Solemn and All-inclusive: Masterpieces of Chinese Shuilu Painting

This book includes Shuilu paintings and other related paintings， statues， and minerals， with a total of more than 100 pieces. It thoroughly interprets the humanities connotation， artistic characteristics， dissemination， and changes of the paintings and invites experts from home and abroad to do more in-depth research on them.

Shuilu painting， also known as water and land painting， is a ritual painting used for the shuilu fahui （usually translated as the Liberation Rite of Water and Land， or Water-land Ritual） held by Chinese ancient monasteries or individuals. It is an important type of traditional religious painting. According to the literature， the images of shuilu fahui began to appear in the late Tang Dynasty， and gradually developed and formed a system. The people of the Song Dynasty prayed for blessings on the dead， for transferring merit to all sentient beings， and for blessing the country and protecting the people， usually by offering food and other means. For nearly a thousand years since then， shuilu fahui has become one of the most important Dharma services of Chinese Buddhism. Especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties， it evolved into a ritual activity with popular participation. Along with the prosperity of shuilu fahui， Shuilu painting had also been continually developed， and the images of sacred and secular characters had become more and more abundant. This type of painting is used to release the soul of the deceased from suffering and to care for the living， reflecting the tradition of Chinese traditional culture that emphasizes human relationships and attaches importance to life and death.

This exhibition selects representative Shuilu paintings collected by museums all over the country. The paintings are plentiful in content and diverse in forms and styles， which can fully reflect different regional cultures and traditional customs， allowing us to explore and appreciate the rich cultural treasure of Shuilu painting from different perspectives such as art， history， folklore， religion， etc.

Meeting in the Dharma

Shuilu paintings were ritual paintings drawn in response to the needs of the shuilu fahui and were specifically used for holding the ceremony. Their quantity and hanging positions were determined by factors such as the ritual rules and scales of the Dharma service. Their artistic origin is related to the long tradition of Taoist and Buddhist painting in China. Taoist and Buddhist painters such as Zhang Sengyao and Wu Daozi inspired and influenced the creation of Shuilu paintings to a certain extent. Through cultural exchange and dissemination， shuilu fahui and Shuilu painting were introduced to Japan， Korea， and other countries in East Asia during the Southern Song Dynasty， demonstrating the strong influential power of this cultural tradition.

The Impact of Taoist and Buddhist Painting

Taoist and Buddhist painting， which mainly depicts Taoist and Buddhist figures， is a category of figure painting in our country. The regulations created by Wu Daozi and other Taoist and Buddhist painters had a certain impact on the creation of Shuilu painting. The existing Shuilu painting is an important category of Taoist and Buddhist figure painting， which has a meticulous and elegant painting style and plays an important role in art history.

Exquisite Works of Art

There are abundant cultural heritages on religious art in our country， and their various art forms are dazzling. Shuilu painting was influenced by grotto frescoes and temple murals in terms of the deity system and painting style. It also drew on portraits of figures， Buddhist and Zen paintings by literati since the Tang and Song dynasties. Driven by generations of folk craftsmen， monks and court painters， it has formed a complete system of its own solemn， magnificent and splendid sights. At the same time， as an important form and medium to present the religious culture， Shuilu painting is used in religious rituals with a unique function that can hardly ever be seen outside the shuilu fahui; therefore， it is rarely known to the world. With its unique art form and function， Shuilu painting has opened up a new style of figure painting and has become a wonderful part of the history of painting in China.

Variety All Around

After a long period of historical development， Shuilu paintings have been created in various forms， including murals， scroll paintings， stand board paintings， woodcut paintings， and so on， among which the most common are murals and scroll paintings. The various forms of Shuilu paintings are

the products of history and the manifestation of religious development and folk beliefs in ancient China. They can be described as a combination of different shapes and the unity of the spirit， having a profound impact on later generations.

All Things of Shuilu Painting

A complete set of Shuilu paintings is very complex， covering all deities in the three realms of celestial， earthly， and underground worlds， just like a social hologram composed of heaven， earth and humanity. We not only marvel at the bizarre artistic beauty of Shuilu paintings， but also feel the painters’ meticulous portrayal of social reality， as well as their intention to achieve moral education through the perception of images.

Assorted Gods and Spirits

There are a large number of gods and ghosts prayed to in the shuilu fahui. A ritual manual called “Tiandi Mingyang Shuilu Ritual Text” includes the names of 120 gods and spirits in the essay section. In the process of the “integration of three religions，” shuilu fahui and Shuilu painting continue to absorb Taoism， Confucianism， folk beliefs and other deity figures into their system. Therefore， the existing Shuilu paintings show the pluralistic integration of folk culture.

Lingering Sound of Shuilu Painting

Shuilu painting has been passed down from generation to generation for more than a thousand years. It has been widely used in society as a form of painting with both practicality and artistry. Thanks to the sages of past dynasties who protected Shuilu painting， we can still see it today. In 2014， Shuilu painting was included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage， and this ancient art has been revitalized in the contemporary era.

Solemn and All-inclusive：

Masterpieces of Chinese Shuilu Painting

Guangdong Museum

Lingnan Fine Arts Publishing House

October 2022

360.00 （CNY）

Guangdong Museum

Guangdong Museum is the only provincial-level comprehensive museum in Guangdong Province. The total number of cultural relics in the collection has exceeded 170，000， including cultural relics， ancient books， and natural specimens. Since the opening of the museum， an average of eight or nine exhibitions have been held every year， receiving millions of visitors.