Facing up to the past

Qi Baishi, one of the most well-known masters of classic Chinese art in the 20th century, gained popularity for his vivid depictions of comparatively smaller living beings such as shrimps, insects, fish and crabs.

His works deliver an auspicious, playful atmosphere and express an optimistic, lighthearted attitude toward life. But for years before he was noticed in the art world, Qi had to support himself with multiple sources of income, and one was making and selling portraits, including those of the deceased.

While the landscape and flower-and-bird genres of paintings appealed more to the well-educated and well-to-do in society, portraiture enjoyed a more lucrative market. Portraits were demanded by people of varying social ranks for various purposes. One major use was to make portraits of the elderly, and after they died, the paintings were hung in ancestral halls for daily remembrance and ritual worshipping at special occasions.

Qi sometimes received urgent commissions. He was summoned to clients' residences and made portraits of the families' elder members who had just died. As soon as he finished the job, he would receive the payment on site.

Whatever they were used for, past portraits as pictorial documents provide information to people today, regarding social systems, economic development and cultural trends in different periods of time. Such paintings also show how people earlier viewed the real world and the afterlife.

Following the success ofHarmony of Figures and Spirits, an exhibition of vintage portraiture in its collection, two years ago, the National Museum of China is presenting another exhibition dedicated to this genre of painting from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The long-term exhibition,Faces Glorified With Colorful Pigments, is showing over 50 portraits from the National Museum of China's assemblage.

Zhu Wanzhang, the exhibition's curator and an expert on Chinese painting at the same museum, says the show reflects the immensity and diversity of classic ink-color paintings housed at the museum.

He says as one of the oldest categories of Chinese art, portraiture boomed in the Ming and Qing eras when the genre experienced reforms in techniques and styles, for example, adopting the figurative strokes and a contrast between light and shadow of Western paintings to cater to the aesthetic views of the population then.

The looks of historic luminaries are one of the draws of portraiture shows. At theHarmony of Figures and Spiritsexhibition, attention was drawn to a juxtaposition of two distinctively different portraits of Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming Dynasty: One by court painters shows a dignified emperor in his twilight years and another, by civil artists, shows him with a dysmorphic face covered in black moles. The two paintings reflect divided opinion of his character and ruling style.

Zhu Wanzhang says the current exhibition gathers portraits of noted civil officials and military figures in history, some of which are being shown for the first time. This includes one imagined portrait of Yue Fei, a general known for leading the forces of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) in fights against nomadic invaders from northern China. A symbol of integrity, loyalty and patriotism, he has been painted throughout centuries.

Another painting on show depicts Mingrui, an 18th-century general favored by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Mingrui hailed from a prestigious aristocratic Manchu clan held in high esteem. His aunt was Empress Fucha, the most beloved wife of Qianlong, and Mingrui's uncle was Fuheng, a major figure serving in Qianlong's court. The two characters and their glorified family backgrounds are detailed in Story of Yanxi Palace, a hit 2018 costume drama series.

"The exhibition also shows dozens of group portraits that depict ya ji, or 'elegant gatherings', a recurring theme in Chinese paintings," Zhu says."Such parties were attended by members of the literati who enjoyed music, dance and landscape art or a space adorned with cultural objects."

Painters not only documented gatherings of their time, but also created imagined salon scenes featuring historic figures. For example, a work by an anonymous Ming painter on show depicts a known gathering in the 9th century that was attended by Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Bai Juyi.

Painters also reproduced master works as a study of techniques and to pay tribute to predecessors and the cultural atmosphere of previous dynasties. The exhibition displays a Ming copy of the 10th century scroll painting,Han Xizai Gives a Night Banquet, a well-known Chinese painting.

"It is an exhibition where every portrait tells a unique story that deserves audiences' attention, so they can think of the past," Zhu, the curator, says.