Chapter 4 Section 2 Exquisite lacquer painting and the earliest silk painting

In the Warring States Period "Han Feizi·Wai Chu Shuo", there is a record about the painting of gongs: "There are some people who painted gongs for Zhou Jun, and they were completed in three years. The king's view is the same as that of 髹 [xiuxiu] gongs. Zhou Junda Anger. The painter said: "Build a wall of ten boards, chisel out an eight-foot fence, and look at it when the sun first rises." Zhou Jun did it, saw its shape, and it was like a dragon, snake, bird, beast, and chariot The shape of horses and everything is ready. Zhou Jun is very happy." The painting, which took three years to complete, shows the vivid appearance of dragons, snakes and beasts under the special concentrated light. It can be described as extremely delicate and unbelievable. .Fortunately, from the unearthed cultural relics of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, we can prove that the description in the story is not false.

On both sides of a duck-shaped lacquer ware unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Suixian County, Hubei Province, there is a rectangular blank on each side with miniature pictures drawn on it.It is surrounded by dense patterns covering the utensils, like two "windows".One depicts a scene of dancing, the other of playing music.Among them, the musicians are depicted as weird animal images. There is also a painted lacquer box unearthed from Baoshan Tomb No. 2 in Jingmen, Hubei, with a group of figures painted on the box lid.Wukeshu divides the screen space, which is 87.4 cm long and 5.2 cm high after unfolding, into five parts, as if expressing a continuous story.In terms of space concept and time expression, it can be regarded as the prototype of later scroll paintings.

Lacquerware painting is a process in which lacquer tree resin is mixed into various colors and then painted on wood or bamboo.According to archaeological excavations, as early as the Shang Dynasty in the 16th century BC, the wise Chinese nation discovered and began to use lacquer and lacquerware.Large fragments of lacquerware and lacquer drawings have been found in royal tombs of the Shang Dynasty in Anyang, Henan.From the duck-shaped lacquer box from Zenghou Yi's tomb and the painted lacquer box from Baoshan Tomb in Jingmen, it can be seen that lacquer painting was developed to a very high level during the Warring States period.Important representative works include "Wooden Carved and Painted Gong and Drum Stand" unearthed in Xinyang, Henan.Most of them are painted with red patterns on a black background, or painted black patterns on a red background.The vortex-shaped cloud pattern and the flying dragon, phoenix, and tiger-shaped patterns change each other, which not only has the exquisiteness and delicacy of handicrafts, but also has the characteristics of a two-dimensional painting.This style continued until the Han Dynasty.

If lacquer painting is still attached to practical utensils and cannot be regarded as a completely independent painting, then the two silk paintings discovered in Changsha, Hunan Province in the 3rd century BC are the oldest paintings discovered so far in the history of Chinese painting. Among them, the silk painting "Character Dragon and Phoenix", which is 31 cm high and 22 cm wide, was unearthed in a Chu tomb in Chenjia Dashan, Changsha in 1949.The picture depicts a woman sideways, with her hands clasped in front of her chest in prayer, a long skirt with a slender waist, and a pretty face.The legendary dragon and phoenix are painted on the upper left. "Character Yulong" silk painting, 37.5 cm high and 28 cm wide. It was unearthed in 1973 from the tomb of Chu in the bullet library in Changsha.The painting depicts a man riding a dragon, with a high crown on his head, a long sword on his waist, and a rein in his hand, standing sideways on the back of a dragon.The giant dragon was in the shape of a boat with its head and tail raised, and a heron stood on the tail of the dragon.Above the head of the character is a cover.There is also a carp drawn on the lower left.The belts of the figures in the painting, the reins on the dragon's head, and the ribbons on the cover of the vehicle are all swayed to the left, creating a visual momentum of flying a dragon.

The content and technique of the two works are very similar. They are both buried next to the corpse, and the tops are sewn with bamboo strips and tied with silk ropes.Its use should be the banner in the funeral.In connection with the customs of Chu State, which believed in witchcraft, scholars believe that the figure painted in the picture is probably the image of the owner of the tomb or "Witch Zhu", which may mean praying for God's blessing or leading the soul to ascend to heaven.The painting method generally uses ink line sketching, flat painting and coloring.The proportions, shapes, and costumes of the characters are relatively accurate.The images of animals such as dragons and phoenixes are particularly vivid.The lines are smooth, and the traces of painting on the heads, faces and clothing of the characters are still faintly visible.From this, we can draw the following conclusions: As early as the Warring States period two or three thousand years ago, there were independent paintings that created images on flat materials and expressed certain ideas.The basic characteristics of Chinese painting, which are shaped with ink lines and pursue the expressive force of lines, have initially formed.