The Research Of Guo Zhongshu And His Jiehua

Guo Zhongshu, who was born during the end of the Five Dynasties and the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, was the splendid painter in Jiehua, the draw lining with the aid of a ruler. The character of his Jiehua painting quote"the beam and pillar as well as the outline of the building are precisely arranged and three-dimentional, as if one can walk into it. windows and doors in the painting are so real as if one can open them , the ratio is so precise and strictly calculated with little tolerance.".His Jiehua paiting was life-like, vivid and precise. There were rules in the paintings, but not constrained by the rules. The artistic style was so elegant and sober, painting technique mature and refined, and artistic conception quiet and beautiful. Tang Hou, the connoisseur in Yuan Dynasty, commented that he has been the No. 1 painter since Tang Dynasty (corry for u).Guo Zhongshu, for the first time, pushed the Jiehua painting to a summit, unprecedented and unsurpassable. No one could surmount Guo Zhongshu's achievement, although there appeared many Jiehua painters, such as Wang Zhenpeng, Qiu Ying, Yuan Jiang and Yuan Yao. Guo Zhongshu's art was the unsurpassable monument in Jiehua painting.Guo Zhongshu was a legend. As recorded in historical books, being a teenage, he won scholarly honor in imperial exams, and became one officer when in his twenties. The fame made him so pride and arrogant that he could not got along with other courteously and sincerely. He once was designate to be an officer for three times and also was dismissed three times. The political experiences racked him downhearted and fatigued. All of those were the failure experience in his political life, but helped him to study the art of painting meanwhile. Whenever he was dismissed from office, Guo Zhongshu contributed all of his energy on his beloved art. Following were the pictures of his life: Leading a wandering life, he did not pursue any officer in government. He travelled many places, mostly in Qishan, Yongzhou, Kaifeng, and Luoyang. He drunk the wine unrestrained, and nicknamed any people he met"Cat", no matter the gentle or the simple. He would stay more than one days, where there was beautiful mountains and rivers, or did not eat anything several days. In summer, he exposed himself in the hot weather but without any sweat on his body. In winter, he broke out the ice and bathed with the cold water, with the ice nearby melting. Every one considered him strange. Guo Zhongshu absorbed the inspiration from the mountains and rivers, and studied the art of painting concentrated, indifferent to other peoples'view. The letter in which he wrote to his friend Shi Mengying read like this:"I was recalled several times, since I was dismissed from office. I am obsessed in the mountains and rivers now, and will not serve as an officer any more. With white hairs on my head, life is half of spent and I have no interest in the fame and benefit."Such saying was just the reflection of his mentality, which is the fundamental requirement for his artistic attainments.It could be conclude that Guo Zhongshu's failure in officialdom was attributed to his character. He was such a person: straightforward, arrogant and self-important depend on his talent, neglecting of minor points of conduct, and not good at flatter, tactful and communication Therefore it was not suitable for him to be an official. The quality of the painting was a mirror of the one's moral quality. It was his natural and pure character that made his paintings vividly and extraordinary refined. His paintings were not only outstanding and outshining in the Northern Song Dynasty, but also bright and resplendent nowadays, though deposited more than one thousand years. The achievement of Guo Zhongshu in Jiehua painting was definitely without any doubt. A great Jiehua painter he was, while we didn't know much about him. So it was necessary to study about the person of himself and his paintings.