Appreciation of Ancient Costume Character Paintings Series · Xie Zhi'ao

Author: Xie Zhigao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: A series of appreciations of the ancient costume figure paintings by Xie Zhigao, a contemporary Chinese master painter. The collection includes 20 of his ancient costume figure paintings for everyone to admire. The Chinese nation has a long history, with ups and downs, dynastic changes, and over thousands of years, many heroes, outstanding figures, and scholars have emerged, like vast stars shining brightly in the sky. They are revered, celebrated, remembered, and passed down through generations. Today, the ancient costume figure paintings depicted by modern painters are a way for the present to express the art of the past, using the stories and figures of ancient times to convey emotions: to promote their spirit, convey their ideals, praise their virtues, or celebrate their talents. However, for Chinese painters, especially those of freehand ink wash painting, ancient costume figures often appear in small-scale paintings, becoming a common theme for learning tradition, refining form, and practicing brushwork. They rarely carry significant thematic ideas, with more lightness than seriousness, more joy than moralizing, and when emotions are sincere, they freely wield the brush, pouring out inspiration, pursuing lively figures, natural and flowing brushwork and ink charm, inheriting traditional language, exploring artistic forms, seeking aesthetic taste, and revealing personal emotions.
I have been engaged in Chinese figure painting for decades. In addition to focusing on modern figure painting, I also paint ancient costume figures, which serve as a (:，) and supplement to my serious thematic works. I believe that the ebb and flow of this artistic practice, the change and balance of this rhythm, align with the logic and principles of artistic practice and creation.
Since ancient costume figure paintings generally have lighter content and are not large in scale, they mostly fall into the category of small-scale paintings. According to my habit, I often skip the sketching process, without preliminary drafts, only forming a rough outline in my mind before laying out the paper and starting to paint directly. I focus on the "writing" aspect of calligraphy. With no mental burden, my brushwork becomes relaxed and unrestrained, light and lively. Over time, I seem to have improved my skills in modeling, composition, and brushwork.
In recent years, I have accumulated quite a number of works. Now, as Xiyuan Publishing House is preparing to compile and publish them, I have selected some for this collection. I welcome your criticism and corrections.
Xie Zhigao
October 2003