Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, a group of people who were gradually separated from the court
artists and the scholar-bureaucrat class working in the palace created literati art, a professional art form, and It has become the focus of orthodox art history, painting history, and calligraphy art. These authors are often intellectuals who combine poetry, calligraphy, painting and engraving. Their works have high artistic quality, pay attention to charm, pay attention to the inheritance of teachers and sects, and focus on the expression of personal emotions and personal style and characteristics. The real rise of literati art mainly occurred after the Song Dynasty. It separated from the court and folk art, mainly with the help of new developments in painting themes. Since the Northern Song Dynasty, landscapes, ink and bamboo have become a painting theme for scholar-official painters to express their feelings. In pursuit of brushwork and meaning, they gave up themes such as figures, wooden houses, boats and carriages, and floor boundary paintings that had previously been used by painters and painters. . The book "Hua Ji" written by Deng Chun, a painter of the Northern Song Dynasty, arranges the paintings according to their social status and artistic taste. Zhao Ji, Emperor Weizong of the Song Dynasty, was crowned "Holy Art" and listed at the top of the book, followed by "Princes and Nobles" Zhao Huijie and Prince Consort Wang Xi, etc. "Xuan Mian Caixian" and "Shaoshen Webu" were first-level professional painters who were literati Among them were Su Shi, Chao Buzhi, Wen Xun, Li Shinan and others. The biggest characteristic of literati art is its emphasis on expressing personality and pursuing elegance and spiritual realm. It is rare for painters to use commonly used themes in upper-level paintings. The later the period, the more distinct the differentiation trend in themes becomes. The works of folk painters are increasingly being devalued. Not only do they fail to be considered high-grade, but they also become derogatory works of "painterly class" and work of craftsmanship.
Folk art draws on literati art
The communication between literati art and folk art has always existed since ancient times. In the painting theory, painting principles and painting methods, the folk painting techniques used by folk painters and the principles of painting theory followed by literati and scholar-official painters often have the same reference. In addition, the forms of poems, list books, and inscriptions of literati paintings were absorbed into the art of folk New Year pictures and lantern (screen) paintings. For example, in the creation of New Year paintings, folk painters actively absorbed the advantages of literati paintings, and even art shops with financial strength paid for famous painters to produce samples. This provided the most convenient way for folk New Year paintings to move closer to the style of literati paintings. The famous painter Gao Tongxuan of the Qing Dynasty applied his facsimile sketching method to the characterization of New Year paintings. The four-season scenes in literati paintings were incorporated into the composition of the New Year paintings, which not only improved the style of the paintings, but also enriched the style of the New Year paintings, adding to the elegance and vulgarity of the folk New Year paintings. *Reward for contributions. The interest of literati paintings painted by Tianjin Yangliuqing is inseparable from the efforts of painters such as Gao Tongxuan.
From the perspective of the development history of traditional Chinese art, rulers have always ignored and derogated folk art, while the calligraphy and painting of literati officials were authentic, resulting in the history and current situation of one-sided development of art history. In people's understanding, folk art is always connected with vulgar "things" and "vessels" and cannot rise to the higher spiritual level of "Tao". This is inconsistent with the "metaphysical" advocated by the upper culture. "For the way, what is physical is the tool" has an origin relationship.
In Chinese history, the upper cultural class ignored or deliberately belittled folk handicrafts and handicrafts. As a result, while folk art was being used and played with, it also more or less entered the upper cultural class. It has promoted mutual learning, exchange and integration, and folk art's accommodation and absorption of upper-class culture has also enriched its own style and taste. Folk art and religious art are two different concepts, but they are closely related. A considerable part of folk art has themes and content related to religion. It is not religious art in the strict sense, but is mainly decorative art related to folk beliefs, sacrificial offerings, and folk religions. Some of them are made of witchcraft props. It evolved into a beautified witchcraft operation tool, such as various gods, ancestors, worship idols, funerary objects and sacrificial objects. Religious art refers to plastic art forms created for religious purposes, such as building temples, preaching sermons, and promoting doctrines. It is art that serves religious purposes. They are often created in accordance with inherent norms. The proportions of figures, color requirements, There are strict requirements for decorative accessories and other aspects. The most common ones are various types of statues of gods that are drawn or sculpted, and some are expressed in other forms such as embroidery, paper-cutting, etc.
Folk art and religious art are two different concepts, but they are closely related. A considerable part of folk art has themes and content related to religion. It is not religious art in the strict sense, but is mainly decorative art related to folk beliefs, sacrificial offerings, and folk religions. Some of them are made of witchcraft props. It evolved into a beautified witchcraft operation tool, such as various gods, ancestors, worship idols, funerary objects and sacrificial objects. Religious art refers to religious-themed works in folk art that are used for religious purposes, such as building temples, preaching, and publicity
We can call it folk religious art. In addition to Buddhism and Taoism, it also includes folk beliefs. primitive religious and quasi-religious content. It not only retains ancient animism, but also contains various witchcraft, divination, taboo contents, totem worship of plants, animals, etc., as well as ghosts, gods and ancestor beliefs, and even historical figures and legendary figures have been deified. Included in the list of folk gods. With the development of society, folk religion has integrated traditional cultural Confucianism, Taoism and foreign Buddhism. Its content is extremely broad. All gods related to human life in the heaven, the earth, the world of gods, the human world and the underworld are affected by people. Worship and offerings, the space of folk life, are full of gods protecting people. Folk religious art is a variety of art forms that express the content of folk religion. What it presents to us is a world of gods full of secular interest. Related arts in folk religion also present art that is far away from religious constraints and emphasizes practical functions and decorative effects. Features.
The gods in Taoism are such as Tianguan (one of the "Three Officials"), Queen Mother, Kuixing Shen, Zhenwu Emperor, Golden Boy, Jade Girl, Mazu, Guandijun, Eight Immortals, City God, Land, Zhongkui, Bull heads and horse faces, Fengboyyu masters, etc. are all themes that are repeatedly shown in folk art, especially water and land paintings, folk religious paintings, folk paper horses, etc. Even some fairy beasts in Taoist legends such as the "Four Spirits" and cranes have become auspicious animals symbolizing longevity and are loved by people.
The influence of Buddhism includes Buddhist temple buildings across the country, seasonal festivals, Buddhist murals, prints, sculptures and other plastic arts, literary stories, opera performances, music and dance, and even food, language, and family gods. and many other aspects. All the gods in the Buddhist world receive incense and offerings in folk temples, including the Tathagata Buddha, the Third Buddha, Maitreya Buddha, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Shancai Boy, the Four Heavenly Kings, Jigong, the Eighteen Arhats, etc. In the process of blessing the Chinese people, he has gained divinity and humanity. Folk art and court art are two corresponding concepts, belonging to lower culture and upper culture respectively. While they are in opposition to each other, there are mutual exchanges and close connections.
The emergence of folk art can be traced back to the prehistoric legendary era. It is original and retains a large number of concepts and symbols of primitive culture. The subjects of its creation and use are the lower class people. Palace art refers to art produced in accordance with the wishes and needs of the feudal court to serve the upper class rulers. Its creators are often folk artists recruited by the court, and its users are emperors and the ruling class. From the perspective of the relationship between the author and the work, one is the creator and the other is the enjoyer, which makes court art inevitably a mercenary art.
In the relationship between folk art and court art, the most obvious difference is the human factor. The palace has a long history of recruiting craftsmen from the private sector. This is true from the "work slaves" of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the "hundred workers" of the Spring and Autumn Period to the later palace painters, painting academies and other systems. This employment relationship has always been evident in large-scale grotto and tomb art, palaces, temples, or votive works in the service of the ruler. Palace art was more about following orders and painting according to patterns. Folk artists could not go beyond the ruler's specifications, and the production must comply with the etiquette and rules of the palace. Although the creators of palace art were mainly employed folk artists, the works created mostly reflected the ruler's aesthetic taste and will, and formed artistic characteristics that pursued lofty majesty or exquisite workmanship, and valued elegance.
The exchanges between folk art and court art are reflected in the following two aspects:
1. Court art absorbed folk art. For example, the works of genre painters in the Song Dynasty became tributes, and fine folk ceramics also became the objects of court play.
2. Folk art accepted the teachings and compulsory instructions from the court, absorbing and promoting works that originally belonged to the court art. There are a large number of such examples in history, especially the paintings of door gods, Zhong Kui and auspicious paintings since the Ming Dynasty. The door god first appeared at the gate of King Hui's palace in the Han Dynasty, and was later introduced to the people. It is indeed a fact with historical records that Zhong Kui's paintings in the Tang Dynasty moved from the royal family to the private sector. Zhong Kui, an image obtained from the dream of Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty, finally became the household god who guarded the gates of ordinary people's homes. It can be said that communication between the two is common and frequent. During the exchange process, the exquisite elegance and solemn aesthetic taste of court art will inevitably have a considerable impact on folk art. This influence affects their artistic works through folk painters and craftsmen.