Aesthetic Significance of Costumes in The Picture of Zanhua Ladies

At present, it is the only painting of a lady in the world that is recognized as unique in the Tang Dynasty. In addition to uniqueness, his works also have high artistic value. They are typical specimens of ladies' paintings in the Tang Dynasty and can represent realistic paintings in the Tang Dynasty. The painting depicts the daily life of aristocratic women in the Tang Dynasty, indicating that the social politics in the Tang Dynasty was more enlightened, so the works reflecting real life can be handed down. This period is also the beginning of China's realistic figure painting style. Most of the previous paintings were historical and religious figures.

Maid-in-waiting's gauze skirt and flower steamed stuffed bun were the costumes at that time. Big peonies and jasmine flowers are popular in the tall bun, which looks elegant and beautiful against the background of black hair. You Simiao is the main way to describe characters. His brushwork is light and gentle, even and peaceful, especially with the help of color, which successfully shows the texture of gauze and skin. The gauze on the artist's arm is dyed light, which is deeper than bare skin and lighter than gauze. It only reproduces smooth skin and transparent gauze, conveying a soft and quiet aesthetic feeling. Judging from a large number of pottery figurines unearthed in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the costumes of the ladies in the paintings truly reflected the female fashion culture at that time. Both paintings and figures show the same aesthetic orientation and mental outlook.