Riding the wind of rebirth

Looking back further, it turned out that they were all handwritten by painters. In addition to Zheng Banqiao and Wu Changshuo, they were followed by Qi Baishi, Hu Xiaoshi, Feng Zikai, Zhang Daqian, Sha Menghai, Lu Yanshao and Huang Yongyu. There were nine painters in total. Runge note.

Some of these Runge tables are humorous, some are lively, some are serious, and some are very serious. The calligraphy is casual and unrestrained, and the text can also explain the environment and mentality of the painters at that time. It is really very interesting.

Some famous artists have more than one rung table. For example, Qi Baishi has three copies here.

The first one is: "It is shameful for a gentleman to sell paintings regardless of friendship. Please pay according to the rules. Add flowers and insects and birds, add ten yuan each, add vines and bees, add twenty yuan each. Anyone who cuts the price will lose money. Self-interest, others will not like to see each other. The tenth day of the first lunar month of Gengshen."

The year of Gengshen was 1920. At that time, Qi Baishi settled in the capital and began to have a reputation as good as that of Wu Changshuo.

The previous rung was ordered by Wu Changshuo for him, priced at 12 yuan for a four-foot fan, 18 yuan for a five-foot fan, 24 yuan for a six-foot fan, and 30 yuan for an eight-foot fan. The album folding fan was 6 yuan each. Later, the painters always wanted to gain some friendship and gain some advantages, such as asking Qi Baishi to add some insects and birds, etc. Qi Baishi took the trouble to write this style.

Later, Qi Baishi was no longer short of money, so he set stricter output regulations for his works, and then published another one:

"I have been tired for the past few years, and my eyesight has especially deteriorated. When painting and engraving, I can only do it at will, and dare not respond to others' instructions...Those who do not paint: do not paint images, do not paint with detailed work, do not paint with color, do not paint if it is not the person they are, and are forced to do so. Do not paint. Those who do not engrave: crystals, jade, tooth bones do not engrave, small characters do not engrave. Seals with vulgar language do not engrave, people who are not suitable for sealing do not engrave, stones are ugly, and those who accidentally tease others do not engrave. Those who are greedy for painting Those who do not return to paper will not return to stone, and those who are greedy for printing will not return to stone. I will tell you in clear words. I will enlighten you when you are close to life."

From this period onwards, it can be seen that Qi Baishi no longer accepts "propositional painting", and he also pays attention to freedom in engraving, giving himself a greater space for independent creation.

What’s more interesting is the third one:

"Paintings are not sold to government officials. If they are stolen, it will be unlucky. Confession: If Chinese and foreign ministers want to buy Shiraishi's paintings, they can use a representative. There is no need to drive to the door in person. Officials have never been allowed to enter people's homes. If officials enter people's homes, it will be disadvantageous for the owner. I would like to inform you, and I'm sorry. No reception. The eighty-year old man Bai Shi pays homage to Bai Shi on the first lunar month of Gengchen."

Gengchen was in 1940, during the Anti-Japanese War, and Yanjing was already an enemy-occupied area. This "notice" shows that Qi Baishi was tired of the entanglement of the Japanese and puppet personnel at that time, and had some control over the sale of paintings and seals.

"How much was one dollar at that time?" Jiang Shuyi asked.

"The yuan here refers to the ocean." Luo Qianhe explained: "According to Wu Changshuo's pricing, if every tael is calculated as one yuan and four cents per ocean, the runge of He Shaoji's eight-foot couplets should be equivalent to the eight-foot nave, which is worth twelve oceans. Almost seventeen taels."

"In 1914, one ocean in Shanghai could buy forty-four kilograms of rice. Twelve oceans had the purchasing power of almost more than five hundred kilograms of rice."

"That doesn't seem too expensive?" Jiang Shuyi said.

"It doesn't feel expensive because you can't understand the terrifying gap between rich and poor at that time." Zhou Zhi said with emotion: "It was an era where the small-scale peasant economy was the mainstay, and 80% of the people in the country were in danger of death. The poverty line is not far away.”

"Half a year's worth of melons and vegetables will lead to a deficit at the end of the year if the annual income is not good. Only a very small number of people can spend more than a dozen yuan to buy such a couplet without any pressure."

After saying this, Jiang Shuyi finally understood that people playing calligraphy and painting at that time was equivalent to people playing high-end mobile phones now, and playing with luxury cars was simply not something ordinary people could afford.

The runges of many famous writers are very interesting and can very well reflect the personality of the literati, such as Hu Xiaoshi. Hu Xiaoshi was a famous master of Chinese studies in the Republic of China, a philologist, litterateur, historian, calligrapher, and artist. He served as the dean of the Chinese Department of Nanjing University, the dean of the School of Liberal Arts, and the director of the Nanjing University Library. At that time, he was the same as Chen Zhongfan and Wang Pijiang. He is called the "three elders" of the Chinese Department of NTU.

There are several interesting things in his script: For those who seek seal script: the original value is doubled. Illuminated Paper: Double. Tangfu screen couplet: double the number of applicants. Ink grinding fee: one-tenth of the original price.

If you specifically want seal script or official script, the price will be doubled! If you tell me to use good paper, the price will double! If you write the text yourself and let me copy it, the price will be doubled!

Jiang Shuyi looked at the last item and was a little shocked: "Is it necessary to collect money separately for grinding ink?"

"Hahaha..." Zhou Zhi and Luo Qianhe looked at each other and laughed. Luo Qianhe said with a smile: "Mr. Zhou, please explain to the girl."

Zhou Zhi said with a smile: "Literati are ashamed of money. They first helped people write epitaphs, write inscriptions on monuments, etc. This kind of income was called 'moistening the pen.' Collectively called 'Runjin' and 'Mofei'."

"Later on, specialized intermediary managers emerged, mainly from calligraphy and painting shops that were familiar with painters and calligraphers. They were responsible for connecting calligraphers and calligraphers with buyers and charging a certain commission as remuneration."

"I understand, since the painting fee is called 'ink fee', then the agency fee is called 'ink money'."

"That's it." Zhou Zhi said with a smile: "Later, some intermediaries took advantage of the information gap between painters and buyers to make profits, making a huge profit from the unexpected price difference in intermediary fees. Therefore, many calligraphers and painters deliberately The agency fee is indicated, such as Hu Xiaoshi, who clearly sets the agency fee for his works at one-tenth of the price of the work."

"There is another hint here, that is, the intermediary fee is paid by the buyer himself to the intermediary, and he only collects the painting money from the rung."

Jiang Shuyi found it very funny: "You literati have so many twists and turns."

"I'm not..." Zhou Zhi smiled and waved his hands, firmly denying: "It's them, their literati are so oblique. Oh! There are also people here who are not oblique..."

It turns out that while he was talking, Zhou Zhi had already turned to the end of the album. Here was a picture of contemporary painter Huang Yongyu Runge:

All paintings and calligraphy transactions are subject to cash. In front of money, everyone is equal. The price will be determined based on the item on the spot, and the price will be the same. If you insist on bargaining, you will immediately double the original price; if you continue to bargain, you will let a vicious dog bite you; if you make an evil face and speak harsh words, you will be kicked out of the hospital!

"This is great," Zhou Zhi applauded, "Huang, this is clearly marked with a price that is abominable, hahahaha!"

"Mr. Zhou should like this gift, right?"

"I like it so much." Zhou Zhi smiled and said: "This booklet is so thoughtful. Except for Zheng Banqiao, they are basically Shanghai-style painters who have had important travels in Shanghai. There are connections and connections between them."

"For example, Qi Baishi's earliest style was formulated by Wu Changshuo for him. Now that the two are in the same volume, it is very interesting to compare. This volume is useful for studying the relationship between Shanghai-style painters, the rise and fall of the value of cultural works at that time, and the painters The style, and even the socio-economic situation at that time, have very good reference value.”

"I like it very much."