A Critical Study On The Origin And Evolution Of Mogu Technique

Mogu (mogu), literally "boneless" lines or "buried-bone" style, is a painting technique on a par with gongbi (meticulous brush) and xieyi (freehand style) in pursuit of "burying bone lines where colors come into play". This technique expresses in an implicit manner-based on fading and/or even buried lines-what is pursued in the "bone" brushstroke as is typical of traditional Chinese painting. In other words, while the soul of otherwise ink and brushstroke is visible, their forms are rather reserved and invisible where ink gives way to colors and brushstrokes fade out and further on lose into colors. Mogu did not emerge overnight. Genetically, mogu borrows delineation and smearing from fine brush and the ease from luomo, (otherwise inkwash, a technique invented by Xu Xi); evolutionarily, mogu is reminiscent of concave-convex flower, Dunhuang frescoes, painted pottery, stone carving, making visible the invisible "bone" lines and retaining the soul of "five colors". In brief, mogu makes the presence of form felt in color pattern that serves as outlines and thus boneless lines come alive in contrastive shades of colors, creating a pattern of concave against convex with a subtlety of visible invisibility.Mogu as a technique is seen in mogu flowers, mogu landscape and mogu figures. Along the trail of mogu flowers blazed by Xu Chongsi in Southern Tang (937-975 A.D.), painters like Zhao Chang, Lin Chun, Qian Xuan, Sun Long, Nan Tian and later disciples each developed and diversified it. With Zhang Sengyao being the forerunner of mogu landscape and Yang Sheng being the follower, Dong Yuan (better known as Dong Beiyuan) brought mogu landscape into renaissance by justifying color landscape as a new development in Chinese painting. Mogu figures, attributed to Liang Kai, received growing attention in the past centuries and prospered as it embraced western paintings.Mogu does not conform to stereotypes; it is fairly deliverable. As it happens in mogu painting, bone lines merge into different shades of colors; or there is no bone outline at all, just certain forms of colors; or a creation produced as water and colors collide; or in a way close to freehand style in rough brushstroke; or a representation where colors and brushstrokes mix and merge naturally; or bone outline fades out in wash to accentuate the resonation of colors; or just let it go and find something new. As it follows the law of buried, invisible outlines while targeting at creating an expression of colors, mogu as a technique will deliver new meaning in the present context and beyond.