In the middle and late Western Han Dynasty, in addition to the pottery figurines unearthed in Xi 'an and Luoyang before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the pottery figurines unearthed after the founding of the People's Republic of China are: dancing, acrobatics and feasting in Wuyingshan, Jinan, Shandong; Pottery figurines of Sijiangou Han Tomb in Jiyuan, Henan Province: pottery figurines of Pengjiazhai in Handan, Hebei Province; Painted pottery figurines from the Western Han Tomb in Luoyang, Henan Province.
In the middle and late Western Han Dynasty, because the tombs of emperors and nobles have not been excavated in Guanzhong area, and a large number of pits for burying terracotta warriors and horses have not been seen, the number of pottery figurines is far less than that in the early period. However, from the pottery figurines unearthed in ancient times and before and after liberation, we can still find their new characteristics different from the past.
The center of gravity of the first city moved eastward. During this period, the most pottery figurines were unearthed, and the highest manufacturing level was Luoyang and its surrounding areas (as far as the current situation is concerned, the pottery figurines in Guanzhong area have yet to be excavated). Luoyang was the capital city in the Western Han Dynasty, and its prosperity was second only to Xi 'an. Long-standing cultural traditions and superior political and economic conditions have made many dignitaries flock to them. Being buried here after death naturally promoted the prosperity of the pottery figurine manufacturing industry. It is in this historical background that pottery figurines were unearthed in the tombs of Luoyang and its surrounding areas.
Second, the theme of pottery figurines is increasingly extensive. In the early Western Han Dynasty, except for the Terracotta Warriors, maid figurines were very common, and other figurines were rare. In the middle and late period, with the change of funeral customs, people pay more attention to moving the scenes of daily real life into the ground truthfully. The residence consists of gate, warehouse, pavilion, main house, kitchen, toilet and pigsty. The tomb structure is the real residence of the tomb owner. The burial plane of the Han Dynasty is basically composed of the east and west wing, the east and west wing and the main room. The east wing and the west wing are stables and warehouses. The east and west rooms are the dining room where pots, pots, basins and bowls are placed, and the living room where singers and dancers are entertained. The back room is the room of the grave owner's coffin bed. It completely imitates the real life in the world, and various figurines adapted to this need came into being. Among these figurines, musical dance and acrobatic figurines are the most common and noticeable. After the mid-Western Han Dynasty, influenced by the minority cultures in the western regions, music, dance and acrobatics prevailed in the Central Plains and became popular art forms. When Yuanfeng staged a hundred plays in Chang 'an in two years, all the villagers three hundred miles away went to Beijing to watch. This situation is increasing among dignitaries, and almost all banquets are accompanied by songs and dances and acrobatics, which has become an indispensable part of people's daily life.
The third is to pursue the shaping of verve. The pottery figurines of this period are not as realistic as the early ones in terms of facial features and body proportions, and conform to the anatomical structure. But they pay attention to grasping and describing the facial expressions of characters. For example, the movements and postures of acrobats in long-sleeved coats and baggy bell bottoms are extremely exaggerated. In order to highlight the inspiring steps, the sculptor can arbitrarily increase the length of the characters' lower limbs, which is beyond people's usual imagination. Loose legs are like long skirts, driven by legs, just like life. In order to show the thrills of acrobatics, the length of legs is shortened appropriately to increase the stability of their movements. Perhaps in order to adapt to the characteristics of music and dance and acrobatic figurines, the figurines of this period always give people a strong sense of movement. As far as the five senses are concerned, they gradually broke away from the shackles of the serious facial expressions of the terracotta warriors and horses, and their expressions began to be lively.
Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Han Dynasty and Social Communication
The Han Dynasty was the first prosperous period in the history of China feudal society. From 202 BC, Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu in Gaixia and won the world. By 220 AD, Cao Pi abolished Emperor Han Xian to stand on his own feet for more than 420 years.
The pottery figurines of the Han Dynasty were produced on the basis of the economic prosperity of the Han Dynasty. China's first unified empire was completed by Qin Shihuang. With great boldness of vision, Qin Shihuang commanded Qin Jun and defeated the six eastern countries, which made the Qin Empire strong for a while. However, despite the low social productivity, a large number of migrant workers were forced to repair Epang Palace, Lishan Mausoleum and the Great Wall of Wan Li, which made the people lose the necessary living environment and attacked them. Qin Ershi Li died. The society in the early Han Dynasty was on the verge of economic collapse. When the emperor traveled, he couldn't even find four horses of the same color. Ministers have to go to the imperial court by ox cart, meters 1 ten thousand yuan, horses 1 hundred gold. In order to reverse this situation, the rulers in the early Han Dynasty learned the historical lesson of the rapid demise of the Qin Dynasty, and took the development of social economy as their guiding principle, emphasizing agriculture and restraining the end, weakening the economic strength of wealthy businessmen and reducing farmers' taxes. Emperor Gaozu set the rent tax as115, Emperor Wendi advocated frugality, pro-agriculture and farming, and the land rent was exempted from the world for 12 years, and Emperor Han Jingdi reduced the rent tax to 1/30, which resulted in the famous "rule of cultural scenery" in history. The result of "the rule of Wenjing" is that "during the 70-odd years of Hanxing, the country had nothing to do except floods and droughts, while the people gave enough possessions and ate everything, and the state treasury had more goods and wealth. There can't be more money in Beijing. The millet in Taicang, caused by Chen Xiang, overflows and is corrupt and inedible. There are horses in the streets and alleys, and there are groups of buildings. The outline is sparse and the people are rich, the service money is too rich, and even the followers of the Hao party are merged into country songs. The imperial clan has soil, the officials are under it, and they strive to be extravagant, and houses, houses and clothes are on it, without restrictions "(Book of Historical Records, Volume 30). The areas where pottery figurines were unearthed in the Han Dynasty, such as xianyang, Xi 'an, Xuzhou, Luoyang and Sichuan, are all rich areas with developed economy and no strong economic backing. It is unthinkable to make such a large-scale pottery figurine.
The social atmosphere in the Han Dynasty is an important reason for the colorful art of Han figurines.
The figurines of the Han Dynasty were developed under the influence of the Qin figurines. Qin terracotta warriors and horses are the product of a high degree of absolute monarchy, and their main characteristics are unity, simplicity and majesty. Compared with the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses, the Han Terracotta Warriors and Horses lack boldness of vision, but they are worse in the diversity of themes and types and in reflecting social characteristics. The main reason is the social atmosphere of the Han Dynasty. Art is a reflection of the style of the times. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, through the efforts of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, it had become one of the most powerful countries in the world by the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty chased Xiongnu in the north, attacked Dawan in the west and sought Xianbei in the east. It is a fashion for men to contribute to the frontier, which shows the strong and confident heart of the Han people. A developed economy, on the one hand, is born with luxury and indulgence; On the other hand, when you die, you hide it. Han Shu's Emperor Ji: "Jin Fang's worldly luxury is extremely vain and disgusting. Officials and ministers, relatives and close ministers, all directions, have never heard of self-cultivation and submission, and those who are worried about the country are also. Or it is extravagant, with a wide range of services, managing garden pools, storing more maids, riding on the hub, and setting bells and drums as women's music. " Yu Ji Wang Feng and her family "compete for luxury and treasure, coming from all directions;" There are dozens of concubines in the backyard, thousands of child slaves, a dancer, and a dog, Ma Chi (Biography of Han Yuan).
They regard thick storage as virtue, thin storage as contempt, and some even lose everything. The rulers of the Han Dynasty spent 1/3 of their national income on the construction of tombs for the purpose of "storing more money and using it like a stranger", which shows the wind of storing more money. It was on this basis that the Han figurines appeared.