A Study Of The Relationship Between The Modeling And The Brush And Ink In Water-ink Portraits

The treatment of the relationship between the modeling and the brush and ink determines directly the creation practice and evaluation criteria of Chinese water-ink portraits.In the history of creating water-ink portraits, there has been a phenomenon of overemphasis either upon the modeling or upon the brush and ink.The creation of water-ink portraits was influenced in the Dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing by the thoughts of "literators'paintings", overemphasizing the aesthetic value of self-independence of the brush and ink, and overemphasizing the brush and ink but underemphasizing the modeling. This reduced greatly the ability of water-ink portraits to reflect the real life.In beginning of the 20th century, Kang Youwei, Chen Duxiu, Xu Beihong, Jiang Zhaohe, Lin Fengmian and so on introduced enthusiastically the conception of Western realistic modeling which reinforced the strength of water-ink portraits to depict the real life but at the same time led to the tendency of overemphasis upon modeling and underemphasis upon the traditional brush and ink.The 1980s saw the return of the phenomenon of overemphasis upon the brush and ink and underemphasis upon the modeling.Since 1990s, famous painters such as Liu Dawei, Feng Yuan, Liu Guohui, Weng Zhenxin, Bi Jianxun, employing their solid foundation of modeling and unique ideas, and combining the essence of excellent tradition of the brush and ink with innovation, produced masterpieces of water-ink portraits which reflected the real life. This led to the general development of the water-ink portraits toward "modernism".Based upon the study of the relationship of the modeling and the brush and ink, the present thesis comes to a conclusion that overemphasis upon the brush and ink will reduce the ability of water-ink portraits to reflect the real life, while overemphasis upon the modeling will make the portraits lose their essence of Chinese traditional brush and ink. Therefore, water-ink portraits should avoid the repetition of overemphasizing the brush and ink by following the traditional theory of "literators'paintings" or overemphasizing the modeling because of too much "realistic reflection".