视觉的阐释——中国古代帝王图像的文化意蕴与社会功用

Visual Explanation——Cultural Connotation and Social Function of the Images of Ancient Chinese Emperors

中国古代帝王图像是指以古代帝王为表现对象的图像体系,是中国古代宫廷绘画体系中最具代表性的图像系统之一。帝王图像不单是艺术欣赏的载体,且被赋予了更加深刻和隐晦的政治、文化内涵,既是认识和了解帝王形象以及当时宫廷艺术的重要方面,同时也成为探寻帝国国势与各种社会关系的一个特殊途径,直观地呈现出视觉艺术在阐释观念方面所发挥的奇妙作用。并且,帝王图像具有文字所缺乏的直观性与形象性,能够补充文献难以记述的细部与微观,从而成为文字之外的一种更加生动和具体的记录历史的方式。

Images of ancient Chinese emperors, one of the most representative royal painting systems in the history of ancient Chinese court paintings, refer to a series of paintings of ancient Chinese emperors. They are not only the carrier of artistic appreciation, but also entrusted with more profound and obscure political and cultural connotations, which are not only important in knowing and understanding emperors and royal arts of the time, but also in paving a way for the study of the empire＇s national power and social relations. Moreover, images of emperors make up for the disadvantages of document recording in describing details and microcosmic aspects of the political and cultural states of the time, thus become a method of history recording besides words.