Drawing axis of Lang Shining Hongli Temple

[Lang Shining’s Painting Axis of Hongli Temple]

The Painting Axis of Hongli Temple, painted by Lang Shining in the Qing Dynasty, is 136.4 cm in length and 62 cm in width
This painting uses the composition of picture-in-picture to show the scene of Emperor Qianlong Hongli enjoying the Painting of Washing Elephants in the breeze. The Painting of Washing Elephants depicts the Emperor Qianlong, dressed as the Bodhisattva of Universal Mercy, watching people washing the white elephant of Universal Mercy
Emperor Qianlong established a complete Buddhist cultural system during his reign. At the same time, he also boasted that he was the incarnation of “Manjusri” and “Samantabhadri” in Buddhism, and covered himself with a mysterious religious halo, which means that he is not only the emperor of the world, but also the important god of Buddhism. Therefore, the painting is intended to promote the religious belief of Emperor Qianlong
This painting has no famous style of the author. From the perspective of creative techniques, it should be a combination of Chinese and Western painters. The portrait of Emperor Qianlong in the picture is painted by Lang Shining, who is good at realistic painting. The author uses anatomy and western painting techniques to express the face of the figure. The five facial features are delicately and clearly depicted, with a sense of hierarchy and stereoscopy. The clothes of Emperor Qianlong were represented by the traditional figure painting “war brush” by Chinese painters. The lines of the clothes were shaking and curved, and very dynamic. The children, houses and trees in the picture were also completed by Chinese painters. The eastern and western painting styles presented in the same work undoubtedly enriched the forms of expression of the palace painting, which is also a major feature of the court painting of the Qianlong Dynasty.