Information on Peking Opera Face Painting

Face painting in traditional Chinese opera is a kind of program for actors' facial make-up. It is generally used in the two trades of jing and chou, in which most of the various characters have their own specific style and color, to highlight the character traits of the characters, and has the artistic function of "conveying praise and blame, and distinguishing between good and evil", so that the audience can look at the appearance and peep into their hearts. Therefore, face painting is known as the "picture of the heart" of a character. Cai Yang: "Ancient City Meeting"

Peking Opera face painting is based on a certain character, temperament or a particular type of character that adopts certain colors. The red face indicates loyalty, courage and righteousness, such as Guan Yu, Jiang Wei, Chang Yu Chun, etc., and is used as a secondary color to imply the fate of the character, such as Jiang Zhong, Hua Xiong, Gao Deng, etc.; the black face indicates fierceness, righteousness, courage, rashness, even recklessness, such as Bao Zheng, Zhang Fei, Li Kui, Xiang Yu, Yang Qilang, etc.; the yellow face indicates pugnaciousness, sinisterness, viciousness and brutality, such as Pang Juan, Yu Wen Chengdu, Dian Wei. Blue or green faces indicate some strong and prim, rough and unruly characters, such as Duo Er Dun, Ma Wu, Cheng Bian Jin, Gong Sun Sheng, etc.; white faces generally symbolize sinister and cunning villains, such as Cao Cao, Yan Song, Zhao Gao, Qin Hui, Sima Yi, etc.

Edited Origin

Peking Opera face painting originated from life. The shape and outline of each person's facial organs are similar, and the physiological layout has a certain pattern, and the texture of facial muscles is closely related to the character's age, physiology, experience, and the natural conditions of life, so Peking Opera face painting is based on life, and it is also a generalization of life. As often said in life, people's faces, sunburned black, scared white, bashful red, sick and burnt yellow, etc., is both the psychological activities of the characters in the play, the state of mind of the revelation and physiological characteristics of the performance, but also to determine the basis of the face color, lines, patterns and motifs. Although face painting comes from life, it is an enlargement and exaggeration of actual life. The exaggerated, graphic depictions of historical figures in novels and rap art are also the source of the basis for Peking Opera face painting. For example, Guan Yu's danfeng eyes and crouching eyebrows, Zhang Fei's leopard head and eyes, and Zhao Kuangyin's face like heavy jujubes, etc. All of these depictions have been absorbed by the makeup of the opera, and their performance on the stage of the Peking Opera is especially obvious and prominent. Peking Opera face painting in the process of creation and development, there are many sources, in addition to those mentioned above, there are several: 1, drawing on the principle of genetic inheritance in life. For example, Zhang Fei's son, Zhang Bao, Meng Liang's son, Meng Qiang, Jiao Zhan's son, Jiao Yu, Yuchi Jingde's son, Yuchi Baolin, etc., inherited their father's face, and it became a customary practice. 2、Based on the names of the characters in the play, attached to the tone, to determine the face. For example, the Duke of Qi Huan due to the name "Xiaobai" and hook white face, green-faced tiger due to the word "green" hook green face, the Langlibaijiao Zhang Shun due to the word "white" hook white face, the black wind Li, Wu Chenghei, etc. due to the word "black", and so on, and so on. The word "black" is used to describe the black face of a man. Ji bureaucratic

3, blackmail; some of the characters in the play's face from the "blackmail" (sound blackmail, blackmail), to be attached. Such as Wen Tianxiang and Wen Taishi's "Wen" homophonic hook red face. Steel is black, just and steel with paste, so the old Beijing opera, where the character of fierce and strong people more hook black face, such as "Caoqiao Guan" in the play Choshi just, (Xu Ce ran the city 9 play Xue Gang) "Qingyang Figure" in the play Li Gang, are due to the name of the word "just" and hook black face (Beijing Opera industry has always been "three just do not see red! (In Peking Opera, it is said that "three Kongs do not see red"). Guan Tai in the play "Eight Wax Temples" and Guan Sheng in the play "Collecting Guan Sheng" are only red-faced because they share the same surname as Guan Yu.

Editing Color Painting Methods

The color painting methods of Peking Opera face painting are basically divided into three categories: rubbing the face, wiping the face, and hooking the face. The initial role of the face painting is to exaggerate the parts of the five senses and the texture of the face of the characters in the play, and to use exaggerated techniques to express the character, psychological and physiological features of the people in the play, so as to serve the plot of the whole drama, but later, the face painting has developed from simple to complex, from coarse to fine, from the surface to the inside, and from superficial to deep, and has gradually become a kind of graphic art with national characteristics and with the human face as the means of expression. The art of the face has become a kind of national characteristic art, using the face as a means of expression. Guan Yu: "Huarong Road"

There are thousands of plays on the stage of Peking Opera, countless roles of flower face, and each role has its own set of painting methods, which is what we call face painting. The faces seem to be colorful and varied, but in fact they have their own set of rules and regulations, that is to say, each has its own spectrum. From the point of view of lines and layout, they can be roughly divided into the whole face, the three tile face, the cross door face, the broken face, the crooked face, the white powder face, the eunuch's face, and the tofu block of the small flower face. Although each of these faces is painted in a different way, they all start from the parts of the human features and character traits, and use exaggerations, beautifications, deformations, symbols and other techniques to express praise and blame and to distinguish between good and evil, so as to make it clear to the people at a glance. The basic painting method of the three tiles, that is, by the eyebrows, eye sockets, mouth nests of the "three" composition, most of the other paintings from the evolution of the three tiles. Such as the cross door face, that is, from the brain to the bridge of the nose has a black road, commonly known as "through the sky lines", and two eyes, eyebrows connected like a black cross; the so-called flower three tile, that is, in the exaggerated eyebrows and eyes with some color and decorative patterns, such as comedy characters Zhang Fei, Jiao Zan, painting drooping eyebrows or butterfly eyebrow, smile eye sockets, mouth to show that the smile is always on; the tragic characters Xiang Yu, the king of Western Chu, the corners of the eyes downward slanting, the corners of the mouth downward, although not lose solemnity, but also foreshadowed the defeat of Gaixia, the fate of the Wujiang River; such as the Han Dynasty, Choshi's old face is the end of the eye sockets Zhu Wen: "Ya Guan Lou"

painted sagging sideburns, the son Choshi just the corners of the eyes were upwardly curved, coupled with the exaggerated light of the mouth, at first glance, it is the blood; and then, such as Guan Yu, "face such as heavy jujube In addition, Guan Yu's "face like a heavy jujube" is naturally painted with a red face, Bao Zheng's "iron face and selflessness" is his black face, and Cao Cao's "treacherous face" is a treacherous white face. Visible flower face face painting is to color tone, such as red said loyal and straight, warm and auspicious; black face said brash and rough, upright; purple said honest and loyal; yellow said fierce and brave; blue said Jie Ao untrained, strong and quick; white said treacherous and suspicious; green said prima donna reckless; pink said the old age and blood failure; gold and silver said solemn, mostly used in the gods and saints. If you analyze from these paintings, you will see the doorway.

Edit Classification

The whole face

One color is the main color to exaggerate the skin tone, and then outline the eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and detailed facial muscle lines.

Three-piece tile face

Also known as "three-piece nest face," it is based on the whole face to further exaggerate the eyebrows, eyes and nose, and use lines to outline two eyebrows and a nose nest, so it is called "three-piece tile face. The face is further divided into "three tiles," "three tiles," "three tiles," "three tiles," "three tiles," etc. The face is also divided into "three tiles," "three tiles," "three tiles," "three tiles," and "three tiles.

The Cross Gate Face

The Cross Gate Face was developed from the Three Tile Face, and is characterized by the narrowing of the three colors into a single bar that runs from the Moon Gate to just below the nose, symbolizing the character of the person. The main color bar and the eye sockets form a "ten" character, hence the name "Ten Character Door Face", which is also divided into "Flower Cross Door", "Old Cross Door" and "Old Cross Door". The name is also divided into "flower cross door" and "old cross door".

Six-point face

Characteristics of the face are that the main color of the brain is reduced to a color bar, and the eyebrow shape is exaggerated, with the white eyebrow shape accounting for four-tenths of the face and the main color accounting for six-tenths of the face. "It is also known as the "old face".

Flower face

Evolved from the "flower three tile face", retaining the main color, the other parts of the hook pattern with auxiliary colors, colorful, diverse compositions and fine lines, so it is called "flower face".

Crooked Face

It is mainly used to exaggerate the features of the accomplices and fighters and their ugly appearance, characterized by asymmetrical hooks, giving a sense of crookedness.

Monk face

"Monk face" is also known as "monk face". Characterized by the waist of the eye sockets, the nose sockets, the mouth of the flower fork, the brain hooked a bead round light or nine points, indicating that the Buddhist precepts.

Eunuch face

Dedicated to the performance of trespassing power to harm the eunuchs, the color is only red and white, the form is similar to the "whole face" and "three tile face", just exaggerated eunuchs features; the brain hook a round light, to show that its castration and purification, boasts of He is a Buddhist disciple. The fat lines on the head and cheeks show a pampered, fat-brained demeanor.

Yuanbao Face

The color of the brain and face is different, and its shape is like a Yuanbao, so it is called "Yuanbao Face". There are three kinds of face: "normal face", "inverted face" and "flower face".

Image Face

Generally used in mythological plays, the composition and color are from the image of each elf and god characteristics, no fixed spectrum. Painting method should be like non-like, not too realistic, pay attention to the "intention to the pen not", the precious "God", so that the audience at a glance, a look will know what kind of gods and monsters.

Deities face

By the "whole face" "three tiles" development, are used to show the face of God, Buddha, composition, taking the law of the Buddha. The main colors used are gold and silver, or gold and silver lines and color blocks are added to the secondary colors to show the sacred and majestic.

Clown face

Also known as "three flowers face" or "small flowers face", characterized by a white "tofu block" in the center of the bridge of the nose, the use of caricatures to express the comedic characteristics of the characters. The character is characterized by a white "tofu block" in the center of the nose.

Small Demon Face

The "Small Demon Face" represents the roles of small demons and generals in mythological theater. This kind of face is also known as "random face".

Hero Face

The "Hero Face" does not refer to the face of a prominent character, but rather to the face of a fighter who plays the role of a teacher and participates in martial arts fights.

Edit Artistic Characteristics

The artistic characteristics of Peking Opera faces are mainly manifested in three aspects: deformation, evocation and allegory.

Face painting is a kind of patterned make-up art, which must undergo deformation when it expresses skin color, facial organs and muscle texture, although it has a certain basis in life. The deformation of face painting includes two meanings, one is to leave the shape, one is to take the shape. Off shape, that is, not confined to the natural form of life, dare to exaggerate, decorative: take shape, that is, to pay attention to chapter and verse, some of the important parts of the face of the color, line, cleverly organized, summed up to a certain shape of the pattern to come. Through the shape to achieve the shape of the similar, is the face of the commonly used techniques, take shape there is a higher purpose, is to rely on God; to characterization. The characterization of face painting is not to paint all the characters on the face. The independence of character and its own complexity, only in the development of the plot, through the performance, can be fully shown; characterization of the face, is to show the basic character in line with the character of the spirit, is the color of the face and the comprehensive effect of the beech. Since the face is patterned, it can show a certain kind of expression very distinctly and strongly, which is its superiority. However, the more a certain kind of expression is shown very clearly, the more impossible it is to show a significant change in the character's demeanor on the same face, and thus it also brings its limitations. Although the facial expression of the actor can make some changes in the demeanor of the face, it cannot completely break through this limitation. This is the basic reason why it is impossible to have only one kind of hook for a character in Peking Opera face painting. Qian Jinfu's smiley face of Zhang Fei is very suitable for "The Swinging of the Lush Flowers"; while in "The Battle of Ma Chao", Shang Heyu's hook which emphasizes Zhang Fei's mighty face is more appropriate. The evocation of the face, again, is a combination of Gai Suwen: "Silt River"

and allegory. When the actors create the face painting, it is always permeated with their aesthetic evaluation of the characters in the play. The exaggerated and decorative nature of the face paint not only makes the character's expression distinct, but also makes the creator's ideological tendency vivid. The moral of praise and blame, good and evil, is also an important feature of the art of face painting, and the moral, and often not in the form. There are a lot of shapes in face painting, which are both decorative and symbolic, and also symbolize some essential aspects of the character. The creative process of face painting is often characterized by a strong element of folk imagination. Imagination itself has a positive and negative points, will also be reflected in the symbolism of the face, which needs to be identified. Therefore, correctly distinguishing between the essence and the dregs of the face painting is one of the most important aspects of improving the performing arts.

Edit this section of the Peking Opera face painting culture

Face painting comes from the stage, we in some large buildings, commodity packaging, all kinds of porcelain, as well as people wear clothes can be seen on the image of the face of a very different style. This is far beyond the scope of stage applications, which shows that the art of face painting occupies a position in people's minds, indicating that face painting has a very strong vitality. Many international friends and domestic intellectuals are exploring the mystery of face painting out of their curiosity and love for Chinese opera face painting. The faces we see can be roughly summarized into two categories, one is the arts and crafts face. This kind of face painting is based on the author's own thinking and imagination, on the face shape of the plaster material, with painting, weaving, embroidery and other techniques to produce a variety of forms, color patterns and other variations of the face products, this kind of face painting has a certain ornamental value! The other type is the stage practical face painting. This kind of face is according to the plot and the needs of the characters in the play, the actors use exaggerated techniques in the face sketched out in different colors, different patterns and patterns of the face. About the origin of stage face painting there are several ways of saying, one is from China's Northern and Southern Dynasties and Northern Qi, flourished in the Tang Dynasty song and dance theater, also known as the big face or generation of the face, in order to sing the praises of the king of Lanling's war and virtues of the men to do the only thing, said the king of Lanling Gao Changgong, courageous and good at war, looks like a woman, every time out of the battle, are wearing fierce masks, and repeatedly won. People in order to glorify the Lanling King created the men's solo dance, also with masks. Opera actors on the stage sketching face is used to help increase the character traits, appearance characteristics, identity status of the characters played, to achieve a rich stage color, the effect of beautifying the stage, the stage face is the concept of people's minds and the unity of the harmony of the perception. Red face: Symbolizes loyalty, righteousness, uprightness and bloodiness, e.g. Guan Yu in "Three Kingdoms Opera", Wu Han in "Chopping Scripture Hall". Other: Ironic, signifying a fake good guy. Lv Matong: "The Death of Wujiang"

Guan Yu (red face) Black face symbolizes both seriousness of character and unsmiling, such as Bao Zheng in the "Bao Gong Opera", and power and brashness, such as Zhang Fei in the "Three Kingdoms Opera", and the "Water Margin Opera", in which Zhang Fei is a member of the "Three Kingdoms Opera". Li Kui in "Water Margin Theater". Other: It symbolizes the yin of yin and yang, and is used for ghosts. Darker skin color or ugly appearance. Zhang Fei (black butterfly face) White face: A sign of treachery and suspicion, e.g., Cao Cao in "Three Kingdoms" or Yan Song in "Fighting Yan Song". Cao Cao (white face) Blue face shows a straight and untamed character, such as Ma Wu in "On the Roof" and Dou Erdun in "The Chain of Cases". Dou Er Dun (blue flower three tile face) Purple face Expression of solemn, steady, rich sense of justice, such as: "two into the palace" in the Xu Yanzhao, "fish intestinal sword" in the Zhuanzhu. Others: bad and ugly face. Zhang He (Purple Three Tile Face) Golden Face Symbolizes majesty and solemnity, expresses a character like a god. E.g. Rulai Buddha and Erlang Shen in "The Troublesome Palace of Heaven". Roc (Golden Elephant Face) Green Face Brave, reckless. Others: Green man. Others: yellow face, pink face, silver face, and so on. The term "face painting" refers to the colorful make-up on the faces of male actors in traditional Chinese drama. This kind of face make-up is mainly used for jing (flower face) and chou (clown). It has a certain format in terms of form, color and type. An expert audience can tell from the face makeup whether the character is a hero or a villain, smart or stupid, loved or loathed. Peking Opera's fascinating facial makeup occupies a special place among the countless facial make-ups in Chinese drama. Peking Opera face painting is famous for its "symbolism" and "exaggeration". It demonstrates a character's personality traits through the use of exaggerated and distorted shapes. The eyes, forehead and cheeks are often drawn as the wings of a bat, butterfly or swallow, and the mouth and nose are exaggerated to create the desired facial effect.

Editing the color of the face

Peking Opera faces in clay

Peking Opera faces are very colorful, and it seems that the colorful faces are painted in a variety of ways, not just for the sake of looking good. Different meanings of the colors drawn in different patterns in the outline, the character is characterized. The general color meanings of face painting are: . Red General: Loyalty and chivalry, mostly positive characters. Other: ironic meaning, indicating fake good people. Trope: the old man shows that the young red light is still there; bad guys do some good things. Black General: straightforward and rigid, brave and wise. Other: indicates the yin in yang, used for ghosts. Darker in color or ugly in appearance. White General: sinister and treacherous; headstrong. Other: Hosang, eunuch face; indicates old age. Purple General: upright and powerful; does not pander to the powerful. Others: bad face, ugly. Yellow Brave and violent Gold General: a god or goddess. Others: fierce generals. Silver Immortal, demon. Green General: brave and reckless. Others: green heroes. Blue Rigid and sinister.

Editing the pattern of the face

The pattern of the face is very rich, roughly divided into forehead figure, eyebrow figure, eye socket figure, nose socket figure, mouth fork figure, under the mouth figure. Each part of the pattern varies a lot, there is a rule but not definitive, such as: Bao Zheng black forehead has a white crescent moon, which indicates that the clean and honest. Meng Liang has a red gourd on his forehead, signaling that this person loves drinking. Wen Zhong and Yang Jian are painted with three eyes, derived from classical legends. Giant Spirit, Fury God and Money Leopard have multiple faces to emphasize their characteristics of gods, ghosts and demons. Yang Qilang has a traditional "tiger" character on his forehead to show his bravery. Zhao Kuangyin's Dragon Eyebrow indicates that he is the true Dragon Son of Heaven. Lui Gung's face has a thunder and lightning pattern. Jiang Wei has a yin and yang picture on his forehead, which indicates that he is skillful in calculation. Xiahou Dun's eye socket was wounded by an arrow, so he painted a red dot to indicate that. Duo Erdun, Dian Wei and others have their best weapon patterns on their faces. Wang Yanzhang's head is painted with a toad, indicating that he is the reincarnation of a water beast. Zhao Gongming draws money on his face to indicate that he is the God of Wealth. The Big Dipper draws seven stars on his forehead.