and Linggong's "enlightenment to the theosophy" is even more continuous and endless.
The circumstances mentioned above ("to whom") refer to interpersonal relationships. In addition, Gu Kaizhi's figure paintings also pay great attention to the depiction of the natural environment, which is also related to the transmission and expression of the "gods" of the characters. The famous painter Xie Kun is placed in the "hills and ravines", so that his otherworldly and sympathetic landscape life ("God") can be fully displayed, and "Roselle Futu" is such a representative work. The characters in the picture, "Phi Luo Yi Zhi Xuan" and "Light Skirt of The Mist Silk", are tender and affectionate, and they are looking forward to flowing essence. As the long scroll slowly unfolds, natural scenery such as mountains, trees, and flowing water envelops each figure like the auspicious rui in Chinese paintings, so that the picture is filled with an indescribable wonderful and confused atmosphere, and the characters' spirits spread leisurely in this atmosphere - this is the beauty of the artistic conception created by Gu Kaizhi in his depiction of the characters and the natural environment. As Zhang Huaihuan of the Tang Dynasty said in his comments on Gu Kaizhi's paintings: "Although he has sent a trace to Han, his spirit floats above the smoke, and he cannot ask for pictures." "The composition of "Roselle Futu" is also quite ingenious, the character arrangement is staggered, before and after, gathering and scattering, both sense of rhythm and order. Natural objects and figures are interspersed and integrated, and the distant mountains, distant waters and birds depicted in the picture and the close-up scenery immediately open up the layers and distances, so that people have a sense of depth visually. In the middle and back part of the picture, the field of vision gradually becomes sparse and open, the realm becomes vague and empty, and the protagonist's attachment to Luoshen and his feelings of pity and indifference seem to be vast and unreachable with the empty realm. "Suddenly do not realize what they give up, and they are afraid of the gods and cover the light", "They are afraid to resist the strategy, and they cannot go away". It should be said that Gu Kaizhi, with his visual language, has brilliantly interpreted the rich poetry contained in "Roselle".
Gu Kaizhi's contribution to figure painting was enormous, and his achievements and influence were great for many painters at that time—whether it was Cao Buxing, Wei Xie, Xun Xun before Gu Kaizhi, or Lu Tanwei, Zhang Shengxuan, Cao Zhongda, and Yang Zihua after Gu Kaizhi. Therefore, Li Sizhen of the Tang Dynasty said that "Gu Sheng's genius is outstanding, and he is an independent widow", "Thinking of the creation, obtaining wonderful things from the gods, enough to make Lu Sheng lose his steps, xun hou is desperate". Obviously, the emergence of Gu Kaizhi has shown a clearer aesthetic direction for the development of Chinese paintings, and the aesthetic character of Chinese paintings has become clearer in the hands of Gu Kaizhi, reaching the level of true maturity and perfection. Gu Kaizhi is the most brilliant superstar clustered by the figure painting groups of the Southern and Northern Dynasties of Wei and Jin, and his painting achievements are artistic wonders cultivated by the long-term art history of the pre-Qin and Qin and Han dynasties, and the aesthetic views he extracted and summarized from the practice of painting, like the "Six Laws" of Sheikh, can be called the essence of the ages and have a far-reaching influence.
Graphics and texts originated from the network only for learning and communication, such as copyright issues, please contact to deal with!