Curated by Charles Chu, Professor Emeritus of Connecticut College

When most westerners think of Chinese painting, they do not tend to think of figure painting. Landscapes of lofty hills or birds and flowers in the spring are familiar and resonate more readily with similar themes in western art. Those subjects are more culturally neutral, perhaps more universal, than figure paintings. Most of us need to feel a connection as individuals or representatives of a heritage with the people depicted in figure paintings in order to appreciate them fully.

Having acknowledged the relative unfamiliarity of figure painting to western viewers of Chinese art and so that we may more fully appreciate this unique genre, let us take a brief look at the history of Chinese figure painting.

Figure painting in China appeared in the Neolithic era, first on pottery, then on tiles, tomb and cave walls, and in family shrines. Landscape and Bird/flower painting came much later. The primary function of figure painting was transmission of moral and ethical principles. Paintings illustrated the Taoist search for nature, Buddhist reach for nirvana or Confucian counsel for filial piety. Temple scenes or quiet natural retreats provided settings for these illustrations. One of the earliest examples of Confucian teaching is "Admonition of Court Ladies" by Ku Kai-chih (344-405). This handscroll , now in the British Museum, is a series of courtyard scenes depicting young ladies learning about proper deportment. One of the inscriptions read, "People know how to improve their visage, but not how to improve their character." It accompanies carefully drawn figures, draperies folding and stretching to indicate the posture of each person.

Times change, social and historical events became primary reasons for figure painting. Tang Dynasty court painters such as Yen Li-pen (died in 673), who painted the "Thirteen Emperors" and Chang Hsian, "Ladies Weaving Newly Prepared Silk," are represented in the Boston Museum. Chou Fang's "Tuning the Flute and Drinking Tea" (second half of the 8th century) is another dignified, elegant illustration of the life of the powerful and privileged. On all these examples, colors and refined lines delineate facial expressions, body movement and gestures. "Tuning the Flute" is at the Palace Museum in Taiwan.

Figure painting lost its momentum with the rise of landscape painting toward the end of the Tang Dynasty. Academy painters and the literati considered landscape painting the height of achievement. Li Kung-lin (1040-1106 ) was one of the few scholars who continued Ku Kai-chih's tradition. He was a Confucian gentleman who venerated the past but used his heritage to meet the popular demands of his time. He was known for his paintings of horses and humans portrayed with dignity and spirit. Li created the Pai Miao style (pure line drawing) for figures. His technique has been widely favored by artists since. It uses fine lines and no shadows, merging almost indistinguishably with calligraphy, (see "Chinese Figure Painting" by Tom Lawton, FREER GALLERY OF ART.)

At the peak of Li's dominance in traditional figure painting in the twelfth and early thirteenth century a freshness entered. Chan (Zen) artists created a new style. Sudden inspiration and spontaneity were valued. Chan artists painted lohans, poets, monks and illustrated Chan stories with broad strokes, tremulous lines and dashing monochrome ink washes. "The Sixth Patriarch Tearing Up a Sutra", painted by Liang Kai (mid 13th century), portrays the bald sixth patriarch ripping a sutra to show that Chan believers do not need written words. The brushwork is impetuous and quick.. The patriarch is calling out in ecstasy and his message is certainly clear. Chan painting came and went quickly. Literati artists considered the style too undisciplined and unorthodox. However, this spontaneity and spirit have had a lasting influence and it has continued to impact artists ever since.

A revival of traditional figure painting after decades of decline developed during the Ming Dynasty. Chou Chen (c1500-1535 ), Chang Lu (c1490-1563) , and Tang Yin (1470-1523)were scholar-amateur artists who painted individual scholar/officials or ordinary people instead of groups of people as described in earlier periods. Literati artists were independent painters. To respond to the demands of a broader audience, professional artists appeared. Chiu Ying, a landscape artist (c1495-1552) was also especially skillful at painting beautiful women. In "Spring Morning in Han Palace," now in the Palace Museum in Taiwan, Chiu depicts dancing, playing, portrait painting and other daily activities in the beautiful palace (See "Possessing the Past" by Wen Fang and James Watt.) His techniques are almost exactly like those of the Tang artists we have mentioned, but faces are thinner, there is more variety and color in draperies, and backgrounds are more elaborate. Chiu had a number of followers. One of them was his daughter, Chiu Chu (see "Mother and Children" in our collection.) Chen Hung-shou (1598-1652) was a later artist whose painting kept the continuity of figure painting. His "Viewing a Painting" is also in this exhibit. In different ways these Ming artists played important roles in the restoration of classical painting.

In the Ching dynasty (1644-1911) figure painting continued but did not flourish. Literati and court artists only half-heartedly depicted the human figure. Some followed Chiu Ying's style to illustrate novels, but portrayed slim, listless women to meet the demand for commercial portraits. Court painters engaged in painting Emperors journeying to the south. Along the Grand Canal north of the Yangtzu River "the eight eccentrics" in Yang Chou were changing this direction. Huang Shen (1687-1768) used unorthodox brushwork which contrasted sharply with the detailed portrayals of figures current in his generation. One can safely say that these artists were playing with ink, expressing the spirit of subjects rather than careful, fastidious rendering. In the early years of this century artists in the Shanghai School created their own styles, reinterpreting eccentric figure painting.

After 1949 Socialist realism was promoted and the traditional literati forms were discouraged. Soldiers, workers, laboring women and children became a new didactic style. This style is still current, but people on the mainland are now free to choose among many styles. Currently the China Academy of Fine Arts in Hang Chou has undertaken to build the new Che School of Literati Figure Painting in order to keep the tradition alive and well. Wu Shan-ming's portrait of a lady and Tong Chen-kuo's "Chess Players" in this exhibit are examples of this trend. This exhibition shows many styles, delivering many different messages, all serving to keep memories of human history alive.

In conclusion I quote my friend Thomas Lawton who wrote "…….cumulative fusing of imagery, style and the written word lends Chinese figure painting an artistic and intellectual depth that is unique." How true!

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION

Fu Hsiao-shih was born to a well-educated family of artists in Nanjing. He is eldest of the three children of the late artist Fu Pao-shih. As was their father, the children are all well-established artists. Three members of the Fu family are represented in our collection.

Hsiao-shih's younger brother and sister are landscape artists, but Hsiao chose figure painting as his concentration. A few years after graduation from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing his life was brutally affected by the cultural revolution, (1965 - 75.) Anyone who was suspected of being "anti-revolutionary" suffered. Artists were vulnerable. When he struggled to protect his father's works of art, Hsiao-shih was imprisoned, beaten and tortured. An untimely stroke paralyzed the right half of his body. For a long time he could not paint. Even today he can not use his right hand to hold a brush. He paints with his left hand.

He learned to paint figures from his father and examples of the old masters from the past. In this painting, one can see a touching and determined effort to carry on the tradition of his family.

 
CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION

In commenting on Chinese brushpainting a well-known art historian said that Chinese painting may say little, but it tells it distinctively. He could have been speaking of Grape Harvest. The artist sees a rather shy, barefoot country girl returning with a basketful of grapes in early fall. Two sparrows sing in their claimed area of the quiet countryside. The rich harvest is symbolic of blessings for the farmers.

Mr. Wang conveys this mood with masterfully controlled brushwork. His free floating brush strokes, thick and thin, dry and wet, dark and light combine to outline an attractive lively figure for us. Vines twist and turn, good-sized fruits show through healthy leaves depicting the artist's view of rural life.

Mr. Wang was born and grew up in Xian, ancient capitol of China for millennia. The city's wealth of artifacts and history must have played a part in his art training. Painting is his profession and Mr.Wang is director of the Xian Institute of Calligraphy and Painting. This painting was commissioned by Xian University as a gift for our friend, Eugene Ching, as a tribute for his teaching service.

  
CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION

Portrait painting in China has never been as popular as it is in the west. Philosophically, the Chinese do not consider human beings a superior subject for painting. Most of the extant examples of ancient portrait painting are of emperors and their consorts. Court artists were directed to paint likenesses of the emperors for ritual or didactic purposes. The common populace could not expect to have their ancestors or their own portraits painted for posterity.

Traditionally portraits were done elaborately with fine lines and bold colors. This style of painting is called "Detailed Painting" (kungpihua.) Each line, thick or thin, must be carefully drawn to achieve not only facial expression but also folds in robes to suggest bodily movement. The color of the robes indicates the status of the subject. Emperors are painted in yellow robes with dragon insignia. Officials wore red, deep blue or green to indicate rank. Portraits of Taoists and scholars are usually done in monochrome ink. Buddhist images are usually colorful.

This tradition began to change early in the sixteenth century when social and economic mobility created a new era for artistic expression. A demand for portrait painting developed as China entered the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Professional portrait painters grew in number to meet the needs of the times. Our painting is an example of an elderly gentleman painted in his traditional blue long gown. Modern scholars were often painted in western clothes.

Since 1949 portraits of political leaders or revolutionary models, portrayed in army or civilian clothes are widely seen in China. Since the eighties western influence has made portrait painting in oil on canvas currently popular.

  
CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION

Ch'en Hung-shou is the dominant figure painter in the history of Chinese painting during the late Ming era in terms of popularity, quality and quantity of paintings. He is also known for his landscapes and flowers. Born to an educated family near Hangchou, the capital of Southern Sung dynasty (1127 - 1280) he was blessed with opportunities to learn how to paint early in life. At the age of four he painted the God of War on paper four feet tall. At nineteen he illustrated the famous story ascribed to Ch'u Yuan , ca. 340 - 290 bce, "Nine Songs." (See THE DISTANT MOUNTAINS, James Cahill, p 246) Refined and sophisticated linear drawing marked his figures throughout his career.

He acquired painting skills by imitating extant paintings from T'ang and Sung times. These are line drawings, with or without slight color. Ch'en Hung-shou and his contemporaries played the most important role in reviving figure painting after it had been in decline for over three hundred years.

As Ch'en's popularity grew he continued to illustrate famous legends, stories and Ming novels such as STORIES OF THE WESTERN CHAMBER and STORIES OF WATER MARGIN. Both books are available today. He even created "Water Margin" playing cards with different images of bandits and episodes from the book for popular consumption. It is not possible to date these cards precisely, but it is likely that he was in his late thirties-a time when he was compelled to sell paintings. Ch'en wanted to be in politics, as were his grandfather and father, but failed imperial examinations. Although he wished to belong to the elite class and did not like to be considered a professional painter, he sometimes found those "illustrious gentlemen" to be dilettantes, dabblers.

When the Ching army overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644, Ch'en was put into prison and later dispatched to his native place. He often regretted that he survived because a number of his friends had sacrificed their lives defending the Ming Dynasty. He felt ashamed and called himself Hui Ch'ih "Repent late." Our piece was signed with this new name. During the eight years after the fall of Ming and before he died Ch'en Hung-shou painted bizarre, exaggerated figures with elongated heads and serious faces, reflecting his own inner mood and character, marking a clearly definable style. His influence is still seen among contemporary painters.

 
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In this group of eight figural paintings, half of them represent a traditional way of painting. Professor Wu's work is different in style and manner. This free sketch delineates facial and bodily forms reminding us of the artist Liang K'ai of Southern Sung Dynasty (1127-1279) who broke with the exquisitely drawn lines popular in the previous era. Liang K'ai used a bold brush to catch the spirit of the figure disregarding precise details. Mr. Wu offers his more modern version.

Looking at this painting, we almost see Mr. Wu at work. His brush dances, his ink flows as if he is writing the picture - free, natural and effortless. Technically, it is not as easy as that. Professor Wu, Chairman of the Department of Chinese Painting at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Hang-chou, South China, has gone through socialist realism to this innovation. During the past twenty-five years, he constantly tries new ways to manipulate his brush to make subjects powerful, graceful and natural. He devises new ways of using ink - fresh ink, old ink and even gouache to create a new look. The graded lines give a depth to his dimensions. His paintings are shown the world over.

In October of 1998, through a friend who had probably told Professor Wu about the purpose of our collection, I visited his home. When I decided to choose this painting and asked how much I should pay, he simply said "I would like to give it to you." At first speechless, I could only ask him to inscribe it to the college. He did. I was touched.

 
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In Chinese figural painting, body posture and facial expressions are important. Calmness, seriousness and peacefulness are the normal characteristics. Robes and other details are painted in a less serious manner. In this genre the bold, loose and free lines are to emphasize solemn faces and add dynamic contrast. The often-mentioned "awkwardness" in brush and ink methods is meant to mark naturalness and to avoid the word "pretty."

Mr. Tong favors this style of painting. He is recognized as another innovator in this field. True, he is on the path of tradition. He used ink alone in his early years and now applies subtle colors. The figures he painted are without exception, humorous and playful. Our painting is a good example. One immortal struggles to make a next move, the other one confidently enjoys another sip of wine.

Chinese art books often say that "What one paints reflects the personality of the artist." Mr. Tong who is a professor of art at the China National Academy of Fine Art (now on leave in this country) is a modest, talented scholar-artist who says about his art: "My focus is on drawing an idea with color. I want to build my art on the basis of tradition and to move from there with bold and steady steps." I share his feelings, and I look forward to seeing more of his creativity unfold.

Currently Mr. Tong is in California. Through the efforts of John Sargent of the Oriental Art league, Tong visited our area and gave workshops and demonstrations in Old Lyme. We hope to see him regularly.

 
CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION

In Chinese art history books, women artist are recorded in small number. With few exceptions, references are footnotes in the family histories of artists. Nevertheless, extant paintings by women painters show that they were educated, talented individuals. Some came from families of the gentry. Some came from professional artist households. Some were courtesans. These classifications imply that women artists create works of art for personal pleasure, to augmenting family income or to entertain their patrons.

Chiu Chu belonged to the second category. She was the elder daughter of the famous professional artist Chiu Ying of Ming dynasty (1368-1644). As in her father's case, little information was recorded due to a snobbish way of treating professional artists in the old days.

What we know indicates that Chiu Chu was married. She preferred to live alone in order to paint, burn incense, practice calligraphy and play music. She learned painting entirely from her father in both painting subjects and stylistic elements. While her father concentrated on painting ancient legends and popular stories, Chiu Chu worked on flowers and landscapes, but her specialties were figure paintings of women and children of aristocratic families and Buddhist figures such as the Goddess of Mercy.

Surviving works by Chiu Chu, like our in the Chu-Griffis Collection are representative of the high quality. It was done in the Pai-miao method which drawn with a fine brush in ink with a touch of color. This example may have been a commissioned work portraying a gathering of two gentry families in a springtime garden. As on her father's paintings, there was no date recorded.

Writing about this delicate work of Chiu Chu, I cannot help thinking how thankful we are for our friends and art patrons Patricia and Nathan Shippee of Old Lyme, who generously donated it to Connecticut College in 1992.

  
CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION

Written records and historical evidence show that figure painting was the earliest form of painting in China. It was usually used as a didactic, or religious, or secular tool. Before the 10th Century, figures generally tended to be delicate, detailed and highly ornamented, since Sung dynasty (960 - 1279) developing into simper demonstrations of the power of the brush, be it fine line or bold brush work.

Subjects vary from emperors, court ladies, nobles, scholars, to Buddhist images. The method of painting may be Bai miao (contour drawing) or splashed ink. The former stresses skill with free and fine lines, the latter demonstrates quick and spontaneous strokes. In China, figure paintings are not necessarily true likenesses. There is no need for identifying inscriptions. Sure lines, powerful brush strokes and economy of detail are important. Light colors are optional.

The inscription on Ku Lo's "Ball Playing" describes and Emperor, two princes, a general and two high officials preparing for a ball game. He tells a story, but does not necessarily portray real likeness of the people. His technique is thin, delicate line drawing. The simply designed robes are in soft colors. Each player has an individual facial or eye expression.

History offers little information on Ku Lo's life. He was a professional artist from South China who painted his figures inancient attire, elegant and peaceful. He died a poor man. To cheer himself he kept a seal, which reads, "Art keeps me young."