Have you ever watched the Dream of the Red Chamber (1987 TV series)? The costume styling of this drama can be called the pinnacle of classical Chinese costume aesthetics. Compared to the diverse styles of costume dramas in recent years, the classical style aesthetic seems to have gradually suffered from indifference and become rare.
However, there are still someone who is trying to spread classical aesthetics, and she is the main character in this article, the Hanfu & Classical Aesthetics content creation blogger, @我是411 (I'm 411). She hopes to bring classical aesthetics back into the public through her own efforts and restoration. “The GREAT SHOKUNINI” recently interviewed this 27-year-old Xi'an girl.
Like most girls, 411 loved the classical style when she was a child: comic books with traditional stories, calendar illustrations with classical ladies, ancient frescoes and illustrations of ladies in textbooks, and the Dream of the Red Chamber that she watched over and over again.
In her opinion, the classical aesthetic was disseminated in the past through refined literary works that did not deviate from tradition, but now, there are many important things that are dying out.
Along with the initial heart and sense of mission, 411 set up a photography studio with like-minded friends in addition to her daily work to create content of Chinese classical aesthetic elements. In her continuous exploration and experimentation, she found that classical aesthetics have inheritance and evolution, and the more she explored, the more she was amazed and fascinated by it.
From Gu Kaizhi's Nymph of the Luo River in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, to Wu Daozi's Eighty-seven Immortals and Zhang Xuan's Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk in the Tang Dynasty, Zhou Fang's Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair With Flowers in the Five Dynasties, many paintings of ladies from the Song, Ming, Qing and modern times. They all embody the beauty of different eras, with inheritance and change, and are so vivid and lively and full of life.
411 classical costume restoration works – Nymph of the Luo River frescoes as inspiration
The creation of classical aesthetic content is what 411 has been studying and insisting on creating. In her opinion, the traditional cultural treasury, rich and prosperous, but the mainstream literature and art works nowadays are not well on the inheritance of classical aesthetics.
She used highly restored classical modeling, not only to reproduce the classical beauty, but also to make more people rethink the inheritance of classical aesthetics by virtue of her own power.
411 classical costume restoration works – Fahai Temple frescoes as inspiration
The following is a transcript of the interview with blogger Wo Shi 411 from “The GREAT SHOKUNINI“.
What do you think is the appeal of classical aesthetics?
It's a Chinese aesthetic style with a heritage, and you naturally fall in love with it at first sight.
Recommend one of your favorite classical style.
In fact, I recommend you to view the original historical works, such as the Eighty-seven Immortals and the Fahai Temple Frescoes, which are on the subject of immortals. And the ancient ladies, I recommend the 80's silk calendar and the 87th edition of Dream of the Red Chamber, which are both inherited from the style of ladies' paintings.
Tell us what you want to do in the future.
I want to convey the beauty of traditional costumes and classical Chinese aesthetic elements that I like in my own way, so that more and more people can notice and enjoy our traditional culture.
How do you understand the artisan spirit?
Focus, continuity, excellence, and treating every detail with the same seriousness and care.
Please summarize your relationship with classical aesthetics in one sentence.
Classical aesthetics is my hobby, I am attracted to Chinese classical beauty and I hope to continue to perpetuate it in my own way.
