| In the history of traditional Chinese painting, figure paintings of Tang dynasty once flourished at royal court, standing as an impressive footprint in the Chinese art history. However, few works in this field remained after generations, and those who survived still posed certain unsettled questions to researchers, which made it hard for us to appreciate the original features of figure paintings. For example, mural paintings of Tang dynasty in temples can only be seen in literatures and those discovered in caves lack of definite recorded year of creations. Fortunately, the development of Chinese archeology boosted the excavation of figure paintings like mural paintings and line cutting figures from tombs of Tang dynasty, which provided adequate materials with clear timelines for researches. Among them, line cutting figures on stone coffins act as a bridge for us to savor figure paintings of Tang dynasty.Most owners of the stone coffins in Tang dynasty were senior officials in the capital and its environs or members of the royal family. The works were mostly created by high-ranking official artists, painters for the royal family as well as workers in the Pottery Office. As a result, the line cutting figure works on stone coffins centrally reflected the aesthetic value of the dominating class in this period and offered some reliable materials for researchers to cognize the style and forms as well as changes of figure paintings of Tang dynasty.Since the mid- 20th century, 29 stone tombs which were built in early Tang dynasty as well as in the 117 years of the climax of Tang dynasty have been discovered, among which 19 were line cutting figure works. The author of this paper selects 275 line cutting figures and deems it trustworthy materials for the study on the printing style of Tang dynasty.Since the middle of 20th century, 29 stone tombs which were built in early Tang dynasty and in the 117 years of the climax of Tang dynasty have been discovered, among which 19 were line cutting figure works. The author of this paper selects 275 line cutting figures and deems it a trustworthy requisite for a study on the printing style of Tang dynasty. The line cutting style in Tang dynasty is a unique style which imitated the painting method of line drawing (Bai Hua) and used knife to carve figures on stones. The line cutting figures in different periods revealed the development of this technique.Typological art works resulted from the systematic and regular elements adopted in the line cutting figures, which is in line with the stratified class of Tang dynasty and also a combination of exotic plastic arts and folk painting values.Line cutting figures on stone coffins depict various figures in a space and strengthen the illusion of depth through layers of lines. The styles and forms are mainly reflected in the organization of line clusters including structural line cluster and decorative line cluster. The formation, combination and development of these two clusters inherited line styles of Han and Jin dynasty and also absorbed the style of Buddhist paintings. It evolved through early Tang, Tang dynasty Wuzhou era, Kaiyuan era and Tianbao era, resulting in the corresponding changes in figure styles. The artists rearranged the two clusters to depict a different portrayal of the paintings, writing a new chapter for ancient Chinese figure paintings.The line styles of the line cutting figures on coffins, drawn like iron wires are in line with figure paintings. Its line style in Tang dynasty developed from thick, rough brushstrokes to thin and fluent ones. In this evolution, the line style of line cutting figures on Xuejing’s coffin is the only one which has changed in the thickness of the lines, overturning the vertical painting method and unveiling the painting method of tilting.The line cutting figures on stone coffins of Tang dynasty have distinctive features of this period. It is a fruit nourished by its cultural values, social orders, aesthetic values and techniques. |
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