arts Article The Screen in Fresco Paintings: A Study of the ‘Screen-Style Frescoes’ in the Temples of Gaoping County in China Wei Liu School of Architectural and Artistic Design, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, China; [email protected] Academic Editor: Annetta Alexandridis Received: 26 July 2017; Accepted: 2 September 2017; Published: 12 September 2017 Abstract: Screen-style frescoes, found in the temples of Gaoping County, Shanxi Province, China, and originating mostly from the Qing Dynasty, present a unique painting form. Folk artists not only painted the screen, a common object in everyday life in ancient China, on the wall surfaces, but also created a variety of paintings inside the screen panels, whereby the viewer sees a painting within a painting. This article, based on multiple field trips, aims to analyze screen-style frescoes in terms of their locations, styles, and unique artistic characteristics such as subject matter, color usage, and brushwork. By studying the influence of literati paintings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the author also reveals the aesthetic transition from religious scenes to secular life as presented in the temple frescoes in ancient Gaoping County. Keywords: screens in fresco paintings; screen-style frescoes; temples in Gaoping County; painting form; literati painting; secularization 1. Introduction The screen, as a common type of furniture and architectural element in ancient China, serves the multiple purposes of shielding from the wind; partitioning interior spaces, most often to create privacy; and functioning as both a painting medium and a decorative artwork (Wu 2009). Mural paintings of the screen have been primarily found in tomb chambers and grottoes dating back to the Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, and the period of Northern and Southern dynasties in China. They have been mainly studied in the context of tomb frescoes, grotto frescoes, and as artifacts considered in terms of their images, symbolic meanings and styles. Attention has also been given to the sources of style, structural characteristics, and the subject matter of the paintings that decorate such screens. Little attention has been paid, however, to mural paintings depicting screens on temple walls (Qiu 2012). This article is the result of multiple field trips to Gaoping County, Shanxi Province, during 2013–2014 to study the mural paintings of screens on the region’s temple walls. Careful evaluation of these murals reveals that the area has a large number of high-quality, well preserved paintings of the screen characterized by a wide variety of painting styles and subject matter. A map of the temples in the region is given in Figure1. This article, based on a comprehensive study of these paintings, aims to unveil their content, philosophical background, and artistic characteristics and lay the foundation for future studies. Arts 2017, 6, 13; doi:10.3390/arts6030013 www.mdpi.com/journal/arts Arts 2017, 6, 13 2 of 11 Arts 2017, 6, 13 2 of 11 FigureFigure 1. 1.A A distribution distribution map map ofof thethe extant frescoes in in the the temples temples of of Gaoping Gaoping County. County. TombTomb and and grotto grotto frescoes frescoes differ from from county county primarily primarily in intheir their object object of painting: of painting: they take they the take thescreen screen itself itself as astheir their depicted depicted object, object, and feature and feature realistic realistic depictions depictions of the entire of the screen entire on screen the walls, on the walls,including including its frame its frame and panel and paintings. panel paintings. Realistic Realistic treatments treatments of the screen’s of the panel screen’s structure panel and structure style, andpicture style, content picture on content screen on panels, screen spatial panels, position, spatial and position, perspectival and perspectival relations in relations combination in combination with the withspatial the arrangement spatial arrangement of actual oftemple actual statues—which temple statues—which are often found are oftenin front found of these in frontpaintings— of these present the viewer with the illusion that the mural paintings are real screens. For the purpose of this paintings—present the viewer with the illusion that the mural paintings are real screens. For the article, the author would like to group such paintings, located in the Gaoping area, under the name purpose of this article, the author would like to group such paintings, located in the Gaoping area, ‘screen‐style frescoes’. By delineating realistic paintings of the screen on wall surfaces and under the name ‘screen-style frescoes’. By delineating realistic paintings of the screen on wall incorporating its spatial relations to the temple architecture and statues, painters of such screen‐style surfaces and incorporating its spatial relations to the temple architecture and statues, painters of frescoes successfully create a unique painting form based on visual translation. such screen-style frescoes successfully create a unique painting form based on visual translation. 2. Current State of the Extant Screen‐Style Frescoes 2. Current State of the Extant Screen-Style Frescoes With the exception of two works identified as from the Ming Dynasty, almost all the frescoes date backWith to the Qing exception Dynasty. of two More works specifically, identified their as dates from of the origin Ming span Dynasty, from 1596 almost in the all thelate frescoesMing dateDynasty back to to the the Qing end of Dynasty. the Qing More Dynasty specifically, in 1911, with their the dates highest of origin amount span created from during 1596 in the the reigns late Ming of DynastyEmperors to the Qinlong end of (1735–1796) the Qing Dynasty and Daoguang in 1911, (1820–1850). with the highest amount created during the reigns of EmperorsThe Qinlong screen‐style (1735–1796) frescoes andare widely Daoguang found (1820–1850). in many Buddhist and Daoist temples in Gaoping County.The screen-style In large temples, frescoes they are appear widely in the found main in hall, many the Buddhistwings, and and the Daoistside hall, temples whereas in in Gaoping small County.temples In they large are temples, often seen they in appearonly the in main the hall. main hall, the wings, and the side hall, whereas in small temples they are often seen in only the main hall. Arts 2017, 6, 13 3 of 11 The position of the walls often determines the types of screens painted on their surfaces. While Arts 2017, 6, 13 3 of 11 the seatedArts 2017 screen, 6, 13 often appears on side walls, the folding screen and the hanging screen tend3 of to11 show up on the backThe position wall of of the the templewalls often halls. determines To be more the types specific, of screens the foldingpainted on screen their surfaces. shaped While like a the staple is paintedseated onThe the screen position back often wall, of appears the along walls on with often side one walls,determines to the two folding panelsthe types screen on of each screens and ofthe thepainted hanging side on wallsscreen their (Figure tendsurfaces. to show2 ).While The up the hanging on screen,seatedthe shaped back screen wall as often aof straight the appears temple line, onhalls. side is To found walls, be more onthe eitherfoldingspecific, thescreen the back folding and wall the screen hanging or in shaped an screen equal like tend a number staple to show is painted of up panels on on the back wall of the temple halls. To be more specific, the folding screen shaped like a staple is painted each ofon the the twoback sidewall, wallsalong with (Figure one 3to). two The panels folding on each screen of the is frequentlyside walls (Figure found 2). onThe the hanging back screen, wall in the onshaped the back as a wall,straight along line, with is found one to on two either panels the backon each wall of or the in side an equal walls number (Figure of2). panels The hanging on each screen, of the shape of a wave (Figure4). The seated screen is usually painted on either the back wall or the side shapedtwo side as walls a straight (Figure line, 3). is The found folding on either screen the is frequentlyback wall or found in an on equal the backnumber wall of in panels the shape on each of a ofwave the walls (Figuretwo(Figure side 4).5 walls). The (Figureseated screen3). The is folding usually screen painted is frequently on either the found back on wall the orback the wall side inwalls the shape(Figure of 5). a wave (Figure 4). The seated screen is usually painted on either the back wall or the side walls (Figure 5). Figure 2. Part of 12‐panel folding screen, within the green dashed lines, in the Guandi Temple in Figure 2. Part of 12-panel folding screen, within the green dashed lines, in the Guandi Temple in Ducun FigureDucun 2.Village, Part of Hexi 12‐ panelTown folding(No. 64 screen,in Figure within 1). the green dashed lines, in the Guandi Temple in Village,Ducun Hexi Village, Town (No.Hexi Town 64 in Figure(No. 641 in). Figure 1). Figure 3. Hanging screen depicting ladys in the Xiangu Temple in Shangdongfeng Village (No. 51 in Figure1). Arts 2017, 6, 13 4 of 11 Arts 2017, 6, 13 4 of 11 Arts 2017, 6, 13 4 of 11 Figure 3. Hanging screen depicting ladys in the Xiangu Temple in Shangdongfeng Village (No. 51 in Figure 1).3. Hanging screen depicting ladys in the Xiangu Temple in Shangdongfeng Village (No. 51 in Figure 1). Figure 4. A folding screen painted on the back wall of the west wing of Xuanwu Temple in Xilimen Figure 4. A folding screen painted on the back wall of the west wing of Xuanwu Temple in Xilimen FigureVillage, 4.