Embodiment of Typical Images of Chinese Traditional Opera in Oil Painting

Abstract

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of embodiment of typical images of Chinese traditional opera in works of oil painting. Depicting the actors in their stage roles, the artists strive to recreate the aesthetic impact that Chinese opera has on the viewer. However, they use a system of artistic and expressive means characteristic of the fine arts. The aim of the study is to determine the peculiarities of embodiment of typical images of Chinese traditional opera by contemporary Chinese artists. The works of Peng Xiaohan, Wang Qijun, and Yue Haitao serve as the object. Although the typical images of Chinese traditional opera are characterised by their own set of symbols and signs, each author depicts the plots and characters of the productions in their own way. Some of them strive for a realistic portrayal of what is happening on stage: they capture the expressive poses of the main character, capture the plot scenes of the production. Others create a collective image of a character or separate parts of the plot, using the symbolism of colour, costume, theatrical make-up. On the example of paintings by the above artists, the author identifies the main creative approaches to the embodiment of typical images of Chinese traditional opera in oil painting. These include following the iconographic canons of Chinese opera, combining the traditions of Chinese art with the tendencies of Western painting, etc. For the first time, on the basis of works by contemporary Chinese painters, different approaches to the reflection of typical images of Chinese traditional opera in oil painting were identified and the peculiarities of their embodiment in the language of fine arts were determined, which can be useful for further research in this area.