The Growth of Woodcut Watermarking Technology in Rong Baozhai

1, Regaining Skills —— Notes on Luxun and Zheng Zhenduo's Printing Poems

Rong Baozhai's woodcut watermarking technology began with the printing of poems. The so-called poetry writing paper is the writing paper with dark plaid used by traditional literati. Poetry talk in the late Qing Dynasty not only represents the highest level of block printing technology, but also reflects the typical painting style of this period. In 1930s, the decline of stationery became more and more obvious. Most old shops stopped printing, and skilled technicians died one after another. Lu Xun, who has always had a soft spot for printmaking, keenly observed this point. He realized that if the war reignited, this skill that had been circulating for thousands of years would really be extinct.

From 65438 to 0933, Zheng Zhenduo was entrusted by Lu Xun to find a place to print exquisite poems and notes in Beijing. One day in mid-September, when the wind roared and the yellow sand filled the sky, Zheng Zhenduo, who was increasingly desperate, found Rong Baozhai. With the cooperation of Rong Baozhai, the wishes of the two gentlemen have finally come true, and this national heritage has been continued. Years later, Mr. Zheng Zhenduo is still obsessed with this matter. Through this printing, Rong Baozhai re-accumulated the technical strength of woodcut watermarking.

2. Print "Donator of Dunhuang" for Zhang Daqian.

In the 1940s, a case in the cultural field made Rong Baozhai's woodcut watermark become the focus of the world's attention. 194 1 year, Zhang Daqian took his family and disciples to Dunhuang to study Dunhuang murals. Soon, the news that Zhang Daqian destroyed Dunhuang murals on a large scale in order to copy them shocked the whole country. There are many stories about Zhang Daqian destroying Dunhuang murals. A popular version is that when Zhang Daqian led his disciples to copy in Cave 20, he found that there were faint colors and lines on the inner layer below the peeling mural. He thinks there must be something unknown hidden under this painting. After some negotiations, Zhang Daqian decided to knock off the outer floor. Before stripping, he copied the five generations of murals on the upper floor. After peeling it off, what is displayed in front of him is really a colorful and simple mural of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Zhang Daqian led his protege in Dunhuang for more than two years, and it is said that the total expenses amounted to 500 gold bars. He successively copied 276 Dunhuang murals. Faced with many painters, he didn't want to sell any one for a living.

At this time, Wang Renshan, the manager closely related to Zhang Daqian, proposed to print the Dunhuang murals he copied with woodcut watermarks. Finally, Tian Yongqing, a watermark technician in Rong Baozhai, tried to print "Donator of Dunhuang", which won Zhang Daqian's recognition and trust, and also completed a major turning point in China block printing from printing stationery to Chinese painting works, which shocked the whole cultural circle. However, for Rong Baozhai's woodcut watermark, this is only a small experiment. After the founding of New China, Rong Baozhai has a broad stage to perform its stunts.

3. Exquisite skills-make beauty for Xu Beihong's love of painting.

After the founding of New China, with the help of Zheng Zhenduo and other cultural figures, Rong Baozhai was able to establish a public-private partnership. At this time, a group of well-known painters and technicians were absorbed into Rong Baozhai, which prepared an unprecedented luxury lineup for Rong Baozhai's woodcut watermarking, and Rong Baozhai's woodcut watermarking technology gradually matured.

On one occasion, Mr. Xu Beihong came to Rong Baozhai with one of his representative works in the 1950s, saying that an English friend fell in love with this work, but he was reluctant to part with it, hoping to copy it with Rong Baozhai's woodcut watermarking technology. Unfortunately, the horse's legs are a little longer, but it is difficult to achieve the charm of other parts by repainting. Mr Hong Bei asked if it could be corrected by woodcut watermarking. Therefore, this work not only makes up for the deficiency of creation through the treatment of woodcut watermarking technology, but also completely retains the charm of the original. In fact, the biggest feature of woodcut watermark is that it can copy the original to the greatest extent, and the level of copying is so high that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the authenticity of the creator and the Replicator.

Later, in order to copy the national treasure paintings and calligraphy collected by the Palace Museum, Tian Yongqing, a woodcut watermark technician in Rong Baozhai, finally invented the method of printing silk with water through hard work and overcame the technical difficulties of printing silk paintings. Since then, this technique of adding water has been widely used in woodblock watermarking in Rong Baozhai, whether on paper or silk. Wang Yun's Castle in the Moonlight in Qing Dynasty is the first silk woodcut watermark successfully copied. This is the first printed silk Chinese painting, and more importantly, it paves the way for the peak of woodcut watermarking technology.