The painted sculptures in Shuanglin Temple follow the conventional method of Chinese clay sculptures. The method can be roughly divided in four steps.
The first is to make the wooden frame depending on the size of the statue. The frame, just as the human skeleton, plays a supportive role. The wooden frame was usually bound with straw and hemp rope to protect the clay from cracks and shrinking.
The second step was to add coarse clay. The coarse clay was added to the wooden frame in two or three steps. The clay was then closely compacted to the frame. Sand was be mixed into the clay to protect the statue from cracking.
The third step was to add fine clay. The facial expressions, movements, cloth patterns, ribbons, necklaces and temperament of the statue are all completed in this step.
The fourth and final step is painting. After the clay body becomes as dry as a bone, it was painted with gum two or three times. A couple of coats of powder mixed with egg were then applied. The egg white can give the statue luster and strength. After that, the statue was wiped repeatedly until the surface became smooth to complete the color painting. The paints used were mostly mineral paints, so the colors are still bright and fresh after several thousand years.
Statues of 500 Arhats at Qiongzhu Temple
The statues of 500 arhats in Qiongzhu Temple were made from the Guangxu Reign of the Qing Dynasty (Approx. 1883). They are all painted sculptures of around 1m in height. The statues of 500 arhats are the most creative of all Buddhist sculptures from the Qing Dynasty. They are unique in their painted sculptural techniques and strong folk styles.
These statues were made by Li Guangxiu, from Sichuan Province. He was not only good at sculpting and painting but was also interested in Buddhism. He is a famous folk artist from the period. It took Li Guangxiu and his apprentices more than 20 years to complete the statues. The statues are different in shape and each has its own character. Their clothes and properties are also various. No two statues are quite the same. The space among the statues changes but they are in proper arrangement. Their hair and beards are all made of real hair. Their eyeballs are made of black lazurite. The statues are wearing folk style clothes and represent people from all walks of life, such as squires, scholars, merchants and butchers. Such strong secular styles are one of the characteristics of Qing-style Buddhist sculptures. Those statues are famous for their realism. Their appearance also interacts with their movement, giving a sense of “separate strokes, connected meaning ” in the traditional arts in China.
The statues borrow stage skills and features from the Chinese opera, especially Sichuan opera. They are endowed with vivid characteristics of worldly people. These statues could only be made in Yunnan, where religious ideas remained free during the late Qing Dynasty and the social environment was intricate and complicated.
Although there are some breathtaking masterpieces from the Ming and Qing dynasties, sculpture fell into decay during this period and the prosperity from the Han and Tang dynasties gradually faded. The secular styles and developed techniques made sculptures from the Ming and Qing dynasties more luxurious but tasteless.
“Separate Strokes, Connected Meaning”
“Separate strokes, connected meaning” means that the monument of writing is still connected when the stroke breaks in drawing a Chinese painting or writing brush characters. The key lies in that the ending of each stroke prepares the beginning of another. Skill comes from practice, and then the smooth effect can be achieved no matter whether the stroke is separate or connected. The traditional Chinese aesthetic view is similar to the contemporary Western “Gestalt Psychology.”