Huizhou prints occupy an important position in the cultural history of China, especially the memorial archway prints, which have a great influence on prints at home and abroad.
Huizhou Prints Huizhou is rich in paper and ink, and its commercial handicraft industry is developed. There are many printmakers (including painters and engravers) in Qiucun, Huizhou, especially the Huang engraver. They learn from each other's strengths and strive for perfection, and the quality of book engraving is the first in the country. Huizhou printmaking has made outstanding achievements in the field of printmaking art, such as the Huting Pipa Picture, the North West Chamber Picture, the Lumei Yintang Square Ink Map, the Zilantang Ink Garden Picture, the Ink Map and the Ink Chart, all of which were painted by famous painters Ding,,, and Huang. Among them, Cheng's Mo Yuan also imitates four western Christian prints presented by Italian missionary Matteo Ricci, showing the traces of the artistic exchange between China and the West in the development of publishing and painting. Other illustrations, such as "Blue Bridge Jade Roll" painted by Wang Huan, "Zaju" carved by Daya Gallery and "Four Sounds Apes" carved by Huang Bofu, and "Picture Book after Poetry" by Wang Guan Wan Ling (Xuancheng), are also prominent in Huizhou prints. Huang Zhaosheng's Textual Research on Top Scholar and Boudoir Model were carved by a sculptor of the Huang brothers in Gao Chuan. The lines are as thin as broken hair and the rotation is soft. Scenery and environment such as rocks, floor tiles and window sills are carefully carved, showing the superb skills of sculptors and becoming the typical style of Huizhou printmaking.
Huizhou is mountainous, and nine times out of ten craftsmen doing business in other places are among the villagers. In particular, Huizhou merchants and engravers have traveled around the world several times and lived in Hangzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing, Nanjing and other places. Therefore, the late Ming prints in these places all have the style of Huizhou prints, or are influenced by them to varying degrees.
The waterway transportation between Huizhou and Hangzhou is very convenient. Most Huizhou engravers live in Hangzhou, which has become the second hometown of Huizhou printmaking. In the thirty-first year of Wanli, Gu Bing (now Hangzhou), a famous Wulin painter, collated and copied the paintings of famous artists in the past dynasties, which was an influential painting theory work, including Wu Fengtai's engraving and Jingdezhen Guang Liu's engraving. Huang Yingguang's engraving "Comments on Hundred Biographies of Loyalty and Righteousness in the Water Margin", "The First Engraving of Five Songs", "Hundred Reprints of Yuan Songs" and "Notes on the West Chamber" are the representative works of Huang's residence in Hangzhou. Three brothers Huang, Huang Yibin and Huang Yifeng carved the illustrations of books such as Nanpipa, Beixixiang and Peony Pavilion in Qifeng Caotang. The Zaju of Yuan Dynasty (there are 20 kinds of ancient zaju today) was selected for Guquzhai, and Huang Yingqiu and Huang Duanfu carved a Zhang edition in Qing Dynasty.
In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the leaves of Water Margin painted by Chen Hongshou were engraved on the yellow. Selected Leaves of Bo Gu, Illustrated Metaphysics and Illustrated Works of Wu Sao by Wang Chengfu, co-edited by Hong Tongliang and Xiang Xiang, are all important works in the history of Ming Dynasty printmaking. Hangzhou is a place with outstanding people, and there are many illustrators and sculptors in Huizhou, which makes the printmaking art present a new level.
Huizhou engravers often run around for food and clothing. Huang Yibin's Apocalypse (162 1 ~ 1627), which was carved in Hangzhou in Wanli, has carved five chapters of The West Chamber for Ling. Huang Dechong engraved the Hangzhou edition of Tu, Suzhou edition of Xian Man Chronicle and Rushuipu edition in the sixth year of Chongzhen (1633), which was published by De Chong in Gusu Bookstore. At that time, he was 60 years old. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Suzhou prints were extremely active. Sanyan and Liangpai were first published in Suzhou, and the original publications contained the notes of the sculptor Guo Jingde Zhuoran. Together with Liu Junyu, he carved a biography of Li Zhuowu and 200 illustrations of The Journey to the West. He was a famous emblem engraver in the late Ming Dynasty. Sung Hoon in Jingdezhen, known as the master of Huizhou printmaking, is engraved with the illustrations of the first and third episodes of Ming Sheng Zaju (the new version of Zaju) and a message from Huai Songtang. In the early years of Kangxi, together with Bao Tianxi, the legend of Qin Louyue was engraved, and in the 40th year of Kangxi (170 1), the legend of Yangzhou Dream was engraved. These prints and illustrations pay more attention to the portrayal of the environment and the contrast of the atmosphere, and the characters are vividly portrayed. There are many changes in knife techniques, which show the exquisite and mature art. The art of book printmaking in Qing Dynasty is not as good as that in Ming Dynasty. Some illustrations of scenic spots and mountains carved in local chronicles (such as the small Taiping landscape map) are not bad, and some works carved by the royal host, such as the Southern Tour Festival, the Longevity Festival and the Plough Map, also show a certain level. In addition, the vigorous development of woodcut color matching folk New Year pictures in various places has also opened up a new world of printmaking from another side.