Wu Changshuo and Qi Baishi, the two greatest masters of golden stone calligraphy and painting in modern China, invariably started from the "golden stone" and made an evaluation comparable to the golden stone of the carved bamboo of the Golden Stone. As the largest ever exhibition of bamboo carvings in Jinxi, the "Golden Stone Yundang - Special Exhibition of Bamboo Carvings in Jinxi" is currently on display at the Shanghai Museum (Note: Shangbo is currently closed due to epidemic prevention reasons).
This article is written by the curator of the exhibition, and from the three aspects of Jin Xigao's "family and artistic career", "artistic status and theoretical achievements", and "artistic style and carving techniques", it outlines how Jin Xiguo grew from a teenager born in the Nanxun Jin family with a strong artistic atmosphere to a bamboo carving artist.
The exhibition site of "Golden Stone Yundang - Special Exhibition of Bamboo Carving Art in Jinxi"
In 1926, at the age of 83, Wu Changshuo, at the request of Jin Xizi, took the meaning from the famous maxim "Perseverance and Perseverance, Golden Stone Can Be Skeletonized" in "Xunzi", and inscribed the title of his book "锲不持斋", and wrote the book "Xi Jie Ren Brother Fine Painting, Karma Diligent, Timeless or Interpretation, Magical Craftsmanship, both of the four, really surpassing Xi Huang (Zhang Xi Huang) and Jiaomen (Han Chao), and plucked the Xunzi language to yan Qizhai. In the early winter of Bingyin, Anji Wu Changshuo was eighty years old and three" (Picture 1, "Gong No Ren Zhai" wooden plaque, Taipei Tianxi Hall collection). At this time, Kim was 37 years old. Eighteen years later, when the 84-year-old shiraishi old man inscribed the title page of the eleventh volume of the Bamboo Takumoto in Jinxijiao with four big characters (Picture 2), Jinxi was nearly sixty years old. Since the great revival of Qianjia Jinshixue, until the Republic of China, "Jinshi Aesthetics" can be said to have shrouded the traditional art world, and "Jinshi Qi" and "Jinshi Sound" have almost become the most important praise words for art and literature works. The two greatest masters of golden stone calligraphy and painting in modern China invariably started from the "golden stone", one expected in the front and the other praised in the back, and made an evaluation comparable to the golden stone for the carved bamboo of Jin Xijia.
Wooden plaque of "Gong No Reluctance", collected by Tianxi Hall in Taipei (Photo 1)
Old Man Shiraishi inscribed "Golden Stone Yundang" (Figure 2)
Bamboo is an perishable thing, which cannot be longer than the life of gold and stone; bamboo is the art of lowly craftsmanship, and it is no different from the dignity of Ding Yi. However, Chinese literati love bamboo and heavy bamboo, when the development of bamboo carving art since the Ming and Qing dynasties matured, carving bamboo has become a "gentleman's" art, just as Jin Yuanyu, the author of "Bamboo People", said: "Although carving bamboo is a small road, its people are not Zheng Qian's three absolutes, the spirit is free, the dust is out of the place, and it cannot make a next stroke." Literati who loved bamboo carving found a noble "origin" in bamboo carving, and they believed that when there was no paper in ancient times, the secretaries of the history books were mostly in oracle bones and jian mu, so that the scholars were good at swords and pens. Chu Deyi, a famous connoisseur of gold and stone in the late Qing Dynasty and also a pioneer in the study of modern bamboo carving, wrote a long question after the extension of bamboo carvings in Jinxi, the end of which is Yun "Yixin bamboo carving is an art for students since the Shang Zhou Dynasty, although the skills of engineers cannot be the same, and those who have learned from ancient times should not be Hehansi." From the essence of plastic arts, bamboo carving and oracle bone carving are two things that are incompatible, but this does not prevent the old-school literati from making such associations when they think about the humor of the ancients.
What kind of power has led Jinshi artists and connoisseurs to link bamboo carvings with such "tall" concepts as "Jinshi" and "Shang Zhou"? What kind of figures made Chen Baochen, Luo Zhenyu, Zheng Xiaoxu, Wang Tongyu, the former Qing dynasty elders with wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Pu Xinhu, Wu Hufan, Shen Yinmo, and other art giants, as well as Pang Yuanji, Zhang Yuanji, Wang Yunzhang, Tang Wenzhi, Ye Gongqi, Guan Zhouyi, Yu Shaosong, and other giants from all walks of life write poems and inscriptions, or provide ink manuscripts for their publication?
When the dozens of folding fans that Jin Xijia used to carve himself slowly opened, the Huanghuang Twelve Giant Volumes of Carved Bamboo Scrolls were exhibited one by one, and before we could take a closer look at the exquisite bamboo carvings, we were shocked by the names that shone in the history of modern and modern culture. Compared to the familiarity with these names, our understanding of Jin Xigao and its carved bamboo is too shallow. Since this is the case, it is better to introduce the character of Jin Xijia first, and then talk about his art, which is probably in line with Mencius's teaching, "Praise his poems, read his books, I don't know who he is?" ”
Family and artistic career
Jin Xi Kou genealogy name Jin Shaofang, character Ji Yan, number Xi Jie, a west cliff. He was born in the ninth day of the first month of May in the sixteenth year of the Qing Dynasty.
Its ancestor Jintong (1820-1887), the character Zhuting. The young man's family was poor and unable to learn, so he became a merchant, and then transferred from running a candle shop to a silk industry, and served as a silk general in Shanghai, successively opening the Xielong Silk Stack, Jin Jia Ji Silk Line and Tai'an Fang Silk Number, the business was smooth, the wealth accumulated day by day, and he was listed as one of the "Four Elephants and Eight Cows" of the Nanxun giant merchant "Niu", and was later awarded the Fengzhi Doctor by the Qing court. Jintong is a kind and charitable person, and has established a mellow family style. Father Jin Tao (1856-1914), character Chen san, one character Xingyuan, number Qinyuan. He is the eldest son of JinTong, 16-year-old Zhongxiucai, who served as a school instructor in Jinyun County, moved to Zhongshu Zhongshu, and was re-awarded Tongfeng Dafu. Later, he begged for his father's illness and devoted himself to running the family business. He advocated Western learning and was extremely concerned about the education of his children, and in the twenty-eighth year of Guangxu (1902), he sent the eldest son Jin Shaocheng, the second son Jin Shaotang, the third son Jin Shaoji, and the third daughter Jin Zhang, who had already received traditional education, to study in Britain.
Mr. Kim Se-ko's Eighty Little Shadows
Jincheng (1878-1926), the genealogical name Jin Shaocheng, the character Gongbei, the north building, also known as Lotus Lake. He studied law, chemistry, history and philosophy in the United Kingdom, and spent his time visiting major art and museums, and traveling to Various European countries to investigate humanistic scholarship and historical relics. After returning to China in 1905, he served as a member of the Shanghai Public Concession Tribune Xiangyu Committee, changed his official to Beijing the following year, successively served as the prefect of the Criminal Division of the Dali Yuan, the office of the Engineering Department of the Supervision and Construction Tribunal, and the consulting office of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and in the second year of Xuanun (1910), he served as the Chinese representative of the "Conference on the Improvement of Prisons of All Nations", visited Washington, D.C., and visited eighteen countries, which lasted nearly ten months, and his relevant notes were compiled and published by posterity as the "Travel Diary of the Eighteen Countries". After the establishment of the Republic of China, he served as a member of the House of Representatives and Secretary of State, and participated in the preparation of the Antiquities Exhibition Center. Although Jincheng had a smooth career and made many achievements in political careers and social activities, his greatest achievement and influence was in the field of fine arts. When Jin Cheng first took the boy's test at the age of 18, the name of the painting was rumored to be in the township. When he was a first official in the Capital Division, he befriended the famous Gong Juqing with his outstanding talent of poetry, calligraphy and painting, and once presented the seal to the Xuantong Emperor, and was given a plaque of "Moshan Fanshui". In 1920, Beijing established the Chinese Painting Research Association with the purpose of "refining ancient law and absorbing new knowledge", and Jincheng was elected as its president. The Society has carried out a series of activities to improve Chinese painting and exchange chinese and Japanese art, leaving a strong mark in the history of modern Chinese art. Jincheng has the reputation of "the vast number of sect leaders in Beiping", and there are many disciples, including Hu Peiheng, Xu Yansun, Chen Yuandu, Hui Xiaotong, Chen Shaomei, Tian Shiguang and so on.
Jin Shaotang (1880-1979), the character Zhonglian, the number Dongxi. Engaged in industry, proficient in carving bamboo, his son Jin Kaiying is the main founder of China's petroleum industry and refining industry. Kim So-ki (1886-1949), courtesy name Shuchu and Shuji. He was a motor expert and industrialist, a professor of electrical science at the technical school affiliated to the Beijing Commission of Commerce and a member of the Transportation Committee of the Ministry of Commerce of the Qing government, the vice president of the Peking Academy of Fine Arts in the 1920s, the president of the Peking Naturalistic Association, and in 1936 he was elected as the secretary and executive member of the board of directors of the China Education and Culture Fund. Jin Zhang (1884-1939), the character Tao Tao, the number Zijun, also known as tao Tao female history, young from the eldest brother to learn painting, secret agent FishZao, is a famous female painter in the Republic of China period, and her son Wang Shixiang is a famous modern cultural relics connoisseur.
When her brother and sister studied in the West, the 13-year-old Kim Se-jae stayed at home at a young age and continued to receive a traditional home school education. In 1909, he married his fellow villager Shen Shi. Shen's name, Name Ying, character lawsuit, and Mr. Tonggeng, is the eldest daughter of Shen Yulin, director of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau and director of the Anti-Smoking Bureau. The couple has been in love for decades and has three sons and two daughters. As an adult, Kim enrolled in st. Francis Gyalët, a correspondence school in Shanghai, where he studied civil engineering and received his diploma in 1911. In 1914, he began his career as an engineer, successively serving as deputy engineer of Shanghai Hankou Construction Mall, engineer of the South Canal Engineering Bureau, engineering consultant of Zhejiang Provincial Public Office, etc., and participated in the preliminary surveying and mapping of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge.
The Nanxun Jin family has a strong artistic atmosphere, and everyone is extraordinary. Today, we can also see the stone stele inscribed by Jin Tao at the mouth of Yanxia Cave in the southern foothills of Wengjia Mountain on the west side of the west peak of Hangzhou's West Lake, and the inscription "Guangxu Twenty-two Years of Southern Linqin Garden Fu Jintao Inscription", which is neat and tidy, and the pen is stable and quite powerful (Figure 3, Hangzhou Yanxia Cave Mouth Stone Stele). Growing up in such an artistic family, the young Jin Xijia naturally developed a strong interest in Jinshi calligraphy and painting. As early as 1912, Jin Xigao joined the Shanghai "Yuyuan Calligraphy and Painting Society" and began to set foot in the art forest. However, Jin Cheng pointed out with the experience of people who came over: "There are many people engaged in calligraphy and painting in today's society, and there are fewer people who carve bamboo, so if you learn to carve bamboo from The Dongxi brothers, it is easier to succeed." "Jincheng attaches great importance to skill and law in painting, advocating taking the song and Yuan dynasties and eclectic methods of Western sketching, so he has worked hard and dismal in painting art. He was well aware of the hardships of painting and the fierce competition in the painting world, so he pointed out a convenient method for his brother. Accepting his brother's suggestion, in 1917, Jin Xiguo officially began to learn bamboo carving from his brother Jin Dongxi, who already had a reputation as a bamboo carver, and began a bamboo carving career that lasted for nearly half a century. With the uncle's seamless help in the bamboo carving manuscript and the brother's dedication to the bamboo carving technique, success only depends on his own efforts.
Hangzhou Yanxia Cave Mouth Stone Stele (Figure 3)
The general situation of Jin Xigao's beginning of his bamboo carving career can be glimpsed in the preface to his "Small Talk on Carving Bamboo". "Yu Shao learns the project, and dreams of writing and ink." Prime-age employment, running away, construction, unique joy carved bamboo. Uncle North Building, Ponder Painting, each take yanchi Yu Shen, on the side of the arm rest for a small scene, pay the rest of the engraving. Brother Dongxi, Su Gong Si Yi, day and night, love into the bone. On the day of staying at home, he forgot to eat and drink, and the servants traveled, and also carried bamboo knives and brushes with them. Mr. Zhuang Yonggui, a senior in the Shangbo Craft Department, recorded in "Wu Changshuo and the Bamboo Carver Jin Xijie": "(Jin Xijie) has made rapid progress since specializing in bamboo carving, and soon caught up with and surpassed the level of his brother Jin Dongxi. ...... In order to improve his level of bamboo carving art and expand his artistic horizons, Xi Gao still learned calligraphy and painting from his uncle Jin Beilou, and also engraved seals. ”
In the spring of 1930, Chu Deyi wrote the "Continuation of the Bamboo People", and his "Jin Xi Jie" Strip Yun: "Playing the knife day and night, there is no room? In the summer, the fan bone carved in three years to more than three hundred fangs can be described as diligent. According to the Catalogue of Bamboo Carved bamboo in Jinxi (manuscript, hereinafter referred to as the Catalogue), a total of 436 works including fan bones, arm rests, pen holders, and canes are registered. The earliest recorded works were created in 1920 (庚申), a very small number, and the following year (Xin You) works gradually increased, and by 1922 (壬戌) there was an explosive growth. Since then, the number of engravings has been uneven, as few as one or two pieces, and at most more than thirty pieces. According to rough statistics, there are four years for those who have more than 30 annual engravings, four years for those with more than 20 engravings, three years for those with more than 10 engravings, and the remaining ones with less than 10 engravings. From 1950 to his death, or to do or quit, a total of no more than ten fan bones were carved.
Before 1930, when Chu Deyi wrote this article, there were only thirty-three records of Jin Xijia's engraving of the most fan bones in 1924 (Jiazi). Chu Deyi did not explicitly say that it was those three years, considering that its literary meaning was to explain the diligence of the Jin family's employment, there is reason to believe that the "three years of carving fan bones to more than three hundred fangs" is most likely a record of the number of bamboo carvings when Jin Xijia first learned bamboo carving, which lasted between 1917 and 1920, about three years. These early years of study, mostly aimed at practicing craftsmen, and out of the hands of beginners, the level is bound to not be too high, except for those who asked for relatives and friends at that time, I am afraid that they will pay more for the axe. The only earliest bone-carving work that can be confirmed today is the Yinwen Jincheng Painting Landscape and Cursive Bamboo Fan Bone listed as the first in both the Catalogue and the Twelve Volumes of the Jinxijia Carved Bamboo Takumoto (see Work No. 001 of this Catalogue). Completed in 1920, this work is significantly less delicate in terms of engraving technique, far inferior to its representative level, and should be one of the few early works left by Kim Se-jae. I think that without the extensive practice of the beginner's bamboo carving period, it would not have been possible to achieve amazing results in a few years.
Jin Xiguo Yin Wen Jincheng painting landscape and cursive bamboo fan bone
Since 1922, the level of bamboo carving in Jin Xiguo has obviously matured and stabilized, and the number of works has also increased. From 1922 to 1926, it was the first peak period of his bamboo carving creation, in the past five years, a total of more than 130 pieces of fan bones, 27 pieces of arm rest, and 5 pieces of pen holders were carved, with a variety of styles and comprehensive techniques. In 1926, his uncle Jin Cheng died, and bamboo carvings decreased significantly in the following decade or so. In 1934 and 1937, the creation of bamboo carving was completely stopped. From 1942 onwards, Jin Xijia entered the second peak of bamboo carving, and from 1942 to 1946, there were more than 130 pieces of fan bones carved in the five years, and five pieces of arm rest. The carving techniques of this period are relatively single, and the fan bones are mainly based on yin and shallow carvings.
In 1922, the Dadong Book Company published a photocopy of the bamboo carvings of Jin Dongxi and Jin Xiguo Kunzhong, "Readable Bamboo Carvings", and in 1933, Jin Xijia published a photocopy of the bamboo carving rubbings "Bamboo Element Flowing Wind". In 1927, the "Lake Society Monthly" was founded, and its engraved bamboo takumi was frequently published, and its influence spread throughout the country. At that time, the major fan villages in Shanghai and Beijing were all collecting pieces on behalf of each other, and the run case was quite high, and the carved fan bones and arm rests were comparable to the prices of medium-sized famous calligraphy and paintings.
Many of Kim's works were created in collaboration with his uncle Jin Cheng. In particular, in 1922, when he debuted, the bamboo carvings he made were mainly painted by Jincheng. Xi Gao described himself as Yun: "Brother Beilou, can make a huge frame for finding the zhang, but the arm of the ruler is rested and the fan bone, just like the lion fighting the rabbit, will be full strength." Every time he saw him stare at the bamboo, his heart would know what to do, and he would not be able to write. As soon as the draft was completed, it was told that 'somewhere use yin, somewhere use yang; somewhere should be profound, somewhere should be shallow; somewhere seeks contrast, somewhere is echoed'. When Gaiqi conceived it, it was foreseen that the whole picture would be carved. "After Jin cheng's death in 1926, Xi Gao was engraved on bamboo by imitating Nai's brother's paintings from time to time." Gongbei painting, Western carving" has become the most distinctive work in his bamboo carving creation.
Relying on the social relations of the family, especially the extensive contacts of his brother Jin Cheng in the art and literature circles, Jin Xigao has become acquainted with many famous artists and giants in the painting world. According to incomplete statistics, the famous artists who have cooperated with them are Chu Deyi, Zhu Xiaozang, Gao Cundao, Wang Yiting, Guo Lanxiang, Guo Lanzhi, Xu Zonghao, Zheng Xiaoxu, Wu Changshuo, Yao Mangfu, Feng Xu, Wu Waitqiu, BaoXi, Zhao Shijun, Luo Shuyun, Shou Shigong, Wang Fu'an, Luo Zhenyu, Chen Yuandu, Wu Hufan, Pang Laichen, Lin Shu, Zhao Shuru, Pu Xuezhai, Zhang Daqian, Tang Dingzhi, Gao Yehou, Qi Baishi, Chen Shizeng, Zhang Shiyuan, Wu Waitqiu, Wu Zishen, Feng Chaoran, Jiang Hanting, Lu Yufei, Pu Xinhu, Lou Xinhu, Hui Xiaotong, Zheng Mukang, Yu Difan, Wang Xuetao, Xu Yansun, Tang Yun, Fu Tienian, Yu Shaosong, Ye Gongqi, Chen Shaomei, Shen Yinmo, and so on, and there are almost all the famous artists in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. In addition, celebrities such as Chen Sanli, Chen Kuolong, Cheng Duolu, Tan Zemin, Yuan Siliang, Gao Zhenxiao, Xia Jingguan, Zhang Yuanji, Jin Rongjing, Wang Tongyu, Chen Fangke, Yuan Rongfa, Wang Shurong, Fei Shuwei, Wang Yunzhang, Tang Wenzhi, Zeng Jifen, Chen Zuren, Yuan Siyong, Zhang Jue, Zhou Yi, Shen Wei, Yao Yuqin, and so on also had a deep or shallow friendship with Jin Xigao.
After 1949, Kim Washiga turned 60 years old, and due to the decline of his eyesight, he gradually stopped creating bamboo carvings. From 1950 to 1956, there were no records of works at all. In June 1956, Jin Xigao was hired as a librarian at the Shanghai Municipal Museum of Culture and History. This event may have rekindled the old man's enthusiasm for art, and since 1957, he has created more than a dozen works, not only fan bones, but also canes that have never been carved before, and a pen holder that has not been caught off guard since 1925. Jin Xigao's last work was the Yin Wen Zhang Da Qian Xing Shu and Landscape Bamboo Fan Bone, carved on June 24, 1965 (the 25th day of the fifth month of the fifth month of Otomi).
Artistic status and theoretical achievements
Jin Xigao was the most outstanding bamboo carving artist and the most important theorist of bamboo carving art in the 20th century.
Bamboo carving was developed and matured into an independent art in the late Ming Dynasty, and after that, there were famous masters, and gradually formed the three mainstream styles of Jiading, Jinling and Liuqing. As a highly integrated arts and crafts artist and literati, he leapt to the high-end bamboo carving of Ya play, relying on the inheritance of master and apprentice to pass on its complete craft system. However, this model has gradually developed drawbacks, especially the erosion of bamboo carving by commercialization is very serious, and the industrial bamboo carving represented by Jiading bamboo carving has finally lost the elegant taste of the literati, flowing into the auspicious celebration gifts and daily utensils needed by the world, and the literati feelings and high-mindedness of the previous masters have disappeared. On the contrary, literary and artistic people from other areas outside Jiading have played swords to bamboo. They come from a variety of backgrounds, either for various students, or for scholars, or for monks, but they can play swords in bamboo materials and toilet bamboo people, including many scholar-type bamboo people who combine traditional scriptures, gold stones, calligraphy and painting, dictionaries, examinations, and collections. Among them, there are bamboo as the main engraving material, but most of them are engraving generalists who can use carving knives to express the artistic interest of gold stone calligraphy and painting on various materials such as bamboo, wood, teeth, and stone. In detail, there are no less than a hundred and dozens of literati in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui regions of the middle and late Qing Dynasty who can carve bamboo. With the large number of Jiangnan literati participating in the practice of bamboo carving art creation, the carving form of bamboo carving has gradually changed, which is conducive to reproducing the yin and yang light carvings of calligraphy and painting and imitation of gold and stone and has leapt into the mainstream of literati bamboo carving, with very few round carvings and high relief carvings, and in art, it is generally pursued to express the pen and ink interest of calligraphy and painting and the vast effect of gold and stone rubbing. At this time, bamboo people can often write and paint themselves, their hearts and hands are connected, and their knives and pens are integrated, so they have their own style. As for the cooperation of the various families, or my engraving of paintings, or the publication of my books, it is a versatile literary friend and ink friend. It can be said that after the development of bamboo carving art by the literati in Jiangnan in the Qing Dynasty to the Daoguang Dynasty, it has surpassed the traditional bamboo carving town of Jiading in art and become a representative of bamboo carving art in this period. The reasons for its vigorous development are specifically four: the great prosperity of epigraphy, the maturity of the yin script shallow engraving technique, the popularity of bamboo folding fans, and the engraving technique are compulsory for people of art and literature.
At this time, the yin carving technique of expressing the effect of the literati's brush and ink pioneered by Zhou Hao, a bamboo man in Jiading, has been circulated, opening up a smooth way for countless literati who are proficient in calligraphy and painting and are good at iron pen management. However, with the development of literati calligraphy and painting bamboo carving into a new popular style, in response to market demand and industrial development, the painting carving process has also begun and intensified since then, so that in the late Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the People's Republic, the painter wielded a manuscript, and the bamboo people played the knife, which became the norm of bamboo carving creation. Whether the engraved manuscript can be reached in the slightest will also become the only yardstick to evaluate the merits of bamboo people at that time. Although there were a number of well-known bamboo carving artists active at that time, the best of them were only "elegant craftsmen", who engaged in bamboo carving production as "appendages" of painting books and manuscripts. Connoisseurs and artists at that time also regarded this as the natural form of bamboo carving art.
It was in this era that Jin Xigao began his practice and theoretical thinking on bamboo carving creation. His bamboo carvings are mainly fan bone carvings, and the ink manuscripts of these fan bone bamboo carvings may come from the cooperation with the world's famous calligraphers and painters, especially with his brother Jincheng, or the inkblots and gold stone transmission of famous artists, many of which are from self-transporters. The carving forms are diverse, whether it is yin, yang, liuqing, or profound, shallow carving, wool carving, all reach a very high level. Unlike the general bamboo people who engrave other people's drawings or paint shadow graphics, or add flowers on the hammer to use the clever way for no reason, Jin Xigao is especially good at flexibly using different engraving methods to express the pen and ink interest and artistic conception of calligraphy and painting ink manuscripts, but can avoid falling into the wrong way of showing off skills, and always maintain the artistic character of Yazheng. As a second-degree creation, his engravings can often be more artistically appealing than the original calligraphy and paintings. In the art circle of the Republic of China, Jin Xiguo is unique in his fan carving style of Gaohua, Qingya, Langrun and Pingzheng, and his achievements in fan bone carving make him a representative figure of Chinese bamboo carving art in the 20th century.
Therefore, this is inseparable from Jin Xigao's good painting cultivation and appreciation vision under the influence of his family and the guidance of his brother. As mentioned earlier, the famous bamboo carving masters of the Qing Dynasty literati were often good at poetry, calligraphy and painting, and were by no means just able to carve bamboo. Multi-faceted cultural and artistic accomplishment is the guarantee for a bamboo person to grow into a famous artist or even everyone. Jin Xiguo called himself a "dream of writing and ink" and was not good at poetry, but as one of the few modern intellectuals who had received a new type of education at that time, his cultural roots were self-evident. In the early years, he had a long time to follow his uncle Jincheng to learn painting experience, and he was rich in collection in the clan and in the old marriage, coupled with the time when he was too obedient to the famous calligraphers and painters of Hanmo at the same time, and the high starting point and the wealth of his vision were obviously incomparable to ordinary craftsmen. Today, we can still see very few surviving paintings of Jin Xiguo's early years, knowing that his flowers, birds, landscapes, and figures can be used, and his pen and ink are thick, and he is set to be elegant and elegant, and he is allowed to be called a noh (Figures 4 and 5, the early paintings of Jin Xiguo, provided by Jin Xiguo's family). The atmosphere of the picture is pure and clear, and the composition is intriguing, which is completely in line with the elegant style of the carved bamboo and the meticulous chic of the business location. Xi Gao tasted himself: "Occasionally, the needs of picture books and bamboo carvings are not suitable, and it is debatable and considerable, and it is easier to taste private intentions." Engraved and re-revealed to the original author, often approved by him. "It proves that he fully embodies his painting practice in carving bamboo." In addition to the mode of cooperation with famous artists, there are also a large number of "pro and imitation" works, of which "pro" may be a miniature of a certain painting book in the edge, and "imitation" is completely using a certain painting manuscript for a certain degree of free arrangement, but it is reasonable and has no trace, if it is not marked in detail in the manuscript of the "Catalog", posterity is definitely indistinguishable. As for the engravings of other self-transported ink manuscripts, they can better reflect the level of Jin Xigao's painting.
Paintings from Kim's early years, courtesy of Kim's family (Figure 4)
Paintings from Kim's early years, courtesy of Kim's family (Figure 5)
It seems that Jin Xiguo did not create calligraphy, and most of his handwriting is hard pen letters, but from the self-engraving on the bamboo carvings and the wood carvings, seals, and brick platforms, we can see that his calligraphy is not general. In addition, his seal engraving is also quite powerful, and this exhibition exhibits a number of seals in his early and middle years, which can be seen. The author believes that with the talent, taste and perseverance of Ezekiel, if he devoted himself to calligraphy and painting in those years, he may not be able to achieve a career.
Chen Sanli (1853-1937), a great modern poet and an old man from Sanyuan, wrote in his poem entitled "Jin Xijia Carved Bamboo Tuoben", "Mangosteen peels new powder, warm fire and sweat." Cut into a miscellaneous dish and play with the world. Xi Jiao is particularly skilled, and fills in several cases. When quenching iron hair vertebrae, one by one engraved on its face. ..."It refers to another type of bamboo carving creation in addition to the carved fan bone, including various bamboo literary utensils such as arm rests, pen holders, printing rules and cigarette holders, and walking sticks. These works are either for self-enjoyment or as gifts to friends and friends, although the total number is not large, but they are all soaked in the author's painstaking efforts. Unlike the carved custom fan bone finished products, many of these literary utensils were made by his own hand. Compared with fan bone carving, it is easier to appreciate its attention to the types of utensils and three-dimensional carving techniques from the creation of literary jugglers.
Stay Qingyang Wen Jincheng painting mushroom figure bamboo pen holder
Leave the green yin yang wen jincheng painting plum window figure bamboo pen holder
Jin Xigao had a strong sense of peak in the art of bamboo carving, and was not satisfied with the situation that the bamboo carving method was becoming more and more shallow and the face was becoming more and more single, believing that such a creative mode had largely lost the aesthetic interest and artistic independence of bamboo carving itself. In the "Small Words on Carving Bamboo" compiled by his nephew Wang Shixiang, we can see Jin Xiguo's reflections and appeals on the revival of bamboo carving art in China in his later years, "Carving is three-dimensional art, calligraphy and painting are graphic art, how can we abolish three-dimensional art and replace it with graphic art?" Therefore, if the meaning of calligraphy and painting in bamboo carving is more interesting, the less interesting the meaning of carving, and how can bamboo carving be a vassal of calligraphy and painting! In fact, in his first peak period of bamboo carving, he created many works with a strong sculptural language, including styles such as reduced yang text, hidden yang text and deep depression, but unfortunately he did not adhere to this style, perhaps limited by the genre of works dominated by fan bones. Jin Xigao regretted that he was "ashamed of not making many trials in the round carving, and his understanding was very shallow", lamented that "the difficulty of bamboo carving, round carving is the first", and hoped that the bamboo carving round carving can "re-energize the light". We don't know about its round carved bamboo carvings today, but the Shanghai Museum has a set of wood carvings like raw fruits and vegetables, that is, round carvings. Jin Xiguo once said: "I think that the round sculpture should start with a small piece first, so that it is convenient to study." Like a great instrument, a lifetime of flaws, interest is so great that it is difficult to do it. If you can study step by step and study hard, then there is no difficulty in the world, and you will be able to innovate and surpass the forerunners. "This set of elephant sketches is undoubtedly a work when he began to study round carving.
Jin Xiguo Wood carving fruit and vegetable elephant raw set (19 pieces) in the first half of the 20th century Varies in size from the collection of the Shanghai Museum
As a native of Huzhou, Jin Xiguo inherited the fine tradition of bamboo carving by zhejiang literati in the Hangjiahu area in art, and attached great importance to the bookish atmosphere of the style of the works and the golden stone taste of the sword technique. He lived in Shanghai for many years, and he was in harmony with the Haipai calligraphy and painting seal seals, which was extremely deeply contaminated, and made him a strong player in Haipai bamboo carving. In the history of bamboo carving art, Jin Xigao can be called a figure of the late literati bamboo carving, who is not only the palace army of Zhejiang school bamboo carving, but also the mainstay of Hai school bamboo carving. In addition to leaving hundreds of bamboo carvings for future generations to appreciate, observe and learn, he also conducted in-depth theoretical exploration, providing extremely valuable insights for the development direction of bamboo carving art on the basis of comprehensively summarizing the history and craftsmanship of bamboo carving. His artistic achievements have been widely praised both before and after his death, and the theory of the coffin is fully known as Mr. Qi Gong's evaluation that "he is unique outside the bamboo people in the past five hundred years", and in terms of theoretical achievements, there is only one bamboo person in the past five hundred years.
The first draft of Jin Xiguo's "Carved Bamboo Whispers" (Figure 6)
In the summer of 1948, Wang Shixiang temporarily took up residence at his uncle's house in Shanghai before going to the United States, and perhaps at the request of his intelligent and erudite nephew, Jin Xiguo had the idea of sorting out his theoretical thinking and practical experience on bamboo carving. In 1964, Jin Xiguo sent his usual notes on bamboo carvings, including the first draft of the "Carved Bamboo Sayings", to Wang Shixiang to "compile the second zhenzheng" (Fig. 6, the first draft of Jin Xijiao's "Carved Bamboo Small Talks"). After that, Wang Shixiang sorted out these notes, searched for literature and physical examples, and at the same time repeatedly consulted with his uncle on difficulties, and finally compiled the first draft of three thousand words into the book "Carved Bamboo Small Words" that we see today (Figure 7, Wang Shixiang wrote a copy of "Carved Bamboo Small Talks"). In the process of compiling this book, Wang Shixiang also changed his understanding of the craftsmanship, history and appreciation of bamboo carving from simple to proficient, and eventually became a hero of modern bamboo carving theory research.
Wang Shixiang wrote "Carved Bamboo Small Talk" (Figure 7)
"Carved Bamboo Whispers" is composed of chapters of "Brief History", "Preparation materials", "Tools", "Practice", "Examples", "Continuation of Examples", which is the first work in history to comprehensively discuss bamboo carving, and the outline has laid the narrative framework of bamboo carving history and bamboo carving technology, especially in four aspects, that is, the complete bamboo carving occurrence theory, the clear bamboo carving history staging theory, the systematic bamboo carving craft theory and the unique ontology of bamboo carving art, which is a craft classic that is small in length but thoughtful.
Regarding the occurrence of bamboo carving, Jin Xigao pointed out that in the ancient period, bamboo ware was widely used in human life and production, and by the pre-Qin period, bamboo products with literary ornaments and used in ceremonial activities had appeared; bamboo products with handicraft properties that were clearly different from those used in general utensils had documents that could be recruited in the Six Dynasties and had physical objects handed down in the Tang Dynasty; bamboo carvings in the Tang and Song dynasties had a variety of techniques and were formed as specialized arts in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. In the theory of bamboo carving, more information has been obtained today to prove that the views put forward by Kim Xi-tung are completely correct. Its narrative on the history of the development of bamboo carving no longer follows the general theory of the source stream outlined by the predecessors, but analyzes the style changes and technological changes of bamboo carving in the development process in detail, and divides the history of bamboo carving that has entered a special artistic stage since the middle of the Ming Dynasty into three stages: the Ming Dynasty, the early Qing Dynasty and the late Qing Dynasty. This is the first appearance of the history of bamboo carving, which forms the basic framework of the historical narrative of bamboo carving, and is still widely accepted and applied to this day. Jin Xigao made a comprehensive summary and meticulous analysis of the bamboo carving process from the three aspects of preparation, tools and practices, and his classification of the "engraving name", that is, the classification of the bamboo carving craft category, is the theory that is most suitable for the actual situation of bamboo carving art so far. He also strives to reveal the essence and characteristics of bamboo carving art, and clearly points out that bamboo carving cannot become a vassal of calligraphy and painting in terms of aesthetic requirements and creative ideas, and should pay attention to and give play to the true color of bamboo carving as a three-dimensional carving art. At that time, the bamboo carving community relished the use of bamboo carving knife techniques to express the flat beauty of Jinshi calligraphy and painting, although this form was also the best technique of Jin Xiguo, but he was still able to face its pros and cons, showing a generation of independent artistic spirit and modest academic attitude. It is precisely because of this insight that the historical bamboo carving masters established by Jin Xigao in his historical narrative have become the consensus of today's cultural relics community and have withstood the test of history. His research is based on a wealth of learning, extensive experience, deep thinking and superb practical skills.
In "Small Talks on Carving Bamboo", Jin Xiguo gave his years of accumulated experience in carving bamboo and his understanding of the art of governance, and devoted it to the society without reservation. The academic community gave this book a very high evaluation, and the celebrity topic was praised for a while. Among them, the famous painter Hui Xiaotong is one of the four best. "There are posthumous passages in the two records of the bamboo people, which are not engraved with gold needles. Five hundred years of transmission of learning, small words are true interpretations. The poem notes itself: "Mr. Xiya's "Carved Bamboo Small Talk", the theoretical narrative is uniquely detailed, the art of bamboo carving does not fall into the world, and it is a book. After that, Mr. Wang Shixiang carried forward bamboo carvings all his life, and the theory relied on the whole battle as a book. Today, the revival of bamboo carving art has emerged, and those who have lofty ideals must not fail to read the "Small Talks" to avoid the mistakes of wild fox ginseng Zen and the ugliness of the teacher's self-use.
Artistic style and engraving techniques
Jiading bamboo carving is based on the folk carving process to absorb the nutrition of the courtyard and Zhejiang painting development, the work to round carving, relief, high relief and other so-called "profound" as the characteristics, which is characterized by strong decorative color, full of ornamentation, rich level of carving, knife skills are strong and deep. In contrast, the so-called "Jinling School" style of "shallow carving". Pu Zhongqian, a bamboo man of the late Ming Dynasty (1582 -?) He is good at engraving poetry flowers and grasses on water mill bamboo utensils with shallow carving, and this fresh and elegant style has been pushed by posterity as the "Jinling School", which is regarded as an artistic style that goes hand in hand with Jiading bamboo carving, and the Pu family has thus become the founding ancestor of the "shallow carving" school. "Shallow" and "deep" are opposites, whether it is a shallow carving, a wool carving or a thin relief, both are not strong, undulating, and pay attention to the expression of flat beauty.
On the basis of this style, Pan Xifeng, a bamboo man in the early Qing Dynasty, integrated the fun of gold and stone, the style of calligraphy and painting, and made it the precursor of bamboo carving in Zhejiang. The emergence of bamboo groups in Hangjiahu, Ningshao and Taizhou marked the establishment of bamboo carvings in Zhejiang. Zhejiang school of bamboo carving extensively absorbs calligraphy, literati painting, painting, inscription, seal seal, gold stone Tuoben and other art forms and modeling techniques of nutrients, the work theme is novel, the pattern is distinct, the knife technique is refined, the style is elegant, and the artistic wisdom and aesthetic taste of the literati class at that time are concentrated, and it has become a representative of the literati bamboo carving in the late Qing Dynasty. With the opening and rise of Shanghai, literati, painters, and Indians gradually concentrated in Shanghai, and the "Maritime Painting School" appeared in painting. Jiangsu and Zhejiang bamboo people also went to Shanghai to perform art, and Haipai bamboo carving began, and its main form of carving is still "shallow carving".
"Shallow carving" does not refer to the shallow inscription of the yin text alone, but covers all the forms of carving with a small degree of concave and convexity, including the yin under the concave, the yin shallow carving, the wool carving, the shallow carving of the sun and the raised subtractive yang, the hidden yang and so on. "Shallow carving" is closely related to graphic arts such as calligraphy and painting, and is the mainstream of literati bamboo carving. Even Jiading bamboo carvings, which are characterized by "profound" such as circular carving, through carving, and high relief carving, tended to be "shallow carving" in the middle and late Qing Dynasty after Zhou Wei. The yin text in "shallow carving" uses a square circle knife combined with a carved dot line to express the object, and there are deep, shallow carvings and wool carvings according to the depth of the knife marks. Yin is most suitable for expressing the traces of pen and ink in Chinese painting and calligraphy, so it is very popular with literati bamboo carvers who are good at calligraphy and painting. The Yang script in the "Shallow Carving" is divided into the Yang script of the minus land and the Yang script of the hidden Yang, these two forms of carving are mainly used to express the zhong ding yi ware, the quan jian symbol plate, the oracle bone brick tile and other gold and stone artifacts and the inscription of the yin yang zhi. Generally speaking, "shallow carving" is specifically for bamboo flesh carving, and the Liu Qingyang text belonging to bamboo skin carving is not "shallow carving" in the strict sense. However, it has some similarities with the subtraction of the yang text in terms of techniques. Liu Qingyang wen synthesizes the effect of "fading halo" in the subtractive Yang text, yin carving and painting, using the differences in texture and color between bamboo green and bamboo flesh, respectively, and borrowing the amount of bamboo to form a slightly elevated pattern and divide the shallow and deep layers, with the painting effect of five colors of ink.
Bamboo people in Zhejiang are all specialized in "shallow carving" without exception, and Jin Xijia is proficient in almost all of the "shallow carving" craftsmanship. Judging from his heirloom works, in addition to the shallow carving of the fangyi school, whether it is the yin text, shallow carving and hair carving, as well as the hidden Yang text, the subtracted yang text, and the Liu Qingyang text in the Yang text, they are extremely good at it, not only forming a strong personal appearance in the artistic style, but also compared with the previous generation of masters in the height of craftsmanship.
First, let's look at the yin script system in the "shallow carving", that is, the hair carving, the yin text shallow carving and the yin text profound. Jin Xiguo pointed out that "the yin script carving, the thinnest and shallowest is called the hair carving, and it is as fine as a hair." Traditional wool carvings are carved with very fine yin lines, such as the scratch pattern on lacquerware and the fine carvings on ivory ware, which are typical wool carvings. Jin Xigao's bamboo carving creation never simply used the wool carving technique, he opposed Yu Xiaoxian, who enjoyed the name of "shallow carving" at that time, purely relied on the style of fine engraving to express calligraphy and painting, believing that it was "not appreciated by true critics", but advocated the use of wool carving techniques to show the characteristics of the hair of the characters and the feathers of birds and beasts, and used in conjunction with other dark and shallow inscriptions to form a picture. Similarly, in dealing with the problem of deep and shallow engraving of yin, he also uses it from the perspective of artistic effect, and is not limited to a certain transcendental carving style. He opposed the understanding that at that time there were light inscriptions in the world, "the shallower the more difficult, and the shallow is precious", he believed that they should be selected according to the different styles of calligraphy and painting, and the ethereal and feminine wind should be shallowly carved, while the solemn state of Shen Xiong was not profound and for no reason. This reflects his clever attitude of flexibly using techniques from the perspective of art, and getting rid of the creative tendency of carvers to show off a particular technique from the perspective of craftsmanship. He particularly reminded scholars, "The most basic method of engraving in the yin text is profound, but although it is profound, almost all of them have shallow engravings, and the so-called profoundness is different from the shallow ear in terms of the depth of its engraving." He further explained that "although profound is in yin and uses carved picture books, it is often yin and yang." These unconventional, on-demand concepts are reflected in his series of inscriptions, and viewers may wish to carefully examine a large number of works in this book to be able to understand. Let's talk about the Yangwen system in "Shallow Carving". In his time, Yangwen carving was also shallow and subtle, and professional bamboo people were all shocked by their ability to perform small work. In the Yangwen bamboo carving, those who can be slender are hidden Yang wen and subtracted Yang Wen, which were also called "Thin Di Yang Wen" at that time. For this kind of "thin yang text", Jin Xigao also uses dialectical thinking to look at it, he said, "Whether the thin yang text is well carved or not depends on how well its yin text is carved." ...... Neither yin nor yang can exist alone, and so can carving. As said, Jin Xiguo relied on his profound Yin script carving skills to use this shallow Yang carving to achieve a divine realization. The 1932 imitation of Xiao Ke Ding Ming's arm rest is a work that concentrates on his condensed calligraphy skills, and the technique used is roughly hidden Yang. Above the arm rest, there are more than 70 words of the Yang text miniature Copy of the Shanfu Ke Ding Ming, the bottom is walnut, and the yin inscription of Chu Deyi is more than 200 words, and Chu Deyi praises it as "Silver hook tail, no unhappiness, Zhiyan and Yunqiao can not concentrate on the front" (see works No. 100 in this catalogue). In 1933, the eight kinds of fan bones of the spring coin were engraved in two groups of eight kinds of ancient spring coins to reduce the diyang script, and the shapes, inscriptions, ornaments and mottled rust of the spring coins were intricately shaped, inscriptions, ornaments and mottled rusts, which were exquisite (see work No. 041 in this catalogue). Jin Xiguo praised Zhou Zhili for carving the golden stone "compared with Tuoben, not inferior to the one", and its own level is comparable to that of the Zhou clan.
Jin Xiguo Yang Wen G Xiao Ke Ding Ming Bamboo Arm Shelf 1932 Shanghai Museum Collection
Jin Xiguo Liu Qingyang Wen Jincheng painting Rao Chun Tu bamboo arm rest
In Jin Xiguo's time, Liu Qing's method of retreating from stun was already very mature. Interestingly, when he used the Liu Qingyang script, he did not like the kind of fading technique of using The Color Ofe to Show The Color Difference to Show Ink Rendering and Color Change, which may be his vigilance against "if there is more fun in painting and calligraphy, the less fun in carving" and deliberately does it. Its works of Leaving Qingyang Text, often retain a large area of Qingjun formation of objects, the interior of the contour of the object is only according to the lines of the drawings to produce yin text, do not have a refreshing, simple beauty, its masterpiece can be cited in the Spring Figure Arm Rest and the Yuanlu Lu Diagram Arm Rest as an example. Regarding the wonder of the arm rest of the Rao Chun Tu, Mr. Wang Shixiang has a detailed explanation in the "Continuation" of the "Carved Bamboo Small Talks and Examples", and can also see the original work in this exhibition (see the work No. 097 of this catalogue), it seems that there is no need to say more, here is an introduction to the Arm Rest of the Lu Lu Tu (Figure 8, Roughly Left Qingyang Wen Wu Zheng Painting Yuanlu Lu Tu Bamboo Arm Shelf, private collection). It is the name of the famous painter Wu Zheng, a friend of Jin Xi's, and in the late autumn of 1940 (Gengchen), the Kim family carved this work for Wu. This work only uses the method of "circle edge" to keep the pen and ink outline of the ink manuscript on the green reed, and the open space is filled with a coat. Among them, the dense turns, layers of preposition dots, bamboo leaf dots, only rely on the yin line circle edge hook outline to show their relationship before and after, it is extremely difficult to deal with, but Jin Xijia can do complex and not chaotic, full but not stuffy, uniform and uneven. The most clever part of this work is the use of the most basic "circle edge flat bottom" engraving method and the highly crafted "rough ground method" - these two carving methods that are very easy to fall into the process deadlock, to express the literati's freehand works with thick points, and have achieved great success. This is a kind of jaw-dropping gesture, Qi Gong commented on Jin Xi's bamboo carving cloud: "To the fineness of its knife marks... He Shu wears the essence of Yang Guan Worm. However, in the thick point, it is again bold, such as seeing wet ink dripping. This is not an ordinary carving insect skill can be the same day and talk about it! (See Qi Gong's inscription for the "Carved Bamboo Whispers") Although it is in terms of yin works, it is also called allowing it to be transferred to evaluate this work.
Rough land left Qingyang Wen Wu Zheng painting 袌鋗庐图 bamboo arm rest, private collection (Figure 8)
In addition to the "shallow carving", Jin Xigao also explored the "profound" technique, especially in the early years of several deep arm rests, combining traditional techniques with new modeling concepts to open up a new realm for bamboo carving, which can still inspire people today. In 1922, in order to express his thoughts on his father, he copied his father's posthumous photograph on bamboo (see work No. 089 in this catalogue). This work uses the deep-ground method. The deep ground has traditionally been used to represent floral motifs, never to represent people, let alone portraits. Jin's work is obviously inspired by Fang Hao's shallow carved portrait of the ground, and it is easy to be profound. Chu Deyi's "Continuation of the Bamboo People" said that this work was "similar to its god, and the energy in the bamboo carving is also". He also used the same technique to carve the only recorded stone, the small statue of Zhang Shiming made in the winter of 1927.
Jin Xiguo Deep Qinyuan Gong Relic Statue Bamboo Arm Rest
Bamboo carving is a product of arts and crafts, any bamboo carving creator can not be separated from the beauty of the material and craftsmanship, only rely on artistic creativity and produce masterpieces, it is impossible to depart from the material basis that the times can provide and the technical tradition formed by history to carry out creation. During the Republic of China period, the culture of folding fans was in full swing, and the fan bone production process could still continue the quality level since the Qing Dynasty, and the fan bones used in the carving of Jin Xijia were all the best products at that time. However, at the same time, bamboo tube carving and bamboo root carving are generally made of commodities, and the large roots of moso bamboo taken are rough and dry, and it is difficult to appreciate; the literati bamboo carvings in the Hangjia Lake area do not have the tradition of creating bamboo root round carvings. This is the main reason why Jin Xiguo's pen holder is rare and the bamboo root system is rare, and the best quality pen holder, the Liuqing Yinyang Wenmei Window Picture Pen Holder, is also a tool that Jincheng brought back to him from Japan. In the winter of 1922, Jin Xiguo and his wife traveled to the mountains and got a piece of tortoise shell bamboo, which he loved very much, and made it into an arm rest and pen holder and carved it, indicating that he was very interested in making bamboo carvings by hand. However, the traffic conditions at that time and the reality of family life probably did not allow him to plunge headlong into the mountains and forests to "cut wood in Weimu and plant in Qi Garden" (Qing Ren Wang Price's "Bamboo Pen Bucket Fu" middle sentence). It should be said that due to the overall decline of Jiading bamboo carving as an industry since the late Qing Dynasty, there was a fault in the supply of high-grade bamboo materials and bamboo ware production, so that Jin Xigao's artistic exploration and bamboo carving career failed to obtain the support of basic industries to a greater and higher level, although the Shanghai where he had lived for a long time was actually close to Jiading. Otherwise, with Kim's insight, insight and creativity, the revival of bamboo carving art, which did not fade into the light of day until the end of the 20th century, would have begun earlier.
(The author is a research librarian of the Craft Department of the Shanghai Museum, originally published in the exhibition supporting catalogue "Jinshi Yundang - Jin XiJia Bamboo Carving Art Special Exhibition"" The original text has an annotation, here omitted, the original title is "Jin Xi Jia Bamboo Carving Art Overview")