What is the Chinese color view of folk color art, what is the meaning of

I. Chinese traditional color concept

The five-color concept

The most far-reaching traditional Chinese color concept is the "five-color concept", which was formed in the long-standing production and practice of the pioneers, and gradually improved into a set of color theory combining the view of nature and the view of the society under the impetus of the thought of the pre-Qin plurists and the Hundred Schools of Thought. --The five-color system. Through the five single colors, namely "green, red, yellow, white, black" to convey people's emotions and will. When the term "five colors" appeared, there was only the general term "five colors", but not a list of the names of the five colors. The earliest description of the specific which five colors, is in the "Zhouli - Kaogongji". It is recorded in the book: "Painting and drawing: a mixture of five colors. The east is called green, the west is called white, the south is called red, the north is called black, the sky is called xuan, the earth is called yellow", the five-color worship and the concept of orientation associated with the colors embodied here have a specific symbolic meaning, each color corresponds to the heaven and earth, east, west, south and north. And then developed the "five colors and five elements theory". So that the five colors are not only relative to the five parties, but also refers to the five elements and the four seasons, the five parties refers to the east, west, south, north, and five directions in the middle of the four seasons refers to the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the east of the so-called green (Green Dragon) for the wood main spring (Green Wind, Spring Wind); Green Yang (spring; Green Emperor, Spring God); Green Palace refers to the Crown Prince of the East Palace), the south is called the red (Vermilion Bird) for the main summer fire, the west of the so-called white (White Tiger) for the main gold autumn, the north is called Black (Xuan Wu). The South is called the Red (Vermilion Bird) for the fire main summer, the West is called the White (White Tiger) for the gold main autumn, the North is called the Black (Xuanwu) for the water main winter, and the center is the earth, yellow. Explained is: green, equivalent to the mild spring, for the color of wood leaves sprouting; red, equivalent to the hot summer, for the color of burning flames; white, equivalent to the cool autumn (Golden Autumn, Golden Wind), for the color of metal luster; black, equivalent to the cold winter, for the water, for the color of the abyss of the infinite; yellow, equivalent to the earth, for the color of earth qi bursting. Simplified, wood is green, fire is red, gold is white, water is black, and earth is yellow.

The Yin-Yang Five Elements theory matches the five elements with the five colors, with gold, wood, water, fire and earth corresponding to white, green, black, red and yellow, and the ? colors with certain cultural connotations. The five colors are combined with the five elements for the following reasons: ① The five elements are the five ?elements that produce the originality of everything, while the five colors are the colors. elements, and the five colors are the colors of the origin of colors, the basic elements of all colors, the combination of the five elements gives birth to a hundred things, the combination of the five colors gives birth to a hundred ? color, the five-color theory is fully consistent with the theory of the five elements. ② The five colors are the symbols of the five elements, and they are a kind of color of the four seasons of heaven and earth. The five colors are symbols of the five elements, and are a high degree of generalization and distillation of the colors of heaven and earth. If the five elements have the theory of mutual reproduction, then the corresponding five colors also have the theory of mutual reproduction. Five elements? There are 'the five elements are born with each other' and 'the five elements are overcome with each other'. The five elements are mutually reinvigorating, meaning that they generate and nurture each other, while the five elements are mutually opposing, meaning that they oppose each other. Ke' means to refute and check each other. Among the five elements, the only one with vitality is wood, which needs to be nourished by water in order to grow. Life needs to be nourished by water in order to grow, so "water begets wood". The earliest man-made fire was made by drilling wood to extract fire, so "wood gives birth to fire". Life lies in movement, and the process of life movement is also the process of energy release, that is, the process of fire generation. When the energy is released, life comes to an end, leaving only a pile of ashes. End, only a pile of ashes, life returns to a shovelful of earth, so "fire gives birth to earth". Earth is neutral, upward, outward and expanding. It is the turning point of upward, outward, and expansion to the extreme, and contains the vitality of fame, as well as the power of downward, killing, and astringency, so "earth and gold". "Jin? Water", the ancients believed that the earth hides gas, gas rises into the clouds, and descends into rain. This is water begets wood → wood begets fire → fire begets earth → earth begets gold → gold ? The cyclic state of water.

2. Confucian view of color

Confucianism color aesthetics thought of color beauty and "benevolence", "virtue", "goodness" and other moral norms. Emphasizing the norms of "propriety" and the significance of "benevolence", the Confucian aesthetic thought strongly upholds the color system established during the Zhou Dynasty, designating the "five colors" as the primary colors and the other colors as intermediate colors, and assigning symbolic meanings to the inferiority and superiority, representing respectively the ruler and the superiority and the inferiority. Rank symbolism, respectively, on behalf of the upper and lower relationship between the ruler and the people, the color decoration can not be confused, not to mention reversed.

The Confucianism of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in order to elevate the power of the monarch, absorbed the theory of the five elements, highlighting the "five elements" and "five parties" in the "earth in the center" point of view, the earth is said to be the root of all the elements, so the center is high. Earth is said to be the root of all elements, and therefore the center is superior, which also highlights the status of the color yellow. Cao Pi of the Three Kingdoms accepted this statement and made yellow the first color. Later, the Sui and Tang emperors followed suit. From the Song Dynasty onwards, the positive yellow color is further dedicated to the royal family, the abuse of which is criminalized. Therefore, there is no high and low points of the colors will have a clear distinction between noble and low. Color hierarchy is also manifested in our country's architecture, and with the evolution of history, the more strict. The higher the grade, the color is rich, the more it highlights its noble and magnificent. And the lowest level of residential, can only use colorless gray, black, white. This is one of the main reasons for the lack of color in the ancient houses of China, thus determining the simple style of traditional houses.

Since most of the dynasties in ancient China had their capitals in the north, (except for a few cities such as Nanjing, etc.). So the further south the Chinese residential black and white color difference is more and more distinct, thus deepening the concept of inferiority and superiority hierarchy. At this point, the Confucian concept of color plays a big role here. "Bide" is another main feature of Confucian color aesthetics, which has profound significance. Here, the 'virtue' of 'de' refers to ethical morality or spiritual character, and 'than' means to symbolize or compare." The basic feature of the theory of "than virtue" is to compare certain characteristics of natural objects to certain moral sentiments of people, so that the natural attributes of natural objects are personified and the moral character of people is objectified, in essence, it is believed that the beauty of natural beauty is in the moral and ethical character to which it is compared, and that the beauty and ugliness of a natural object and its degree are not determined by its own value, but by the value of the moral sentiments to which it is compared. From the Confucian "than the moral" concept of color, the reason why color is beautiful, because the color of the decoration suggests that the human virtues, from the color of the decoration can be found in the human noble personality, Confucianism, this analogical way of thinking on the formation of specific symbolism and color art in China with a rich cultural connotations undoubtedly have a great impact.

3. Taoist "color"

The Taoists advocate the idea of indifference and inaction, and pursue the beauty of natural plainness and simplicity in color. Lao Tzu blamed artistic activities and enjoyment such as the five colors, five sounds, and five tastes for social strife. He believed that art brought about the degradation of the functions of the five senses and the destruction of the natural nature of human beings, which resulted in disasters for society. Therefore, people should abandon the temptation of materialistic desires and pursue a peaceful life. As the saying goes, "A great sound is a great sound, and an elephant is invisible".