2018-11-13

Shallow-red colored porcelain and wide-colored porcelain in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China

Shallow-red colored porcelain of Jingdezhen, decorated with simple and elegant, quite literati painting. Guangcai porcelain, widely known for its gorgeous colors, is full of painted patterns and rich, compact compositions. Jingdezhen and Guangzhou are very far apart, and there are undeniable differences in their regional cultures. Jingdezhen's light-red colored porcelain and Guangzhou's wide-colored porcelain, the two types of porcelain will not seem to intersect. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Civil War, they showed a similar fresh and natural style, in the colored porcelain industry led a new trend.

First, light Jiang colored porcelain

Light Jiang, taken from the term of Chinese painting, "Jiang" is the ochre color in the pigment of Chinese painting, "light Jiang" to outline the landscape with ink, and then dyed with light ochre, light green, and other light colors, the whole landscape looks elegant and quiet, and sends the sentiment of The whole landscape looks elegant and tranquil, and it emphasizes the sentiment of being indifferent and clear-minded. The overall style of the landscape painting is light and elegant. As the name suggests, light-red colored porcelain is painted with the technique of light-red Chinese painting. Light red color pigment without arsenic-containing glass white base, and thus no powdery feeling, thin glaze layer, giving a person a sense of light and elegant.

In the late Qing Dynasty, during the Xianfeng period, when Jingdezhen colored porcelain was declining, light-red colored porcelain quietly emerged. At that time, the social environment was turbulent, outside the invasion of the imperial powers, inside the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement and other peasant uprisings. Especially in Xianfeng five years, the Taiping army attacked Jingdezhen, the imperial kiln factory was torched by fire, Jingdezhen porcelain industry suffered a major blow. Imperial kiln factory porcelain painters had to engage in civil kiln firing. Most of them have very good cultural cultivation, the combination of poetry, calligraphy and painting literati painting, with superb porcelain painting technology on the porcelain, creating a shallow reddish-red color this very rich literati interesting colored porcelain. Light Jiang color porcelain tone light and soft, the picture of poetry, calligraphy and painting combination, very decorative, once the world on the popularity. Tongzhi to the Daoguang years, light Jiang color porcelain shine, porcelain painting masters, triggered a light Jiang color boom (Figure 1, Figure 2). Figure 1 for Cheng Menchang river fishing picture porcelain plate, inscription: night to rain more, all over the dye lake mountain Jing. The only fisherman, light boat when in and out. Ding ugly spring copy, xin'an Cheng door write (seal: Cheng). Cheng Men, a master of light-red color in the late Qing Dynasty, was known as Songsheng, Xuegasa and Kasadao Ren, and worked at the Imperial Kiln Factory in Jingdezhen. During the reigns of Xianfeng and Tongzhi, he was famous for painting light-red colored porcelain, and was especially good at light-red colored porcelain with landscape themes. Figure 2 for the Qing Daoguang Guangcai figure pattern clam shell-shaped plate.

Figure 1: Chengmen Changjiang River Fishing Porcelain Plate

Figure 2: Qing Daoguang Guangcai Figures in Mussel Shell Plate

Even court officials couldn't hide their love for it, and were personally involved in its creation and design. Wang Fengchi, the governor of Jiangxi at the time, was very close to Jingdezhen porcelain painters Jin Pinqing and Wang Shaowei, and often collaborated with them. The light-red color reached its peak in this period. In the early years of the Republic of China, due to the shallow red-red color glaze is thin, easy to fall off, gradually by the bright color is not easy to fall off the new pastel instead of, so out of the stage of history.

Second, the elegant style of Guangcai porcelain

Guangcai porcelain is a kind of low-temperature firing made of glazed porcelain, known for its gorgeous color, exported overseas. It was created in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the Qianlong period gradually formed a more mature style, due to the birth of the Guangzhou in the flourishing foreign trade, the early Guangcai porcelain in order to cater to the aesthetics of the Westerners, "style more strange, the age of no fixed sample," the decorative techniques are also rich in elements of Western culture. Tongzhi, Daoguang years reached its peak, but also cast a gorgeous decorative style of Canton porcelain, bright colors, gold and color.

In the late Qing Dynasty, some artists of Guangcai porcelain were inspired by Jingdezhen Shallow Reddish Color, and began to try to apply landscape literati paintings to the decoration of porcelain. Figure 3 for the guangdong provincial museum collection of porcelain landscape plate, qing guangxu years system. It can be seen that at that time, Guangcai painters had already begun a new exploration, drawing on the traditional landscape painting method, trying to create a new style of Guangcai porcelain. Guangzhou near Fangcun, Aozhou area, emerged "Yangcheng Fangcun Hua Guan porcelain painting room" "Penhua Xian Hall" "Wing Mei Villa" "Biwu painting house "and a number of porcelain studio, using Chinese painting brushwork to create colored porcelain, the creation of landscapes, birds and flowers, figures and other subjects of Canton colored porcelain.

Figure 3?Qing Guangxu Guangcai landscape plate

At the beginning of the Republic of China, the revolutionary spirit of the "Lingnan School of Painting" painters keenly discovered the broad prospects of the Guangcai porcelain industry, "Lingnan School of Painting" painting techniques combined with Guangcai porcelain. Combining the painting techniques of "Lingnan School" with Guangcai Porcelain, it pushed Guangcai Porcelain towards new development. Gao Jianfu, Gao Qifeng and others of the Lingnan School of Painting were the leaders, and they founded the Guangdong Museum Association, which mainly focused on the production of Guangcai porcelain, and brought the painting style of the Lingnan School of Painting into the production of Guangcai porcelain, and combined it with the painting techniques of the Lingnan School of Painting. In the production of Guangcai porcelain, and combined with the "Erju" flowers, grass and insects painting, "Lingnan School" unique eclectic landscape painting techniques, to create a number of very high artistic value of the Guangcai porcelain, stunning domestic and foreign.

III. Comparative Appreciation

1. Landscape

The shallow Jiangcai porcelain, initially, is the painting method of the shallow Jiangcai landscape, and thus the landscape is the most representative subject matter of the shallow Jiangcai. Landscape subjects, far from imitating Huang Gongwang and other landscape masters, near copying the literati painters of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Usually, the trees and rocks are outlined with ink, and then filled with light colors such as light ochre and green, and finally a touch of ochre and azurite is used to paint the distant mountains, showing the sense of hierarchy between the distant mountains and the near water. The whole picture is designed to be composed with meaning, and white space is skillfully used, which gives people a sense of lightness and remoteness. Generally speaking, the light-red colored landscape mostly paints the secluded scenery of mountains and forests, and the scenes are mostly farmhouses in the mountains, small bridges and rivers, fishing boats and waterfalls, with a strong natural flavor. Figure 4 is a large bowl of fisherman's paradise in light-red color of Qing Dynasty, with smooth and freehand brushwork, rocks and stones even with chapped hooks, lightly dyed light green, azure, ochre and other light colors, with fresh and pleasant tones. The heart of the bowl depicts an elegant landscape painting, a few farmhouses by the water, streamside pavilion, a man sitting idly fishing, a faction of the mountains and wild fun.

Figure 4?qing light reddish-red color fisherman's paradise big bowl

In the early stage of the development of wide-colored porcelain, wide-colored porcelain, there are Western landscape scenery, brushwork imitation of Western painting; there are also traditional Chinese landscape, brushwork imitation of the traditional landscape paintings, landscapes combined with the embellishment of trees, houses, people or animals, etc., but most of the paintings are painted inside the opening or with the side ornaments. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, the landscape theme on the porcelain decoration, to the whole landscape painting as a decoration, rarely with the side ornaments, the picture leaves a lot of white space, the landscape of the mood of the composition, the brushwork is quite delicate and elegant, very literati painting style. Figure 5 for the Qing Guangcai landscape plate, near the mountains and far away from the water, meticulous brushwork, the mountains and forests to red, green, lemon, etc. painted, depicting the scene of the mountains and forests of the creek, the water's edge drifting a flat boat, the picture is beautiful, far-reaching mood.

Figure 5: Qing Guangcai landscape plate

This plate is very similar to the landscape style in Figure 4 Jingdezhen's shallow reddish-red colored fisherman's bowl, not only is the brushwork similar to the rocks and sketches taken from the French painting of landscapes, the color is also more light ochre, light green and other light colors; the same focus on the performance of the mood picture, are showing a picture of the green mountains and green water, full of mountainous forests and fishermen's wilderness.

2. Characters

Characters expressed in shallow Jiangcai porcelain paintings, the brushwork is also much mastered in traditional Chinese painting, focusing on the character's form, movement, clothing, etc., with the meticulous depiction of the brushwork, giving people a sense of beauty and charm. The characters are mostly hermits and fishermen, and they are accompanied by landscapes and seasonal scenes, reflecting the interest of the literati. Figure 4 light reddish-red colored fisherman's bowl, the outer wall of a week vividly depicted fishermen fishing, fish into the basket, etc., brush strokes are delicate, the characters are lifelike, the color tone is fresh and elegant. And, the picture is inscribed with the inscription "wake up the smoke and haze of the dream of the night, not a ghostly feeling; bless the wind and moon of the high and low, more interesting. Imjin mid-winter month. Xingqiao aunt uncle Lord elegant play. Presented by my nephew, Chen Guican. Written by Yu Ziming. (Seal: Zi Ming)" Poetry, calligraphy and painting combination, more like a complete literati painting.

During this period, the characters of broad-colored subject matter, part of the traditional stories, novels and operas, such broad-colored still continue before the rich and colorful style. On the other hand, the style of the other type is very different, depicting the literati, mountain villagers and other people outside the world, the character image is fresh and elegant, and the demeanor is cozy and dashing, similar to that of the characters of the light reddish-red color. The layout of the whole picture is simple and elegant, the colors are light and elegant, and the painting method of the figures is mostly taken from the traditional Chinese painting method, which is half-working and half-writing, focusing on the portrayal of the characters' demeanor. Figure 6 Qing Guangcai landscape figures plate, the center of the plate with ink lines outlining the figures, dressed in plain clothes, wearing a hat, clogs, holding up the hem of the garment, slowly climbing the mountain. According to legend, Xie Lingyun, a poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was fond of traveling to the mountains and checking out the hills, and invented wooden clogs to facilitate hiking. The famous poet Li Bai wrote in "Dreaming of Traveling to Tianmu and Reciting Farewell": "The place where Xie Gong stayed is still there today, and the clear water is swirling and the apes are crying. With Xie Gong's clogs on his feet, he climbed the ladder of heavenly clouds." It can be seen that this plate is depicted in the Eastern Jin Dynasty poet Xie Ling Yun foot Xie Gong clogs climbing mountain play, landscape coloring, vivid characters, full of interest.

Figure 6? Qing Guangcai landscape figures plate

It is worth noting that the Guangcai figures of this period, due to the revolutionary spirit of the "Lingnan School" of painters involved in the painting of Guangcai porcelain, but also the emergence of a unique police figure painting. Influenced by the satirical caricatures in the newspapers at that time to publicize the revolution, Lingnan painters also painted the cautionary figures on the wide-colored porcelain to express their revolutionary sentiments. Figure 7: Plate with figures made by He Jianshi.

Figure 7?Republic of China Guangcai figures plate

He Jianshi is a famous patriot, often through cartoons to satirize the social injustice, attack the corruption and incompetence of the Qing court, and promote revolutionary ideas. This plate is the result of He Jianshi's use of his own satirical style of caricature in the creation of Guangcai porcelain. A full moon is leaning against a dangerous building, and a chivalrous woman, holding a sword in her right hand and a human head in her left, leaps down from the city wall in the night. The upper right of the picture is inscribed with a poem: "The wind in the sky blows the moon down on a dangerous building, and ten thousand rivers and mountains are connected for several autumns. In order to ask about the fate of the painting, I will discuss the head of the traitor (seal: Jian Huo)." Chivalrous woman image of resolute and bold, hand edged the head of the villain, highlighting the porcelain plate above the poem, "discuss the national thief to head" of the revolutionary spirit.

3. Birds and animals

The shallow reddish-red color of the birds and animals, coloring is clear, fine brushwork, following the example of some famous paintings. In order to meet the demand of the market, it also chooses some subjects with auspicious meanings. Birds are mostly painted with symbols of magpies, quails, and white heads of white heads of rich and noble. Flowers are also mostly plum orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums or peach blossoms, peonies, yew and so on. There are also paintings of fixed combinations of festive animals, such as cranes and deer returning to the pine, and knighthoods and marquises. Figure 8 for the Jingdezhen Min Danchen made of mountain monkeys and deer porcelain plate, mountains and fields, group of deer resting by the stream, or looking away, or leaning against each other and lying, or playing in the water. A monkey on a rock by the stream looks curiously at the deer. The inscription on the top of the porcelain plate reads: "Shallow water naturally has many wild deer, and deep mountains also have monkeys. Written by Min Danchen in the month of mid-autumn of the year Bwu in the guest of Zhushan (seal: stop water)."

Figure 8 Min Danchen mountain monkeys and deer porcelain plate

The whole picture composition using the traditional layout, the deer and monkeys depicted vividly, brush strokes detailed hair visible, but also contains the auspicious symbolism of the Marquis.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Guangcai porcelain on the birds and animals, but also more from the auspicious and festive themes, but also common monkeys, deer and other auspicious animals. Painting techniques are mostly taken from the famous Lingnan painter "Erju". Inspired by the Chinese painting method of "bumping powder", Guangcai painters created the technique of "tarting flower heads", in which flowers are painted with a white background, and then the colors needed for the flowers are slowly haloed to reveal the tenderness and splendor of the flowers. Influenced by the Ju Brothers' bird and flower often embellished with grasses and insects, Guangcai porcelain bird and flower decorations are also often embellished with grasses and insects in the flowers, making the picture more lively and interesting. Among them, by the Lingnan School of painting Gao Jianfu and others founded the "Guangdong Provincial Museum Chamber of Commerce", the production of a number of fresh and chic birds and animals on the subject of Guangcai porcelain.

Figure 9? Cold moon perched on the Huangtu Guangcai plate

Figure 9 is the cold moon perched on the Huangtu Guangcai plate, full of brown color as the base, creating a heavy night. Night hazy, a round of cold moon hanging over the top, a few sparrows perched snow bamboo, revealing the meaning of silence and solitude. The brushwork is delicate, the sparrows are realistic, and the bamboo forest is three-dimensional. According to evidence, the sparrow painted by Gao Qifeng, bamboo forest for Pan Da Wei painted, the full moon is Chen Shuren's handwriting, is the Lingnan painters to cooperate with the precious witnesses of the Guangcai porcelain.

Figure 10 Guangcai group of deer painting porcelain plate

Figure 10 Guangcai group of deer painting porcelain plate, for the Lingnan school of painting master Gao Jian-sheng made. The plate is circular in shape and depicts six plum blossom deer strolling idly, looking into the distance, or looking down to sniff the wildflowers in the grass. This plate and the above-mentioned shallow reddish-red colored porcelain plate of monkeys and deer (Figure 8), also depicts a group of deer, the deer depicted are very vivid image. But due to the experience of Gao Jian-sin to study in Japan, the whole picture has the realistic style of oriental animal paintings, the use of color contrasts to create a three-dimensional sense of the brushstrokes are more detailed, hairs are clearly defined.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the civil period, the light-red colored porcelain and wide-colored porcelain, although thousands of miles apart, have a similar appearance, which is due to a number of reasons. To summarize, briefly categorized into three important factors. First, the two were born in the same era, also born in the chaos of the late Qing and early civil war, the impact of social unrest on the ceramic industry, promoting the ceramic industry's own changes. Secondly, highly educated painters involved in the production of porcelain. Shallow red-red colored porcelain because of the very cultural cultivation of the Imperial Kiln Factory painters to join, showing a refined and elegant style; and wide-colored porcelain because of the "Lingnan School of Painting" painters to participate in the injection of vitality, to get a new life. Thirdly, the same pursuit of freshness and elegance, and the same theme of composing pictures with the same intention, created the inseparable relationship between the shallow Jiangcai and the Guangcai.

Although the painters of light-red colored porcelain and wide-colored porcelain are craftsmen, their hearts are coincidentally full of romantic literati sentiments, and on the white and moist porcelain tires, they lightly painted a strong poetic and pictorial mood. In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of colored porcelain, shallow Jiang colored porcelain and Canton colored porcelain, a north and a south, reflecting each other, blowing a fresh wind, fragrance far away from the clear, stay rhyme to this day.