Ancient and modern sculpture knowledge

Ancient Chinese sculpture is the essence of ancient Chinese art, ancient Chinese sculpture in the content of the subject matter, form and style, sculpture techniques, as well as the use of materials have a distinctive strong national characteristics, the characteristics of the times. For example, the Qin and Han sculptures are rough and majestic, the Wei and Jin sculptures are robust and elegant, and the Tang and Song sculptures are rich and elegant. Ancient Chinese sculpture is also full of the characteristics of writing and evocation, seriously pursued, few works like the ancient Greek works in line with the reality of the real standard. It is not accustomed to play the surface of the sculpture and the details, more like the kind of external image led by the feeling, mood, triggering a series of reverie space, leading people to an art world. Ancient sculpture subjects are mainly mausoleum sculpture, religious sculpture and labor life and folklore sculpture. Art categories are round, relief, monumental sculpture, desk sculpture, architectural and decorative sculpture, etc., carving materials are also rich and colorful, in addition to bronze, stone, brick, clay, pottery and other materials, there are jade carving, tooth carving, wood carving, bamboo carving and so on. China's primitive sculpture is mainly based on human and various animal images of ceramic molding, figures are mostly attached to the decorative objects on the utility, casual and strong, the image of coarse, simple, childish. The sculpture of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties was mainly cast in bronze, and the patterns on the bronze vessels were mainly animal and geometric patterns. Shang Dynasty bronze ceremonial objects in strange shapes, full of majestic and mysterious, sublime and bizarre beauty. From this period of archaeological excavations in a large number of sculptures unearthed, the only thing I do not see there is a statue of God, which is a unique phenomenon in the history of the world's sculpture art. After the Western Zhou Dynasty, its style tends to be realistic and rich in rationality. To the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period has become luxuriant, gorgeous. In addition to ritual objects in the Shang and Zhou periods, there are a number of utensils brackets, bases and other practical bronze and stone, bone, jade carvings, or characters, or animals, are skillfully modeled, made of fine. Qin and Han period of sculpture unprecedented prosperity, the most typical significance is the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors and Horses sculpture group. Contrary to the mysterious and strange style of bronzes, the terracotta warriors are full of sublime and masculine beauty. These tens of thousands of terracotta warriors and horses show the affirmation of human power. The figures and horses are all the same size as the real ones, without any exaggeration. The huge size, the large number and the realism of the images produce a shocking artistic charm. The stone carvings of large animals in front of the tomb of Huo Zaiwei, the famous general of the Western Han Dynasty, are concise and generalized, showing the beauty of strong force in the thick. Among them, "Horse Treading on Xiongnu" once again experiences the characteristic of Chinese sculpture art's writing and evocation. Although the horse is rough and clumsy, but it still has a kind of dynamic momentum, the shallow carving of a few strokes is the horse's legs, it is connected with the upper body of the horse into one, redundant without carving the stone material does not exist, there is a complete image of the horse. The Han Dynasty's thick burial style makes the sculpture of animal figurines and figure figurines numerous, its shape is simple, exaggerated and emphasize the momentum of movement. The secular life of the Han Dynasty became the material for sculpture, and the scenes of pounding rice, picking taro, brewing wine and dancing and music in the Han Dynasty brick images existed in large quantities in the form of bas-reliefs, and the life of the soil doctor such as feasting, driving, practicing archery, and so on, was also expressed. Among all the religions in the world, Buddhism is the most artistic. With the prevalence of Buddhism, Buddha sculpture became the mainstream of sculpture art in the Wei, Jin, North and South Dynasties, the famous Yungang, Dunhuang, Longmen, Maijishan four grottoes were excavated in this era. Generally speaking, the Northern Wei Dynasty statues in the form of style by the Indian or Western-style influence, solemn, simple, in the quiet show the Buddha's greatness. North and south dynasty buddhist sculpture fusion of han intellectuals aesthetic fashion, the formation of the commendation of the clothes, show bone clear image of the new style. Sui and Tang dynasties is the heyday of ancient Chinese sculpture, its achievements are first manifested in the grotto sculpture, such as Longmen Grottoes Fengxian Temple stone statues. Its carving method is smooth and skillful, creating a completely nationalized modeling style, which not only reflects the spirit of the times of the Tang empire's vast and powerful, but also shows the Tang people's rich imagination and superb carving skills. If at the beginning of the introduction of Buddhism to China, the statues were still imitated from India, then by the time of the Rushena Statue of Buddha at Fengxian Temple in Longmen during the Tang Dynasty, the skills of the Chinese sculptors had been rounded off, and there was a deep understanding of the essence of the art of sculpting Buddha statues. The Rushena Buddha statue was already a Chineseized Buddha statue. The Six Steeds of Zhaoling, a relief sculpture in front of the tomb of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, is in the same lineage as the Terracotta Warriors. The Six Steeds of Zhaoling reflect the realistic approach of ancient Chinese sculpture, without unrealistic exaggeration or bizarre modeling, these carvings show the same affirmation of the power of nature and human beings. In addition, the most representative of the Tang Dynasty sculpture level of art and those real and vivid three-color figurines and the Dazu Grottoes in Sichuan. Dazu Grottoes in a variety of sutra stories in the ordinary characters are more lifelike, realistic, many works can also be regarded as ordinary people's portraits. The increase in secular subjects and the development of realistic style is the main feature of the sculpture art of the Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties, Shanxi Jin Temple, Shandong Changqing Lingyan Temple, Jiangsu straight Paul Sheng Temple colorful sculpture, are vividly and vividly show the world mood, there is a very strong realism. Liao Dynasty Datong under the Huayan Temple of the Bodhisattva statue beautiful, subtle, beautiful clothes, great Tang plastic legacy. In addition, small clay sculpture, in terms of realism has reached a fairly high level. Ancient Chinese sculpture has certain limitations, China's royal court aristocrats of the imperial view and artistic view, compared with the West, also for the purpose of showing power, singing the praises of virtue, China's royal court aristocrats avoided the direct molding of their own and the use of dragons and phoenixes, lions, unicorns and other beasts, as well as servants, armies, warriors to set off their own greatness and holiness. Similarly, in Buddhist sculpture, the ancient sculptors were best able to utilize their talent for realistic depictions of only the luohan, bodhisattva, and guanyin, and the one with the most limited creative freedom was the Lord Buddha. Classical sculpture may easily be regarded as too old, too traditional, but the author believes that respect for tradition means recognizing the continuity of art history, the art of sculpture needs to be constantly innovated and explored, but any innovation is not a whimsical novelty, innovation also means the inheritance of tradition. Today's traditional art is being challenged more and more strongly by Western modernism, the new trend of thought to destroy all the old traditions, but today's artists have to go back to the ruins of the destroyed to find the remaining traditional culture? Dust to dust, earth to earth. Let us step on the dust of history, recalling the charm of classical Chinese sculpture.