A Research On The Art Of Polychrome Paintings In The Main Building And Yanchilou Building Of The Meridian Gate In The Forbidden City, Beijing

The Meridian Gate is a special group of buildings in the Forbidden City.From the function of the buildings to the spatial form and decoration system,every detail has its own profound historical and cultural connotation.Architectural polychrome Painting,as an art form to beautify the built environment,is distinguished from the verdure official architectural polychrome painting of other buildings because of its special red series of polychrome painting in the main building,so it has attracted much attention.The architectural polychrome painting of the main building of the Meridian Gate and Yanchilou building has gone through many historical stages in the Ming dynasty,Qing dynasty and modern times.Through the research on the historical development of polychrome painting in main building of Meridian Gate and Yanchilou Building,author find that due to historical changes and the influence of various factors,the overall architectural decoration system which retains the polychrome painting remaining at the time of initial construction is very limited,and the repair record is relatively rough.The key elements of polychrome painting composition,decoration,color and craftsmanship are not involved.After analyzing the relevant historical materials,the color relationship of the Meridian Gate overall architectural polychrome paintings after the mid-Qing period is a contrast,not a unified one.From the main building of the Meridian Gate to Yanchilou Building to the four-corner square pavilion,it presents a warm-cold-warm sense of color rhythm,thus showing the distinctive artistic personality of its polychrome paintings.Then the restoration plan of the 1978 version of the Meridian Gate architectural polychrome painting changed Yanchilou Building and the four-corner square pavilion into the red series of orb and auspicious grass polychrome paintings,so that the color relationship of the above three architectural types of polychrome paintings became unified and the sense of color rhythm disappeared.Author believes that the integral building of the Meridian Gate composed of the main building,Yanchilou Building and the four-corner square pavilion has multiple spiritual and material functions.It is located at the upper and southern end of the central axis of the Forbidden City,and its status is extremely important.However,the specific functions of the above three building systems are different.Author uses the Confucian thought of ritual system,Yin and Yang Theory of Wuxing and the doctrine of the Book of Changes to discuss the inevitable correspondence between the architectural functions of different types of the Meridian Gate and the level of polychrome paintings.Author uses a combination of literature research and on-site investigations to chronologically classify the polychrome paintings of the above three architectural types and study the laws in which the type of polychrome painting changes.As a heritage with historical value,artistic value and cultural value,architectural polychrome paintings must be properly protected.Therefore,it is necessary to fully understand and demonstrate the important value and effect of polychrome paintings of the main building of the Meridian Gate and Yanchilou Building based on the " International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites" passed in Venice in 1964.And re-evaluate the 1978 version of polychrome paintings of Yanchilou Building and the four-corner square pavilion.Make this kind of architectural polychrome paintings with profound Chinese excellent traditions be effectively protected and inherited.