From the perspective of architectural form, the residential architecture of southern Fujian does not have a very flamboyant and stylized form, but it has a relatively special performance in the decoration and beautification of masonry walls. When we identify the elements of architecture, we mainly talk about it from four aspects, namely spatiality, practicality, materiality and aesthetics. From an aesthetic point of view, the red brick walls in southern Fujian reflect the regional style characteristics, forming the so-called southern Fujian style. The formation of this style is due to many factors. Although we can no longer trace its origins, We know from the entire history of Chinese architecture that the folk houses in southern Fujian, especially the masonry construction and wall decoration and color patterns, are unique in the history of Chinese architecture (see Figures 1 and 2). Therefore, some scholars believe that this region The residential houses belong to the "red brick cultural area" (Du Xianzhou, 1994).
Figure 1
Figure 2
The brick walls in southern Fujian are solid brick walls, but the stone buildings mentioned above also exist, so in southern Fujian folk houses The biggest feature of its wall is that it can mix bricks and stones so harmoniously, and the original meaning of art is hidden in the mixture. When excavating the aesthetic elements of masonry walls in folk houses in southern Fujian, especially the aesthetic styles and decorative patterns contained in the masonry walls, from a certain perspective, it is of great practical significance to maintain and understand the local culture in our modern globalization. of. Although some scholars believe that Fujian folk houses have traces of maritime culture, especially Quanzhou in southern Fujian, as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, with extensive exchanges with overseas countries and obvious traces of multi-cultural influence, but as far as folk houses are concerned, this kind of overseas religious and decorative influences The influence is more limited to religious places such as temples. We believe that although the folk houses in southern Fujian are influenced by diverse cultures, they are more influenced by local culture, especially the Han culture in the Central Plains. The characteristics of the geographical environment and climate, as well as many factors such as ancestry, have exposed traces of their admiration for the Central Plains culture, which is proved by some patterns, some metaphorical symbols and some architectural styles. Of course, buildings influenced by other ethnic cultures also exist, such as earth buildings, round buildings, stilted buildings, hand towels, etc. But this does not affect the stylized form of folk houses in southern Fujian, especially the masonry walls.
The exterior walls of folk houses in southern Fujian are roughly composed of three parts:
1. Legs (including corner stone bases). The legs of folk houses in southern Fujian are mostly decorated with white stone and bluestone ( See Figure 3). Most of the patterns and images are in the shape of tiger feet, unicorns, magpies, horses stepping on auspicious clouds, lions playing with balls, and there are also auspicious words.
Figure 3
2. Wall (including gables, waistlines, windows). The wall is the most distinctive. The gable is also made of clay sculptures with low relief and is symmetrical. The waistline has red bricks, white stone, and bluestone shadow carvings. There are many types of windows, including brick windows, stone windows, porcelain windows, wooden windows, etc. The characteristic of brick windows and porcelain windows is that they independently form an overall pattern. The window pillars of stone windows often appear in the form of round sculptures, with animals and flowers carved on them. If it is a carved window, opera characters are often seen (see Figure 4).
Figure 4
3. The eaves are usually in the form of reliefs, painted with clay sculptures, with many landscape figures and storylines (see Figure 5).
Figure 5
1. Brick and stone walls with overall formal beauty and rich changes
The biggest feature of the structure and decoration of residential walls in southern Fujian is the wall stone Mixed masonry, that is, "out of bricks and into stone", is a mixture of two different materials, bricks and stones. It creates a kind of decorative beauty because the texture contrast between the surface of the stone and the surface of the bricks. The stones serve as surfaces and points. Brick joints serve as lines, which create a combination of points, lines, and surfaces. This combination of points, lines, and surfaces, to some extent, produces a rhythm in the overall area. This is one of them; second, white Granite and red exposed bricks create a harmonious and contrasting effect in color. The contrast exists in the brightness, but the harmony is reflected in the fact that the white stone is not pure white, but a white with a bit of gray. The white-gray as the "face" itself can It plays a buffering role, expressing harmony in contrast and conflict in harmony. The resolution of this contradiction is also one of the characteristics of masonry walls; when it comes to color, red bricks and white stones form a red and white wall vision. The effect, and this concavity and convexity is based on light and forms a subtle rhythm, making the entire house stand out among the green shade. We believe that bluestone, red bricks and some decorative edge patterns can form an interactive relationship with the surrounding environment under the sunlight, which is loud and harmonious, and has a kind of affinity. Third, most of the folk houses in southern Fujian adopt the form of clear wall joints. The regular brick joints and irregular stones form a contrast. This is the contrast between "line" and "surface". Of course, this is not It is not absolute. There are also some southern Fujian houses that use "regular" red bricks and "regular" strips of stone on the walls and mix them in a certain arrangement to create another sense of form. By paying attention to the composition elements, they pay attention to a style that is in line with gold. The application of the visual effect of divided proportions and the embellishment of the window columns, the surface space formed by them makes this wonderful rhythm between one wall, which is a moving work of art and relief work (see Figure 6). Fourth, the application of patterned walls greatly enriches the monotonous walls. Such as plum blossom wall tiles, swastika tile wall, turtle-back tile wall, ancient coin tile wall, gourd tile wall, parallel tile wall, etc. (see Figure 7).
Figure 6
Figure 7
In the gable part, the pattern of clay sculpture material creates a rich visual effect, which is also useful in modern residential buildings. Colored porcelain tiles, with patterns such as fire patterns, cloud patterns, etc., are symmetrical on both sides, with lanterns and flower baskets placed in the middle. These pattern decorations generally form a wishful gourd shape. Of course, some classical figures have appeared in this performance area. and some symbolic items. In terms of color, it is blue and white, with some purple, red and other similar colors interspersed in order to coordinate with the wall. The overall shape is often similar to the pattern of bronze Taotie, but I personally think that the central image above should be an evolution of the image of warding off evil spirits, which is in line with folk customs. Then the whole is unified through some things such as ribbons flowing and flowing. From the decoration of the gable, the symbols of cloud, water, fire, dragon and phoenix are naturally a traditional argot. This argot is reflected in flower baskets, lanterns, such as lanterns. It is the homophonic pronunciation of "ding". As a folk residence, it attaches great importance to its continued development for future generations (see Figure 8).
Figure 8
2. Pay attention to the visibility of details and the readability of image stories
When it comes to walls, we have to talk about it There are some detailed features, and these detailed features are also subordinate to the whole, but the rich details do not affect our sight as a whole. In addition to standard bricks, the exterior wall sealing bricks of Minnan folk houses also have molded bricks. These molded bricks have copied patterns. They are arranged on the entire wall using the rules of formal beauty. In modern composition language, it is a This is the application of a four-sided continuous pattern. For a single brick, it is suitable for the pattern alone. At the same time, a frame line is added around the wall. The frame line itself is a continuous pattern, commonly known as lace. The lace is sometimes made of another material, such as ceramic tiles, etc. Use "lift" to brighten the entire wall. There is also a bluestone decorative waistline under the wall window, which is also where the craftsmen made a fuss. The beauty of details does not only exist in the middle of the wall. For example, on the pilasters, red bricks are also used to build the column body, and there are also some graphic patterns (see Figure 9).
Figure 9
The masonry walls of southern Fujian residents pay great attention to the comprehensive application of various types of factors. As far as a single brick (clear water brick) is concerned, the black lines when it is fired , but the craftsmen arranged them in a geometric manner, which produced another effect, which can be seen from the blue and white patterns on the eaves, the carved window pillars of the window openings (see Figure 10), and the use of edge and corner patterns (see Figure 10). 11), all have their own unique features, such as the use of edges. In addition to clay sculptures, the more economical ones use bluestone shadow sculptures, with contents such as plums, orchids, bamboos and chrysanthemums, and the use of text. Of course, since Islam once had a great influence in Quanzhou, the traces of plant-shaped curved patterns are more obvious, which may be influenced by religious temples.
Figure 10
Figure 11
The method of wall sealing of folk houses in southern Fujian is very traditional in southern Fujian. It pays attention to the balance between virtual and real, and pays attention to location management, but it is very It has the meaning of modern composition, such as irregularities reflected in rules, logical order hidden in irregularities, and rhythm reflected through some repetitions. The composition has symmetry and window view. Some decorative lines are curled and rotated to give people an undulating visual experience. This breaks through the hardness and coldness of the stone bricks and uses characters and stories to dilute the monotony of the wall. The flat surface sublimates the rigid exterior masonry walls into humanistic architectural works of art. (See Figure 12)
Figure 12
3. The content of the pattern and the attached symbolic metaphors show the inheritance of Han culture
We can learn from the architecture of southern Fujian Many prototypes of traditional Chinese patterns have been found, such as cloud scroll patterns, flower and grass patterns, flower-shaped patterns and mosaics. For example, there is a cloud pattern on lacquerware in the Han Dynasty that is just as it should be. The southern Fujian gables invert it to fit the triangle of the roof gable. , and also means "clouds are like your head". It uses 8 pictograms of "auspiciousness" and 8 auspiciousness. Of course, this is derived from Tai Chi graphics, and developed into the pattern of "happy encounter" in this skeleton to express the meaning of joy. Mr. Lei Guiyuan believes that the square and round shackles are the basic bones in the creation of patterns in the past dynasties, and the shapes have a "bright" artistic conception (Lei Guiyuan, 1977). The masonry wall patterns of southern Fujian folk houses inherit this basic structure and give full play to it. The clouds, fire, water, dragon and phoenix in the angular bone lines are looming in these patterns, especially the fire patterns in the angular patterns, complementing the wavy tumbling of the theme flowers, confirming an artistic harmony of water and fire. realm. The continuous repetition of the theme pattern adds to the formal beauty and reflects a fascinating plural beauty (see Figure 13).
Figure 13
In terms of detailed images of southern Fujian wall decorations, there are figures on the balcony, heroines, auspicious characters, crabapple flowers, acacia trees, etc. These images have their own symbols and Metaphorical meanings, such as the hexagonal turtle symbolizes longevity, the octagon symbolizes good luck, the circle symbolizes perfection, the money pattern symbolizes wealth, the lotus symbolizes innocence, the pomegranate symbolizes fruitfulness, the bat symbolizes longevity, and the butterfly symbolizes beauty, all of which express some good wishes, such as , the image of fish implies that there will be more than enough every year, and the elephant reminds people of might and bravery from another perspective. Puns through patterns or patterns are one of the characteristics of southern Fujian masonry walls (see Figure 14).
Figure 14
4. Creative mixed application of various materials according to local conditions
For single and less decorated brick walls, craftsmen have also found many ways Come enrich the brick walls. The mixed use of materials greatly enriches the texture of the wall. The area, position, proportion, masonry method and pattern of this material all reflect a sense of beauty. This feature is similar to the white walls and black walls of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River. The tiles form a sharp geographical contrast. But no matter how it changes, the use of red brick as the main color is a distinctive feature of southern Fujian. For example, "making bricks into stone" has also evolved into "making bricks into bricks". The aesthetic elements remain unchanged and only the materials change. This change enhances the unity. Of course, the choice of materials should be more based on economic considerations. Not an aesthetic consideration, but it still applies aesthetic principles involuntarily. On the whole, red bricks are combined with rubble walls and solid stone walls. This mixture of masonry structures presents a variety of changes on the wall, but this diversity also reflects a kind of beauty. *Characteristic—Southern Fujian residential architectural style (see Figure 15).
Figure 15
From the brick and stone walls of southern Fujian folk houses, we can find a cultural context, a love for red, a deliberate pursuit of the details of carving patterns, and a calm attitude towards auspicious symbols. Expression, thereby reflecting the economic and cultural identity and status of the residents in the appearance of the residence. After all, the red color presented by red bricks is a palace color and a festive color. It can be seen that the concept of palace-style living, under different economic conditions, makes the people of southern Fujian express it in a tortuous way as much as possible. At the same time, in some details The images and patterns shown above also draw on the royal family's preference as much as possible. Of course, although the specific images of dragon and phoenix do not appear obviously, they are expressed in a potential structure in the pattern and image composition. We believe that this kind of context has hidden cultural meaning and aesthetic consciousness. Although it cannot be said that it was created consciously by craftsmen of all generations, it is a kind of understanding and re-creation of cultural heritage by craftsmen unconsciously or subconsciously. At the same time, this invisible culture Pulse also expresses certain social consciousness (such as symbols, metaphors, etc.). They grasp aesthetic rules and turn them into a regional special meaning and expression technique, which is worthy of our deep thought. On the surface of the simple masonry wall, the cultural concept of southern Fujian is solidified. It reflects the cultural consciousness and life consciousness of southern Fujian from the side. With the change of living environment and materials, it will also affect the change of cultural outlook and material on the other hand. Although things on the spiritual level and things on the material level are often complementary and mutually reinforcing, if the conditions on the one hand change, it will inevitably cause changes on the other hand. We cannot ignore this change. If this unspoken aesthetic rule remains It affects us and our architecture subconsciously, so the importance of studying it will inevitably emerge.