A Hundred Topics in the History of Chinese Art - A Must-Have for Art College Students and Candidates (Revised Edition)

Author: Tan Tian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Han Dynasty murals are a crucial component of Han Dynasty artistic creation. Han murals primarily focused on large building murals and tomb murals. With the destruction of wooden structures, large building murals have long vanished, but archaeological discoveries have increasingly unearthed numerous Han Dynasty murals or stone reliefs (bricks), providing us with abundant materials to understand Han murals. These are sufficient to corroborate historical records and present a clearer picture. The popularity of Han Dynasty mural tombs and stone relief tombs was due to the ruling class's promotion of filial piety and the practice of elaborate burials, where "the dead are treated as if they were alive." Many tombs of noble and powerful families were of considerable scale. Particularly during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the system of "selecting filial and incorrupt officials" was implemented, which was the necessary path for the landlord class to enter officialdom. As a result, the practice of "exalting funeral rites to demonstrate filial piety and lavish hospitality to seek fame" became widespread, and the custom of elaborate burials intensified. Many people "spent their entire wealth" to build tombs for their parents. In underground tombs that simulated human living spaces, apart from a large number of valuable objects buried with the deceased, it was common to paint murals on the walls, depicting the deceased's former power, wealth, and historical or mythical figures, in hopes of gaining the reputation of a "filial son" and achieving promotion and wealth. This is the historical context that must be noted when studying the development of Han Dynasty mural art.
The Han Dynasty had a vast territory, and Han tombs have been discovered throughout the country. However, tombs with murals or stone reliefs were primarily concentrated in the political centers, military strongholds, or economically prosperous and culturally developed regions of that time. The tomb owners were mostly individuals with special political or economic status. To date, Han Dynasty mural tombs have been found in areas such as Luoyang in Henan during the Western Han Dynasty, and mostly in the Eastern Han Dynasty, including Pinglu in Shanxi, Shangshan in Shandong, Wangdu in Hebei, Anping in Hebei, Milin in Henan, Liaoyang and Jin County in Liaoning, Jiuquan in Gansu, and Togtoh and Halinggel in Inner Mongolia. The most complete early Han Dynasty murals we currently see are from the Western Han Dynasty Shuanggou Tomb in Luoyang, estimated to be from around 487 BC. The mural is a trapezoidal horizontal panel, with a top length of 140 cm, a bottom length of 193 cm, and a height of 23 cm. The scene depicts eight people divided into three groups. On the right, two people are roasting meat for a meal, with beef heads and meat hanging behind them. In the middle, three people sit on the ground: two holding horn-shaped cups to toast, one holding an arched object, and one standing with folded hands. Next to them is a strange beast resembling a cat but larger than a human. On the left, three people are depicted: the younger one, wearing a crown and holding a sword, appears calm and resembles a woman; the older one, holding a long spear, looks at the middle group with angry eyes; and the leftmost person has a fierce expression, legs spread wide, holding a sword, and appears ready to act. It seems to depict the story of the "Hongmen Banquet," where Xiang Yu hosted Liu Bang in a bid to plot against him. The painting uses rough ink lines to outline the figures and applies colors such as purple, red, ochre, green, and blue. The style is rustic but vividly expressive. Opposite the "Hongmen Banquet" is the "Two Peaches Kill Three Scholars," which, in terms of artistic expression, is more mature. The portrayal of figures and emotional depiction are highly dynamic. The tomb also contains a diagram of the sun, moon, and stars, which is among the earliest existing murals related to this theme.
To reflect the deceased's ideals, immortality was a common theme in Han Dynasty tomb murals. In 1976, the Western Han Dynasty mid-period tomb of Bu Qianqiu was newly excavated in Luoyang. The murals in the tomb were pre-numbered, arranged, painted, and then assembled onto the ceiling of the burial chamber. The overall composition resembles the "Fei Yi" style, with the female tomb owner riding a three-headed phoenix and holding a three-legged golden crow, while the male tomb owner rides a flying snake and holds a bow. Guided by immortals and accompanied by various mythical creatures, they travel in grand processions across colorful clouds toward the "Immortal Mountains and Precious Pavilions." The strange figures and fantastical environment in the murals demonstrate the artists' ability to exaggerate and generalize.
Processions of chariots and horses were extremely common in Han Dynasty murals and stone reliefs, often placed in the main areas of the tomb chambers. Chariots were important tools for ancient transportation, warfare, hunting, and outings. In the tombs of officials, grand chariot processions were often depicted to showcase the deceased's noble status and imposing demeanor. For example, the Han Dynasty tomb murals from Halinggel in Inner Mongolia, dating from approximately 145 to 220 AD, are representative works of this theme. The scene uses large, grouped chariots and horses to display the deceased's life of promotion and achievement. Unlike typical stone reliefs or tomb murals that arrange figures in parallel decorative compositions or simply illustrate the deceased's official titles, this work meticulously depicts realistic outings. The chariots and horses in the scene have the vigor of grassland steeds, evoking images of fierce horse herds from the northern frontier and skilled riders. Especially when depicting the outings of regional officials like the Western River Chief Historian and the Protector of the Wuhuan, the painter pays attention to the scene of northern frontier gazelles and wild animals fleeing in panic, with riders pursuing them in hunting. This vividly portrays the social scene of frontier officials' outings and subtly reflects the painter's emotions toward a martyred frontier official.