Silk copy, with a new color, 28.7 cm in length and 335.5 cm in width, is in the Palace Museum

Gu Hongzhong, a native of Jiangnan, was in the Southern Tang Painting Academy in the Five Dynasties. His "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" is rigorous and exquisite in composition, elegant and vivid in character modeling, vigorous and smooth in lines, bright and elegant in colors, and fully reflects the style and features of figure painting in the Five Dynasties in terms of skills and styles.

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (97-96 AD) was a turbulent and divided era in China's history, but it was an important period in the art of painting. The pursuit of artistic conception and the exploration of interest have made landscape painting and flower-and-bird painting get new development, which indicates that painting will turn from narrative to a higher level of lyricism. The figure paintings of the Five Dynasties are also more refined, blending the simplicity and boldness of the Qin and Han Dynasties and the significance and implication of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, gradually diluting the grandeur and splendor of the Tang Dynasty. However, figure painting has not been able to get rid of the secular function of "preaching and helping others", and requires vivid representation of realistic events and characters, which directly promotes the development of realistic skills objectively. From ancient figure paintings, we can not only understand some historical events, but also understand the face of that era and people's spiritual realm through the vivid images of fertile farmers or gentle people.

According to Xuanhe Painting, The Picture of Han Xizai's Banquet was written by Gu Hongzhong on the orders of Li Yu, the queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty, who went to Han Xizai's mansion at night to spy on his banquet. Han Xizai, the main character in the painting, was born in the northern aristocratic family and took refuge in the southern Tang Dynasty. Li Houzhu wanted to make him the prime minister, but Han Xizai, seeing that the country was in trouble, did not want to take up this post, so he indulged himself all day and had a long night drink with his guests. Most of the other characters in the painting were real people, such as the top scholar Lang Kui and the monk Deming, who were frequent visitors to Korea. In the picture scroll, although Han Xizai is a degenerate, his eyebrows are locked all the time, and it is hard to hide his worries. The console table is relatively low, which is the transition period from sitting on the floor to sitting with feet hanging high. Pipa, flute and drum, bed with beautiful piers and indoor furnishings all reflect the characteristics of the times. The realistic theme requires the painter to observe life deeply, capture the details of life, remember it by eye, and carefully experience it, and then reproduce it artistically, raising the natural form to an artistic form.

The Night Banquet adopts the traditional Chinese way of expressing continuous stories, which is divided into sections with screens as the plot progresses, and the main character Han Xizai appears in each section. Through listening to music, watching dance, resting, blowing and having a banquet, the whole scene of the banquet is described in a narrative poem. The painter has carefully arranged the composition. Each paragraph has a plot, a place and a combination of characters. Each paragraph is relatively independent, but unified in a strict overall layout. The complexity meets the simplicity, and the reality is full of rhythm. The three screens in the picture are not the same, which reflects the artist's ingenious idea. The trend of the characters is rich, the density is good, the expression is appropriate, and the whole picture is stored in the picture scroll, which is close and full of tension. In the third scene, a candlestick is placed, and the red candle shines high, which points out the specific time of the Night Banquet, but does not carefully describe the night. This traditional image expression technique and way of China has become a "meaningful form".

The painter's depiction of characters is particularly in-depth, depicting the spirit with form, showing a superb artistic level. The techniques of portrait painting in the Five Dynasties figure painting developed unprecedentedly, and Gu Hongzhong was a famous portrait painter. In ancient times, portrait painting was called "portrait", and "truth" refers to the inner spiritual essence of the object, that is, "god". With superb portrait skills, it is naturally handy for creating figure paintings. Through the corresponding description of different objects' body posture, eyes and gestures, some of the characters in the painting play dance, some enjoy it according to the beat, and the modality is vivid. And the protagonist is deliberately described, and the song is full of gods. Han Xizai is tall and tall, with a long beard and a high scarf. From leaning on the bar to listening, swinging a hammer and drumming until the end of the song, his eyebrows are always locked in different occasions. He is thoughtful and depressed, which is in sharp contrast with the scene of the song and dance music at the banquet. It shows Han Xizai's complex inner world and depicts the special personality of the characters, which is very vivid, thus deepening the picture of the Banquet.

Whether it's coloring or using a pen, the performance technique of The Night Banquet is exquisite and skillful. The ancients made good use of mineral pigments to paint, and they are still dazzling after years of tempering. "The Night Banquet Map" uses crimson, vermilion, azurite, stone green and other colors in many places, and the contrast is strong, while the whole picture is unified in the level change of rich ink color, and the colors and inks set each other off and look moving. The ancients painted with a pen. After accurately grasping the physical characteristics of the object, the pen not only outlined the external outline of the object, but also required to express the essence of the object. Line is an independent artistic element and has a unique aesthetic meaning in oriental painting. To sum up, the change of pen is the word "light and heavy, but it is changeable in practice, because of the painter's wonderful understanding and natural spiritual change." "The Night Banquet" uses a pen that is tall and straight, and the lines flow freely. In the long line of the round pen combined with iron line drawing and You Simiao, the square pen is frustrated, which is quite charming. The combination of characters' clothing patterns is rich and varied, and the sketch of beard and hair, "Hair roots produce flesh, which is more powerful than health", has created a vibrant artistic image.

attachment 1: Han Xizai (92-97), a word uncle, was an official of Southern Tang Dynasty in Five Dynasties and Ten Countries, and was born in Qingzhou. Tongguang Jinshi in the later Tang Dynasty. Because his father was killed by Li Siyuan, he ran to Wu. When Li Sheng was promoted in the Southern Tang Dynasty, he served as secretary lang and assisted the prince in the East Palace. Li Jing acceded to the throne, moved to the official department as a foreign minister, edited by the History Museum, and served as a doctor of Taichang, worshiping the Chinese book.

In 958 (the first year of Jiaotai), money depreciated, and he proposed to cast iron money to increase its value. A new big money is ten old money; A new penny, when two old money. Imitating the specifications of "Kaiyuan Tongbao", Xu Xuan is a book seal. New money is cast and widely circulated. Han Xizai paid homage to the assistant minister of the Ministry of Finance and made money. Later, he was promoted to the Minister of War, and the bachelor of Qinzheng Hall was appointed.

he's learned a lot, so he's high-spirited. I have never worshipped a single person. Being good at writing, history says that "the patent system is elegant and has the wind of harmony." Scholars and Taoists kept asking him to write inscriptions. He is also good at talking, can listen to sounds and dance, has exquisite brushes and works in calligraphy, and is as famous as Xu Xuan. Good taste in singing, dancing, painting and calligraphy. He plays wild and unrestrained, and keeps Wangwu Mountain, who loves prostitutes. Wangwu Mountain is unusually handsome and intelligent, and can sing and dance well. Han Xizai tasted the drums and let Wushan dance "Six Yao" for fun. There are "Han Xizai's Night Banquet Picture" and "Zongle Picture" to record his luxurious life.

the late master (Li Yu) dared to speak out because of his loyalty, and repeatedly tried to seal him as a phase, but he thought it was absurd, so he shelved it.

he worked hard as an assistant minister in Chinese literature, and served as a bachelor in Guangzheng Hall. After his death, he was awarded the title of right servant, who shot the same title as Ping Zhang, and was named "Wen Jing". There are more than 5 articles, such as Settlement Collection, Proposed Collection (lost) and Motto. On the way of Wang Ba in ancient and modern times, Shu Ya prefaces it.

Attachment 2 Appreciation of Han Xizai's Night Banquet

A classical painting of more than 1 years ago-Han Xizai's Night Banquet is treasured in the Palace Museum in Beijing. This treasure of the town courtyard was written by Gu Hongzhong, a famous painter in the Southern Tang Dynasty (937-975) in the Five Dynasties. After thousands of years of tossing and turning, it is a miracle that it can be preserved intact now.

Gu Hongzhong, a native of Jiangnan, is famous for his good painting of figures, and has long served as a painter in the Hanlin Academy of Southern Tang Dynasty. < < Han xizai's banquet > > , is a description of the real life at that time, reflecting the true story, with profound theme and high artistic quality. Speaking of Gu Hongzhong, a famous painting handed down from ancient times, there is an unusual story.

According to the Chinese painting description book "Xuanhe Shupu", Han Xizai, the calligrapher of the Southern Tang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties, was a very talented official, born in a noble family in the north, and became a scholar at the end of the Tang Dynasty. He knew music and was good at poetry, painting and calligraphy. He is good at painting and painting, and he is full of political talent. However, this person keeps singing and dancing, indulges in debauchery, often gathers guests at home, drinks and drinks from time to time, and often sings loudly. Put one's difficulties in the song and dance night banquet. Li Yu, the weak ruler, relied heavily on Han Xizai, wanted to use him as a phase, but he was not at ease. It turned out that at that time, the country was divided, the north and the south were divided, and the southern Tang Dynasty was weak. The powerful northern Zhou Dynasty posed a serious threat to the southern Tang Dynasty. Li Yu, the late ruler, was suspicious of those northerners who were officials in the Southern Tang Dynasty, for fear that they would have second thoughts. Recently, it was reported to Li Yu, the late emperor, that some DPRK officials were going to get together at the home of Han Xizai, a minister of northern nationality. Li Yu, the late ruler, was puzzled. In order to understand the real situation, he sent Gu Hongzhong and Zhou Wenju to sneak into Han Zhai late at night to learn about his activities behind him.

Gu Hongzhong found that the guests included officials such as Lang charm, Dr. Chen Yong, Dr. Taichang, and Li Jiaming, the assistant ambassador of the teaching workshop, in addition to some popular singers and dancers at that time. The atmosphere of the banquet was unusually warm, and the guests and the host were intertwined, and there was a tendency to get drunk. During the banquet, there were singers singing, playing music and dancers dancing. The guests were intoxicated with joy one by one.

Gu Hongzhong knew in his heart that Han Xizai was actually trying to protect himself by indulging in debauchery, in order to show that he was not interested in power, so as to avoid being suspected and persecuted by the emperor.

After returning home, Gu Hongzhong and Zhou Wenju drew a picture of Han Xizai's Night Banquet and gave it to Li Yu. After Li Yu saw the painting, he was much less wary of Han Xizai. Later, Han Xizai served as an assistant minister in the official to Zhongshu and a bachelor in Guangzheng Hall in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and he ended well.

There were two original pictures of Han Xizai's Night Banquet, but a picture by Zhou Wenju was lost. Today we see Gu Hongzhong's works. Gu Hongzhong's The Night Banquet is 28.7 cm in length and 335.5 cm in width. The silk book is colored. The picture is in the form of a hand scroll, with Han Xizai as the center. The whole picture is divided into five sections: "listening to music", "watching dance", "resting", "blowing" and "banquet". The paragraphs are independent and can be connected into a whole. The first paragraph is about Han Xizai feasting with the guests and listening to Li Jiaming's sister playing the pipa. In the second paragraph, Wangwu Mountain dances "Six Yao", and Hee Jae personally plays drums. In the third paragraph, after the guests left, the host and the female performers took a rest and washed their hands. In the fourth paragraph, I wrote that Xi Zai enjoyed the cool in plain clothes and listened to the wind music played by female ci-dancers. In the fifth paragraph, write a part of being close to the guests and teasing the female prostitutes. The first two paragraphs are the most vivid. The guest and the host either listen or watch silently, focusing on the hands of the pianist and the body of the singer. Drums and clappers all play according to the beat, and there seems to be rhyme coming out of the picture. Because of Gu Hongzhong's subtle observation, he vividly described the scene of Han Xizai's banquet in Dadan. In five scenes, more than 4 characters all took off their silks. In the picture, the music is melodious, the dance is graceful, and the laughter is noisy, which highlights Han Xizai's preoccupied and depressed mental state. Han Xizai, who appears in each paragraph, has different facial angles, costumes and action expressions, but one thing is the same. There is no smile on his face, and he is always deep and melancholy. Describe a brilliant but depressed inner world, which is not only immersed in debauchery, but also keeps a low profile and complex contradictions. Compared with the general feast chart, it has a certain ideological depth. In fact, it is not only a picture depicting Han Xizai's private life, but more importantly, it reflects the features of that particular era and reveals the contradictions within the ruling class. It also vividly reflected the arrogance and extravagance of the ruling class at that time from one side.

In terms of artistic treatment, the traditional composition method is adopted, which breaks the concept of time and organizes activities in different times on the same screen. The organization of the whole painting is coherent and smooth. The plot of the painting is complex and there are many characters, but the arrangement is orderly and simple. Between scenes, the painter skillfully uses objects such as screens, several cases, orchestral instruments, beds, etc., so that they are both interconnected and separated from each other; It is both an independent painting and a picture scroll.

In some pictures of this picture, walls, doors, windows, roofs, lights and candles are not drawn, but through the activities of the characters, the audience can feel that the banquet is held indoors at night, which reflects the concise technique of traditional painting in China. Just like China's old drama, it doesn't need scenery, but only uses gestures, eyes and other actions to make the audience feel the surrounding scenery vividly.

The Picture of Han Xizai's Banquet has reached a high level in painting with a pen. The whole painting is neat and fine, the lines are smooth and round, the characters' clothes are depicted neatly and concisely, and the descriptions of the objects are realistic. The colors are rich and steady, and the proportion perspective can be found. It is an ancient figure painting with important historical relics and outstanding artistic achievements.