Chapter 6 The first part is selected from the posthumous works. Section 6. The application and development of dragon and phoenix patterns (1)

Among the national art patterns, the most familiar to the people is the dragon and phoenix pattern.But when experts and scholars talk about it, the most difficult thing to figure out is the dragon and phoenix pattern.Because the image of the dragon is not only imagined by legends, but also reflected in the shape design of arts and crafts, and it is constantly developing and changing. If only a few isolated documents are copied to confirm, the problem cannot be solved.I remember reading a small article in a newspaper a few years ago, talking about the image of the dragon, and citing the description of the dragon in "Er Ya Yi" written by Luo Yuan from the Song Dynasty.In fact, the reference of this material, which is used to explain the dragon shape reflected in the paintings, sculptures, ceramics, painted decorations, and brocade patterns of people in the Song Dynasty, is not specific and comprehensive enough.Not only is it impossible to give readers a clear impression, that is, the author of the article himself, nor can he get an image of various dragons that is more in line with the imagination of people at that time.It turns out that although the dragon is an imaginary animal, it has continuously enriched the artist with new images in the course of historical development.That is to say, in the era of the author of "Erya Wing", the appearance of dragons is also diverse.There are paintings of dragons handed down from generation to generation by Chen Rong, most of whom are in poses of rising from the changing situation.There are dragons painted in ink and carved on the bottles of Cizhou kiln. Although the heads are not big, they are also powerful and powerful.But it is Song style, which is quite different from the style of Tang and Ming dynasties.The most representative ones are the stone pillars with cloud dragons in the Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong, and the cloud dragon in front of Tiananmen Square, which is born out of it, with a different look.As for the dragons painted in caissons on the top of caves in the Song Dynasty in Dunhuang, there are also various shapes, but they are more lively than the pictures in "Zao Fa Shi".The most famous in the art of brocade embroidery is the engraved silk dragon on the front of the "Snow River Returning to the Oar" painted by Song Huizong Zhao Ji. It has bright colors and beautiful shapes. It can be said to be a treasure among the dragon shapes of the Song Dynasty.But if you don't compare it with the dragon and python robes of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, you still can't get its artistic features.The dragon shape of the Song Dynasty must have been influenced by the Tang Dynasty, but the most notable one is only the dragon shape on the Ding kiln porcelain plate, which is close to the reflection on the bronze mirror of the Tang Dynasty. Other materials have been developed in different ways.The above are but casual examples.If we make a comprehensive analysis of the art of dragons in this era, it will naturally be a long story.

The dragon and the phoenix have always been mentioned together, but the issue of the phoenix is ​​actually very complicated. Because it has been used as an artistic decoration theme for thousands of years, it has become more extensive and common, and its image has also developed and changed in different eras. The image of the phoenix seems to be isolated only from the records of Han Chinese such as "Shi Kuang Bird Classic".To understand it, it is necessary to compare various lively and vivid image materials left over from history, and then we will know that the phoenix is ​​also a kind of imaginary spirit bird, but it is manifested in many ways in artistic creation, with thousands of beautiful and lively forms. Style exists.If we pay attention to the development of connections, our knowledge of phoenixes will be richer and more specific, and we will not be copying what others say.

In people's impression, although dragon and phoenix have always been called together, since ancient times, and closely integrated with feudal politics, the image of dragon and phoenix has become the theme of feudal decorative art, and it is also close to a symbol of authority.But in fact, the two seem to be the same but are actually different in the historical development, and finally parted ways, each with its own merits.There are mainly two stories that determine the status of dragons and phoenixes and affect their later development: the one about the dragon is the legend of the Yellow Emperor recorded in the Shiji, and the Dinghu Dancheng ascended to heaven on a dragon, and some of the officials climbed the dragon's beard to ascend to heaven with him.About the phoenix is ​​the story of Xiao Shi playing the flute to attract the phoenix, and the story of crossing the phoenix to heaven with Nongyu.Both are myths and legends of ascending to heaven, the former is combined with feudal politics, but the latter is a touching love story. Later, people in the Six Dynasties used the two words "climbing the dragon and attaching the phoenix" together as a description of an attachment event, so the different meanings of the story were also lost. Forgot his ancestors in several classics.In fact, the two things should be separated.

The dragon has always represented a kind of authority or power, and the legends attached to it since the Middle Ages have further strengthened it.Since the Han and Tang Dynasties, due to alchemists and monks attached to artificial creations, although the original divinity of the dragon has decreased day by day, the newly added divinity has increased day by day.Conferring kings and marquises, separatist rule of the water mansion, and being called lonely and widowed, the dragon occupies a special position in the feudal social system.At this time, the phoenix has become less and less divine, but on the other hand, it is related to the description of love in poetry, so it is becoming more and more intimate in the emotions of most people.The former is pushed back with the times, feudalism ends, and the dignity of the dragon in history is also lost at once.Although in the history of decorative arts, the dragon still has a place.In modern plastic arts, dragon patterns are still widely used.Characters in the play must wear dragon robes, and the emperor must sit on the dragon bed. When visiting Beijing at home and abroad, the most interesting architectural sculpture must be the Nine Dragon Wall made of colorful glaze left over from the Ming Dynasty.The most impressive wood carvings are the many wood carvings of Yunlong caissons in the palaces of the Forbidden City.Among the stone carvings, the Dabi steps in front of the hall are embossed with clouds and dragons ascending and descending, which is particularly eye-catching.The dragon lantern dance during the Spring Festival is also a popular and lively and interesting program.However, the abstract dignity formed by the superstition of dragons has already lost its meaning.As for the phoenix, it is still very deep and common in the people's sentiments.The new era will still be the subject of Art Deco in many ways, with various reflections.The people are no longer afraid of the dragon, but they still love the phoenix.

The images of dragons and phoenixes in ancient art and the descriptions in the text are combined to pay attention to each other. Rather than simply citing documents to analyze whether they exist, you can also understand the emotional basis of the ancients' imagination of the two objects in earlier times.The dragon and phoenix in the oracle bone inscriptions have no fixed form, but basically it can be seen that the dragon is a spiritual insect that flexes and stretches according to the time, and the phoenix is ​​a gorgeous long-tailed spiritual bird.The arched double dragons form the rainbow that appears after the rain in the sky. It can be seen that there were legends or assumptions that the dragon could cause rain three thousand years ago, and it symbolizes mystery.But dragons seem to be able to be conquered and raised, so there was a "Huanlong family" in ancient times, and the Yellow Emperor later rode dragons to heaven.The patterns on bronze, jade, bone and stone artifacts reflect the development of various images. In the past, it was generally believed to belong to dragons and phoenixes, but recently some people have suspected it.However, there is no doubt that the dragon and phoenix decorative patterns occupy a major position in ancient artifacts.The issue of dragons will be discussed in another article.Now let's look at the life experience and development of this imaginary bird like Phoenix.

On a piece of open-carved white jade from the Shang Dynasty, it looks like a vulture roc with a human head under its claws. This is a phoenix, and it is not an accidental creation, because there are many carvings with the same style.The spirit is majestic, and it seems to be in line with the text, but it lacks the beautiful concept of phoenix since the Warring States period.However, the typical reflection of the patterns on a bronze ware at the same time is that it has a high crown on the top, a long tail, and eye-shaped patterns on the tail, which is almost the same as the later peacock.Therefore, knowing the peaceful and soft image of the Phoenix in the legend later, there is also a little foundation here.

The ancient records called "there is a phoenix in the instrument" and "the phoenix is ​​flying", let us know that this ideal spirit bird was regarded by the people and the noble rulers at that time as a symbol of auspicious happiness and a metaphor of love. But until three thousand years ago, at least two thousand seven hundred or eight hundred years ago.It originally seemed to be a mixture of vulture eagle and peacock, but it was idealized and attached with various mysteries as early as three thousand years ago.The Western Zhou Dynasty was a more pragmatic era, so the nature of the phoenix was not as grotesque as that of the dragon.A little later, Confucius sighed that "the phoenix bird does not come, and the river does not come out of the picture", which shows that the legend of the phoenix magic has already existed.The phoenix is ​​a big bird that does not come out of the world. It contains all kinds of virtues, and it is closely related to the age of destiny when it appears.Since the phoenix is ​​so rare, how the people have expressed it in various arts throughout the ages has become more vivid and lifelike, and it has become a symbol of love. There is a historical development process, and it does not come out of thin air.It is worth breaking it down into several different stages (or types) to analyze.