Women of the past (IV): chastity arches and goddess images
Wenji Returning to Han
Song and Liao Dynasties
There is a contrast between women of the Song Dynasty and women of the Tang Dynasty in different aspects. The male-dominated society once again began to set requirement on female virtues and went even further. The concepts of female virtues in Song Dynasty found ethical references in the Neo-Confucianism. The "three-inch lotus" style quietly became the aesthetic trend during this period. Both women's thoughts and behavior were confined within the high walls. A large amount of chastity arches were erected in villages and counties, which became actual reflections of the ethical codes and warnings imposed by the society.
Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty was an artistic master but he was not totally into drawing women of his own era. Instead, he was more interested in reproducing women of previous dynasties. For example, the Song facsimile of Zhang Xuan's (张萱) Practicing and Working Picture was by Emperor Huizong. There was not enough room in artworks for women of Song Dynasty. After the Northern Song came to an end and the royal family was captivated, paintings with reference to chaste female role models in history became largely advocated and flourished, such as "Lady Zhaojun Crossing the Frontier" and "Wenji Returning to Han". These paintings did not only serve as warning examples as in previous dynasties, but also used ancient allusions to illustrate reality while praising the good and condemning the evil. According to historical records, both Li Gonglin (李公麟) and Li Tang (李唐) had drawn paintings with such subjects. Various versions of copied "Wenji Returning to Han" by artists of Southern Song Dynasty remain today. The one by Chen Juzhong (陈居中) is the most representative one, reflecting the harsh reality of the dynasty.
During this period, female Buddha images in religious art had very different features from female figures in the Dunhuang murals of Tang Dynasty. In religious art of Song Dynasty, women were no longer elegant and noble, but the plain, virtuous and lively side was highlighted, such as in the painted maid sculptures in the Hall of Goddess in Jinci, Shanxi. Similar female features could be found in the "chicken-raising woman" at the Dazu Rock Carvings and the No. 165 female provider clay sculpture at the Maiji Mountain Grottoes. For the ethical expectation in Song Dynasty, a law-abiding and duty-fulfilling society was required. As a consequence, even the magnificent Sun and Moon Buddha could not be as flowing as in Tang Dynasty and seem to be more reserved.
The painting theory of Song Dynasty also continued the "educating" theory of previous dynasties. The society's imposition of women's virtues was reflected in both artistic works and theories.
A Portrait of Chenxing by Zhang Sicha (张思茶) of the Song Dynasty is the only deity picture preserved to today. Chenxing in the painting has the look of an aristocratic woman. Thus the deity becomes humanized and has the features of aristocracy. At the same time, the sculptures of Buddha and Bodhisatta at the Bojia Tibetan Hall of Yanhua Temple in Datong, Xi'an demonstrate the highest sculpting level of Liao Dynasty. Moreover, the female Bodhisatta sculpture is more secularized, whose graceful body has gotten rid of religious majesty and looks more like a dressed-up lady.
Yuan Dynasty
Zhao Mengfu's (赵孟頫) wife Guan Daosheng (管道昇) was good at painting and stood out among many other masters in Yuan Dynasty. She was expert in bamboo, plum blossom and orchid in inkm, as well as landscape, Buddha image, poetry and calligraphy. Her Xingkai (regular calligraphy style) bore resemblance to Zhao Mengfu's. According to historic records, Guan Daosheng once drew bamboo and rock picture on the walls of Zhanfo Temple in Huzhou. She hand wrote Xuanji Picture Poet. There were five colors used in the work and her strokes were neat and superb. She once copied dozens volumes of Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra and gave away them to prestigious monks. Her works that passed down were one volume of Ink Bamboo Chart, Water and Bamboo Scroll, Late Autumn Writing Template, Women Embroidering Buddha Image among Pavilions, and Changming Nunnery Picture. Her poetry and writing were also excellent with the A Brief Biography of Avalokiteśvara. Emperor Renzong of Yuan Dynasty once ordered her to write Thousand Character Writing. The calligraphy works by Zhao Mengfu, Guan Daosheng and their son Zhao Yong (赵雍) were bound into one scroll and collected at the Book House. The emperor said, " It is a legend that there is a family of three who are all good at calligraphy in our dynasty". The world in Guan Daosheng's paintings was consistent with a patriachal society that had strict code of conduct for women. She could be considered as a representative of female literati of that time for her artistic creation.
Deities in the Pilgrimage to the Creator
The Yongle Temple murals in Ruicheng County of Shanxi represent the religious mural of Yuan Dynasty. These delicately-painted murals cover an area of 960 square meters. They do not only record the life of Lu Zu (吕祖), but also completely demonstrate the Taoist deity system. Goddess figures in art are usually larger than life size, such as the 2.85-meter-tall main figure of the queens and the 1.95-meter-tall maid in the Pilgrimage to the Creator. The figures all have various facial expressions. Some are holding flowers and smiling; some are about to speak; some look careful and serious. The Yongle Temple murals inherited the techniques of figure painting of Tang and Song Dynasties, demonstrating a magnificent heavenly world. It is noticeable that the Yongle Temple murals reflect the evolution and stereotyping of goddess figures in a male-dominated deity system. This indicates how patriarchal and matriarchal deity systems developed in Chinese society in this period.
source:
http://www.artnews.cn/uploadfiles/special/38funcjie/5.html
http://www.artnews.cn/uploadfiles/special/38funcjie/4.html
Related Posts
- Women of the past (III): an open, confident and prosperous era (0)
- Women of the past (II): influence of Buddhism (0)
- Women of the past (I): the mysterious power of the mother (0)
A Black Idiot Abroad (Trailer)
Comments