Major sculptures
Animal sculptures are mostly small works, and the objects of expression are birds, livestock, prey and mythical animals raised by people at that time. In the long-term contact, people's ability of observation and expression has been developed. Some works are very vivid, such as pottery pigs in Hemudu culture and small pottery sculptures of elephants, dogs, birds and animals in Longshan culture in Hubei Province, which can summarize and vividly show the physical characteristics and activity modality of the object. There are also some containers made in the shape of birds and beasts, which may have the nature of ritual vessels and are the origin of bronze ritual vessels in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. This kind of artifacts not only pay attention to practical functions, but also vividly show different expressions of animals, which is very artistic. For example, Tao Dingying, produced in hua county, Shaanxi, looks fierce and has a strong sense of size. The white pottery of Dawenkou culture in Shandong Province does not show specific animal images, but it can arouse the appreciation of dynamic association of chickens, geese and other animals. In the cultural sites of Hongshan Culture and Liangzhu in his later years, there are also many animal images carved with jade, such as birds, turtles and tigers. The image of mythical animal dragon has been found and has different modeling characteristics. The Jade Dragon in Hongshan Culture is considered to be deified by pigs. Three groups of dragon and tiger patterns of clam shells found in Yangshao cultural tombs in Puyang, Henan Province are quite similar to their descendants.
Neolithic Age
Large clay sculptures found in Hongshan Culture site. In the sacrificial site of Niuheliang in Liaoning Province, there is a residual head of a goddess, which is the size of a real person's head, covered with red and inlaid with blue jade pieces. There are also some statues of different sizes in the temple. Judging from some remnants, the largest statue is about three times as large as a real person. The body is supported by a wooden frame, and the thickness of the inner and outer mud layers is different. It shows that the skill of shaping large clay sculptures was mastered 5000 years ago. In addition to portraits, there are larger images such as pigs, dragons and birds.
Shang, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period
Bronze ritual vessel
Sculpture works in Shang, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period are mainly bronze ritual vessels with sculptural nature, which are cast in the image of figures, animals or beasts. In the aristocratic life at that time, such artifacts had important political, religious and ceremonial significance, and different times had different characteristics. Most of the works of Shang Dynasty are full of mystery and deterrence, showing deified human beings and beasts. For example, the embossed human face on Fang Ding, a human face unearthed in Hunan, looks like a statue and looks like a statue. Wait a minute. After the Western Zhou Dynasty, the style tended to be realistic and the realistic rational factors increased. There are slave-killing doormen, duck statues, pony statues and other works During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, they turned to the pursuit of luxury and decoration, such as sacrifices unearthed in Hunyuan, Shanxi. The rhinoceros statue unearthed in Xingping, Shaanxi Province shows superb realistic skills. The rhinoceros's physical characteristics, dynamics and the sense of volume of the sculpture have been fully demonstrated. There are also some bronze works, not ritual vessels, but vessel supports or bases, lamp holders, chariots and horses, etc. These are all made in the form of people or animals, and the dynamic relationship between people and animals has been more vividly expressed. The most successful works include various dynamic humanoid stands unearthed from the Eastern Zhou Tomb in Jincun, Luoyang, Henan Province, and the tiger-eating deer stand unearthed from Zhongshan National Tomb in Pingshan, Hebei Province (see the colorful tiger-eating deer stand unearthed from Zhongshan King Tomb in Pingshan, Hebei Province (Warring States Period)).
representative works
Six bronze figures unearthed from the tomb of Zeng Houyi in Sui County, Hubei Province, all dressed as warriors and painted with pigments, are representative works of figure sculpture in the Warring States period.
During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, there were many small decorative sculptures carved from jade, teeth, bones and other materials, as well as pottery sculptures and wood carvings. Among the 865 jade carvings unearthed from Fu Hao's tomb in Shang Dynasty, there are 15 jade figures and jade head carvings, which are precious materials for studying social life and costumes in Shang Dynasty. And all kinds of birds, animals, insects and fish are very lively and interesting. A large number of jades unearthed from the state funeral tomb in Baoji, Shaanxi Province are representative works of jade carving in the Western Zhou Dynasty. The clay slaves of Shang Dynasty unearthed from the ruins of Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan, all wore flail. The jade figures of the Western Zhou Dynasty and some bronzes unearthed in Lingtai, Gansu Province are all naked and belong to the slave image. After the Spring and Autumn Period, the burial atmosphere of figurines prevailed, mainly pottery figurines and wooden figurines, but also different metal materials. The most remains are lacquered wooden figurines in the southern Chu area, as well as tomb animals, birds and beasts, tiger birds and so on. And there are wooden root carvings to ward off evil spirits.
Large-scale sculptures in Shang and Zhou Dynasties include bronze figures standing at Sanxingdui site in Guanghan County, Sichuan Province, and the heads and faces of dozens of bronze figures. It is the remains of ancient Bashu culture, equivalent to the Yin Ruins culture in the early Central Plains.
Qin and Han dynasties
Sculpture features
Sculpture art flourished in Qin and Han dynasties. After Qin unified the six countries, all the weapons in the world were collected and concentrated in Xianyang. After its destruction, it was cast into 12 golden figures, each weighing thousands of stones. The last one survived for nearly six centuries and was destroyed in the pre-Qin period. It is the earliest large-scale metal sculpture on record. 1974 There are more than 7,000 terracotta warriors and horses sculptures found on the east side of Qin Shihuang Mausoleum in Lintong, Shaanxi Province, which are as big as real people and horses, and are placed in three pits. The largest pit has a total area of about12,600 square meters. There are 6,000 terracotta warriors and horses arranged in the pit in a rectangular array, and chariots and infantry appear alternately. The sculpture group of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses has a shocking artistic appeal with its huge volume, group combination and magnificent image. There is a tendency to imitate the reality of life in the shaping of characters, chariots and horses. Many details of hair style and clothing are very specific, and the weapons worn by non-commissioned officers are all physical objects. The basic method of molding is the combination of molding and hand molding, firing in a kiln and then coloring.
Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Qin Dynasty
The patterns of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses were inherited after the Western Han Dynasty, and the mausoleum of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was not excavated. Graves of Han officials and generals with huge terracotta warriors and horses have been found, including the tomb of the Western Han Dynasty in Yangjiawan, Xianyang, Shaanxi. There are 583 buried cavalry figurines, more than 800 infantry figurines 1 1,000 acrobatic figurines 1 1,000, all of which are molded and painted. Clothing is fresh and gorgeous, emphasizing the momentum of the group rather than pursuing personal expression. The terracotta warriors are about 50 cm high, and their scale and bearing are not comparable to those of Qin Terracotta Warriors (see Yangjiawan Terracotta Warriors). The tombs unearthed in Shizishan, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province are similar in shape and large in number. Nearly 100 bronze chariots and horses were unearthed from the tomb of General Leitai and his wife in Wuwei, Gansu Province. Among them, the bronze galloping horse shows a galloping horse with a hind hoof stepping on a bird spreading its wings, which is perfect in shape and full of artistic imagination. In the Han Dynasty, attention was paid to taming horses, and horse sculptures in tombs mostly adopted the dynamic trend of raising hoofs and screaming. Bronze horses unearthed in Guixian, Guangxi, Xu Shui, Hebei, wooden chariots and horses unearthed in Gansu, and gold-plated bronze horses unearthed in tombs near Maoling, Xingping, Shaanxi, are all representative works of horse sculpture in the Han Dynasty.
representative works
The figurines of various materials in the Han Dynasty further reflected the real life. For example, the pottery figurines unearthed in Sichuan have different identities and activities, including farmers, craftsmen, chefs, helpful friends and divination. Among them, drum music and rap figurines are lifelike. The pottery figurines unearthed in Wuyingshan, Jinan, Shandong, have free techniques and vivid expressions (see Wuyingshan pottery sculpture). Some female figurines who show the image of ladies-in-waiting are dignified and reserved, and their descriptions of inner temperament are unprecedented.
The representative work of large-scale sculptures in the Western Han Dynasty is Huo Qubing's Tomb 16 Animal Stone Carving. As a symbol of Qilian Mountain, the battlefield where the general made contributions to the country before his death, the tomb is littered with images of wild animals and fantasy animals in real life, which are integrated with the natural environment and full of vitality. The carving techniques of these works are extremely concise and summarized. Through a little carving, they vividly present the expressions of different animals in a wide range of forms and full of vitality. Among them, the stone carving of Ma Ta Xiongnu is symbolic and commemorative (see the stone carving of Huo Qubing's tomb).
From the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, the shell containers in the bronze wares unearthed from the tombs of ancient Dian people in Yunnan were covered with group carvings and general carvings, which truly showed the living environment and religious, war, hunting, music and dance activities of Dian people in the slavery society, and had important cognitive value. Its objects with the theme of cattle, tigers and other animals, as well as bronze buttons depicting the life-and-death struggle between animals, are amazing (see Yunnan bronze sculpture). The bronze buttons of East Lake, Xiongnu and other ethnic groups in the northern grassland, and the animal images in gold and silver products are rough and bold. These works successfully show the beauty of sports and strength (see the bronze medal of "China Northern Grassland People").
Three Kingdoms, Jin Dynasty, Southern and Northern Dynasties
An important phenomenon in the development of sculpture in this period is the large-scale construction of cave temples with the prosperity of Buddhism. The largest grottoes in China, such as Dunhuang Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes and Maijishan Grottoes, were all excavated during this period. The Northern Wei Dynasty was the most prosperous place to create a grotto atmosphere. The grottoes built in the Northern Dynasties were widely distributed in Shanxi, Henan, Gansu and other areas, while in the Southern Dynasties there was only one grotto in Qixia Mountain, Nanjing. The main cave-building project was built in the name of the royal family or dignitaries, using state funds and construction strength, and the project was huge and magnificent. Among them, the giant Buddha in Tan Yao Cave in Yungang Grottoes and the group niches in Guyang Cave in Longmen Grottoes represent the carving level and artistic style in the heyday of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The sitting statue of the giant Buddha in Cave 20 of Yungang Grottoes, with a height of 13.7 meters, is solemn and simple, and is a masterpiece of large-scale ancient stone statues. At the end of the 5th century, after the reform of Emperor Xiaowen in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the legal system and aesthetic fashion were influenced by the Han culture in the Southern Dynasty, and the grotto statues began to get rid of the influence of the Indian style in the early western regions, forming new style features of praising clothes, showing bones and clarifying images. For example, the sitting statue of the clay sculpture Buddha statue of the Western Wei Dynasty in Cave 44 of Maijishan Grottoes is graceful and elegant, showing a refined temperament full of inner cultivation, with smooth clothes, strong layering and strong decoration. The change of the artistic style of cave temple sculpture also directly affects the single statue, statue monument and bronze Buddha statue carved for the temple's support at the same time. Golden bronze Buddha is a small sculpture with clever and changeable shapes. Famous Buddhist sculptors include He Dai and his son in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. They are famous for being the first to edit statues and being good at weighing the proportion of large statues. Another large-scale stone carving in the Southern and Northern Dynasties was the ground stone carving group of the mausoleum. The existing works are mainly the stone carvings of Emperor Chen in 3 1 Song and Qi Dynasties and the tombs of princes in Nanjing and its vicinity. Its combination relationship is a pair of stone beasts, stone pillars and stone tablets. The stone beast placed in front of the tomb has horns and is called Tianlu or Kirin. The stone beast in front of the prince's tomb has no horns and is called an evil spirit. Its shape has stood out from the large stone beasts in front of the Han tomb and tends to be vigorous and gorgeous. The beast makes a marching posture, with a long neck and a backward head, and its image forms a strong S-shaped curve with its arched back. He has wings and smooth and gorgeous line-carved patterns (see the stone carvings of tombs in the Southern Dynasties). The stone carvings in front of the tombs of the Northern Dynasties were destroyed by later generations, leaving only a few literati. In addition, bricks, stone carvings, line drawings of stone carvings, descriptions of real life and mythical figures have also been found in tombs in the south and north. The Northern Dynasties flourished, and the atmosphere of burial figurines in tombs increased in the Southern Dynasties, forming a fixed combination. After the Northern Wei Dynasty, the group of buried figurines mainly included tomb figurines and beast figurines, ceremonial trips, handmaiden and geisha music. The number of figurines buried in a tomb ranges from hundreds to more than 1000. Its shape was rough in the early stage, and it tended to be thin after Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and turned rich and round in the late Northern Dynasty. The change of its aesthetic tendency is generally consistent with the change of cave temple statues.
Sui and Tang Dynasties
The Eastern and Western Wei Dynasties, the Northern Qi Dynasty and the late Northern Zhou Dynasty are the transitional stages of the development of sculpture art, and the period from Sui Dynasty, early Tang Dynasty to Wuhou to Xuanzong (about the late 7th century to the early 8th century) is the peak in the history of sculpture in China. Decline after An Shi Rebellion. In the fifth year of Huichang (845), Wuzong ordered the destruction of temples and the sale of bronze statues, and Buddhist sculptures suffered unprecedented damage. Since then, there have been no large-scale grotto building activities in the late Tang Dynasty.
The achievements of carving art in the Tang Dynasty were first manifested in the grotto art ... Some important early grottoes continued to be excavated on a large scale in the Tang Dynasty. His representative works are the stone carvings of Fengxian Temple in Longmen Grottoes carved in Gaozong and Wuhou periods. Lushena Buddha statue is solemn, wise and extraordinary, which is a reflection of the powerful national strength and vigorous and confident spirit of the times in the Tang Dynasty in sculpture art; Disciple, Bodhisattva, Heavenly King and Lux all embody the specific requirements of typology of religious art. The combination of nine statues, the balance of scale, the echo of movement and static, the adjustment of the proportion of statues to adapt to the distance between large statues and worshippers, and the smooth and natural carving techniques all show that ancient sculptors cut mountains and created a series of religious artistic images in line with the aesthetic fashion of the times. Life-size stone statues of bodhisattvas unearthed in Shaanxi, Henan, Shanxi and other places, as well as painted bodhisattvasNo. 159 andNo. 194 in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, are full of femininity, with rich eyes and graceful posture, showing a strong atmosphere beyond the religious atmosphere. Disciples with different personalities and temperaments, mighty kings, strong and powerful lux, and devout secular clothing providers are also the new developments in shaping religious figures in this period.
The main part of the stone carving group of tombs in the Tang Dynasty is concentrated in Guanzhong area, Shaanxi Province. There are 18 tombs of 9 emperors and many buried tombs. Among them, 14 tombs were built on the mountain, which enhanced the grand momentum of the overall layout and was a successful example of the organic combination of sculpture groups and natural environment (see tomb stone carvings in Tang Dynasty). The contents of stone carvings were very different in early tombs, and gradually standardized after Ganling (the tomb where Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian were buried together). The stone carvings arranged in Shinto mainly include huabiao, flying horse, suzaku, pommel horse and rider, stone man, monument, toast group image, stone lion and so on. In carving techniques, they pay attention to the simplicity and completeness of the whole and the image effect placed on the hills, forming a sense of rhythm with uneven quantity, repetition and volume change, which acts on the psychology of grave robbers. During the March, the representative works of stone carvings include the stone rhinoceros in fairy spirit, the six horses in Zhaoling (see the stone carvings in Zhaoling), the stone lions in Shunling (see the stone carvings in Shunling), the stone lions in Ganling, the gravestones built by Zhuang, Tai and Zhu, etc. In the late Tang dynasty, the scale of tombs was reduced, and the stone carvings were pretentious and mediocre, losing their early grandeur.
In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, memorial sculptures were also built in the capital. For example, the Shu Tian memorial column cast by Wu Zetian in Luoyang is 100 feet high, surrounded by stone lions and Kirin.
The figurine works also reached a new artistic height in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. There are many kinds of materials, such as mud, wood, porcelain, stone and so on. There are a large number of three-color figurines fired in glaze colors such as yellow, brown, blue and green, which can especially represent the new molding level of figurine works. In shaping the images of ladies-in-waiting and officials, the author is very keen on expressing the special demeanor and movements of the characters in specific plots. The image of women has changed from gentle and lovely in the early days to plump, round face, comfortable and lazy, and long skirt mopping the floor, which is a typical style to express the ideal beauty of women in Tang Dynasty art. The town tomb figures shaped by the image of the Buddhist kingdom of heaven are full of energy, dynamic and appropriate, exaggerated and measured. For animal images such as horses and camels, attention is paid to describing concrete and vivid images, and most of them show dynamic situations in a high-spirited state (see Tang Sancai). In addition, during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the hammers, inlaid relief patterns and patterns on bronze mirrors on many gold and silver vessels were also very vivid, and there were often descriptions of real life or myths. Some decorative patterns were influenced by Persia and other countries. Sculptures in Sui and Tang Dynasties also had an important influence on neighboring countries.
Yang Huizhi was a famous sculptor in the Tang Dynasty, who was famous for being good at portraying specific characters vividly.
Five Dynasties, Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties
Few sculptures of the Five Dynasties have been preserved. Among them, the most important are a group of colored Buddhist statues in Zhenguo Temple in Pingyao, Shanxi (see colored sculptures in Zhenguo Temple), the statue of Wang Jian in the tomb of the former Shu Dynasty, and the sarcophagus engraved with embossed geisha and coffin-carrying gods (see the sculpture of Tomb of Wangjian), as well as the 65,438+090 pottery figurines in Qin and Shun 'er Mausoleum in the Southern Tang Dynasty (see the pottery figurines in the Second Mausoleum of the Southern Tang Dynasty). The sculptures of the Five Dynasties represent the artistic style in the transitional period since the late Tang Dynasty.
The development of secular themes and realistic styles is obvious in religious sculptures, tomb carvings and terracotta figures in the Song Dynasty. Among Dazu Grottoes, the Eight Bodhisattvas in Cave 136 (Heart Car Cave, carved in Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty) are solemn and graceful, and the Guanyin in Cave 129 is elegant and graceful, both of which are exquisite Buddhist statues in the Song Dynasty. Baodingshan's parents disguised themselves in hell, and the cliff statue of the cattle herding Dojo was full of vivid human feelings. The content of social life enthusiastically expressed by sculptors often runs counter to religious teachings. The more important remains of the metal statues of temples in Song Dynasty are the bronze statue of the Great Compassion Bodhisattva in Zhengding, Hebei Province, the golden bronze statue of the Bodhisattva in Wannian Temple in Emei Mountain, Sichuan Province (see the statue of Pu Xian in Wannian Temple), and the Iron Man in Zhongyue Temple Library in Dengfeng, Henan Province. The girls' statues in Jinci Temple of Notre Dame in Taiyuan, Shanxi (see the painted sculptures in Jinci Temple of Notre Dame), the Luohan statues in Shengsi Temple in Zhibao, Jiangsu, Lingyan Temple in Changqing, Shandong, and Zijinnan Temple in Wuxian, Jiangsu have all been made with the characteristics of inner activities, which are closer to the religious image of real people in real life. Some arhats are portrayed as wise and extraordinary philosophers. In addition, the stone statue of Laojun in Quanzhou, Fujian Province is an important large-scale Taoist statue in ancient times.
During the Liao and Jin Dynasties, caves were dug in the northern region and many temple statues were preserved. The Guanyin statue of Dule Temple in Jixian County in Liao Dynasty, the Bodhisattva statue of Fengguo Temple in Yixian County in Liaoning Province, and the Guanyin image of Xiahuayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi Province still exist in Tang style, but they show a symmetrical and beautiful trend. Many pagodas in Liao Dynasty also have exquisite reliefs.
The main part of the stone carvings in the tombs of the Northern Song Dynasty is in Gongxian County, Henan Province. * * * * There are 8 tombs with 539 existing stone carvings, plus more than 1000 stone carvings in buried tombs. Customization has been formed since Yongchang Mausoleum, generally following the norms of Tang Mausoleum, but the content is quite different. It is mainly composed of sentries, elephants and tamers, Swiss birds, horns, pommel horses and riders, tigers, sheep, ambassadors, ministers of civil and military affairs, lions, general Ling Zhen and imperial envoys. Song Ling's stone carvings are not as good as those of the Tang Dynasty in scale and artistic level, but their shapes are still rigorous. Its mausoleum area is concentrated, and the content and quantity of stone carvings are more standardized, which has a great influence on the Ming and Qing Dynasties (see the stone carvings in the tombs of the Northern Song Dynasty).
The number of figurines in Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties was small. However, the sculptures, murals and buried figurines in the tomb are very distinctive. Due to the great changes in the customs of daily life in the Song Dynasty, a large number of sculptures, tables and chairs and other daily utensils that directly simulate reality and express daily life appeared in tombs. Henan, Shanxi and other places also have many carved bricks showing the performances of zaju from Song Dynasty, Jin Dynasty to Yuan Dynasty (see the carved bricks of zaju in Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasties).
Yuan Ming Qing dynasty
After the Yuan Dynasty, the achievements of sculpture art highlighted the environmental sculptures of the surface court and the imperial home forest. The palace buildings in the Yuan Dynasty have been destroyed, and the architectural decorations such as phoenix unicorn stone carvings and dragon railings unearthed from the site can still show the rich and complicated features of the Yuan Dynasty sculptures. Important works in the Yuan Dynasty, such as the relief of Juyongguan Yuntai, the protector of heavenly kings, ten buddhas, a thousand buddhas, the "six pieces" on the ticket gate (see the sculpture of Juyongguan Yuntai) and the tantric stone carvings in Feilaifeng, Hangzhou, all show the same style of the times. A famous sculptor in Yuan Dynasty and his student Liu Yuan were born. The Yuan Dynasty also left a wealth of experience in writing stone carvings about carving historical materials, which also marked the complete maturity of national and religious carving art.
The essence of architectural sculpture in Ming and Qing dynasties is gathered in the Forbidden City complex and the royal temple gardens such as the Temple of Heaven (see the Temple of Heaven), Beihai, Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan. The huabiao and the stone lion in front of Tiananmen Square in the Forbidden City, the watchtower of Yunlong and Yunfeng embossed on Sumitomo Baishi, the main building in the palace, the decapitated head, and the bronze turtle and crane that can burn incense have all played an important role in setting off the solemnity and glory of the palace building and increasing the local artistic atmosphere. As the powerful end of this group of buildings, the lower stone carving behind Baohe Hall is nearly 17 meters long and more than 3 meters wide, with magnificent layout and exquisite carving, which is a masterpiece of stone carving art in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Forbidden City built in Datong, Beijing and Beihai, the glazed wall in Kowloon, and the animal sculptures in the Forbidden City, such as gilded bronze dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, lions and elephants, are also decorated and adjusted with different materials, different qualities and diverse shapes.
The stone carvings of Ming and Qing tombs are well preserved, mainly including Nanjing Ming Tombs, Beijing Ming Tombs, Zunhua Qing Tombs in Hebei Province, and Qingxi Tombs in Yixian County. Its content and configuration are developed with Song Ling. In the Qing Dynasty, the doors, walls and coupons of the underground palaces such as Yuling were engraved with exquisite embossed Buddha statues and various patterns. In the Ming dynasty, the carving styles of both eras were simple and powerful, while in the Qing dynasty, the pursuit of exquisiteness was trivial.
Religious sculptures are mainly temple colored sculptures and small wooden, stone, gold and bronze Buddha statues. Outstanding statues in the Ming Dynasty include the plastic wall of Lantian Shuilu Temple in Shaanxi Province, the heavenly king, Lux, Luohan and the goddess of mercy crossing the sea in Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao, Shanxi Province (see the colored sculptures in Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao). There are many fine Buddhist gold and bronze buddhas in the Qing Dynasty.
In the Ming Dynasty, there were many excellent sculptures in arts and crafts made of jade, stone, bamboo, wood, ceramics, metal, teeth, bones and other materials, as well as in the decoration of folk buildings and utensils, such as the porcelain carving Guanyin in Dehua, Fujian. In the late Qing Dynasty, the folk theme and portrait clay sculpture of Zhang Mingshan in Tianjin reached a high level of realism.
4 Before modern liberation
Before and after the May 4th New Culture Movement, a group of overseas students went to Europe and Japan to learn western sculpture techniques, and then set up sculpture departments in domestic art colleges. China's sculptures have undergone new changes in content and expression. Before the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), some memorial statues of Sun Yat-sen, monuments of democratic revolutionaries and martyrs of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression were built in various places, and a number of famous sculptors appeared. Traditional religious sculptures only have some big activities in Tibet and other places, and cannot become the mainstream.
After the founding of
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, a large-scale sculpture creation activity was the Monument to the People's Heroes built by 1958. There are 10 large stone reliefs created by sculptors such as Liu Kaiqu on the pedestal, which reflect the historical traces of China people's revolutionary struggle in the past century.
Built in 1959, there are many sculptures and relief works in the top ten buildings in Beijing. Among them, the two sculptures in Beijing Agricultural Exhibition Hall are successful works that combine Chinese and Western sculpture techniques and create a new national sculpture style. 1965, some sculptors in Sichuan created a dramatic rent-collecting house in Dayi, which was composed of 1 14 life-size clay sculptures. This is an attempt to learn from the experience of folk sculpture and express the content of real life.
1982, China Artists Association put forward "Suggestions on Sculpture Construction in National Key Cities". With the approval of the state, the National Urban Sculpture Planning Group and the National Urban Sculpture Art Committee were established to lead the national urban sculpture creation activities.
Around this time, many monuments, landscape sculptures and celebrity memorial statues were built all over the country, which played an important role in beautifying the environment, changing the appearance of the city and educating the people in patriotism. At the same time, easel sculptures and small sculptures made of hard materials have also developed greatly. In addition, China sculptors have created some large-scale sculptures at the invitation of foreign countries or as national gifts, standing overseas.