A Study Of The Vernacular Colored Drawings In Shanxi Province

The vernacular colored drawings on traditional buildings in Shanxi Province are of great value culturally, socially and economically, and are precious cultural heritages in need of conservation in the process of globalization and urbanization. Integrating theory with practice and through fieldwork as well as the study of available literature, this thesis, based on three typical kinds of Shanxi vernacular colored drawings, namely, the Green & Detailed Drawing, the Full Colored Drawing, and the Gold & Blue Drawing, systematically investigated the colored drawings themselves, the relationship between vernacular and official colored drawings, and the technical features of the vernacular colored drawings.The Green & Detailed Drawing and the Full Colored Drawing, which were mainly used in temples and ancestral halls, were closely related to official colored drawings in different historic periods, therefore, the study on their origin and development are also connected with the evolution of the official colored drawings from the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. The Gold & Blue Drawing, which was mainly used in rich merchants' houses, overran colored drawings on temples and ancestral halls at that time both in grade and quality. This clearly shows the psychological feelings of the Shanxi merchants in the specific environment of the late Qing Dynasty, and it in turn helped to improve the local craftsmen's techniques.The full text was divided into seven chapters. Based on such firsthand information as oral history and field investigation, the chapters from 1 to 4 were devoted to a detailed and objective investigation of the Full Colored Drawing in North Shanxi, and the Green & Detailed Drawing and the Gold & Blue Drawing in Middle Shanxi either generally or specifically, especially in terms of their compositions, colors and patterns. Chapter I was a general description, Chapter II concerned the Upper Full Colored Drawing in North Shanxi, while Chapter IV concerned the Gold & Blue Drawing in Middle Shanxi. Because the Lower Full Colored Drawing in North Shanxi had a close relationship with the Green & Detailed Drawing in Middle Shanxi, and both were mainly used in temples, they were combined to form Chapter III.Incorporating different literature, Chapter V served as an analysis and explanation part of different Shanxi vernacular colored drawings in their entirety, including their various influencing factors, historic origins, remarkable features and technical developments. In addition, also introduced in this chapter were the comparison between Shanxi vernacular colored drawings and official colored drawings of the Song and Qing Dynasties, the role that specific composition and pattern played in the development of colored drawings, as well as the contributions that the Buddhist monks and merchants made.Based mainly on interviews with local craftsmen and also on literature through the ages, Chapters VI and VII gave a basic account of the technical characteristics of the vernacular Chinese Wood Oil Work and Colored Drawing Work of Shanxi Province from such aspects as materials, tools, working procedures and skills. Presented in those two chapters were also their exchange with and inheritance of relevant official practice of the Song and Qing Dynasties.