以《點石齋畫報》論吳友如新聞風俗格致畫

Abstract

摘 要 輿論如果全部採用圖像來發表，想必更能引發社會廣泛的回響，困居山巔水涯識字不多、近乎文盲的民眾，藉此也能吸收新知。這種虛擬的理想，近乎天方夜譚的圖像新聞媒體，居然在國疲民困的晚清悄悄出刊，這份刊物全名為《點石齋畫報》，隨著母報系《申報》每十天一小冊，附贈給讀者閱讀欣賞。令人詫異之處，還在這個報系是英國人所創辦的；十餘年前台灣的報禁解除，文人彼此間流行的俏皮話：「要害一個人就叫他辦報，」。可想而知，無論何時想辦一份報紙都是非常艱巨的，茲事體大，何況是外籍人士辦中文報紙，還行有餘力回饋出以中國式圖像表現的圖畫報。 慎其始是成功首要的法門，覓得良庖當爐煮，不怕饕客湧潮來，《點石齋畫報》的主筆者吳友如，就有超常的能耐，在上海被外國伯樂相中。他當時是海上畫家，工人物仕女，由於畫藝精湛，曾被曾國荃延請去畫「戰功圖」。其繪畫並非家學，而是蘇州山塘年畫出身的畫師。依據合理的推斷，《點石齋畫報》一定是傳統又傳統的木刻圖像小報吧！頂多比「邸報」多些插圖繡像，交給畫師出身者，想當然爾必是游刃有餘；但是這份畫報，竟然使用全新的石版印刷技術，1884年吳友如將它應用於《點石齋畫報》的當時，這種技術在歐洲被發明才七十多年，舶來廣東在50餘年前，石版上首見圖畫，則近在1856年。石版畫在歐洲推廣的過程中並無「入境隨俗」的案例，唯獨傳入中國「入境隨俗」且「嫁枝茁壯」。研究個中的奧妙，就必須層層剝開圍繞在人、事、物、時間上複雜的關係。 所以本研究從《點石齋畫報》具代表性的新聞格致畫作為標的；吳友如的生平，發展，以及他既未曾得幸接受格致訓練，未領格致思潮洗禮，卻巧手施造出大量的「新聞格致畫」，褪卻格致嚴謹外貌、建立可看、可讀、可觸摸的視覺圖像，對中國繪畫史的貢獻早有定位。筆者以多年版畫創作經驗，嘗試釐清石版版畫早期傳入中國的多元觀點，並且參照中西方石版畫同步發展的狀況，作交叉比較，希望筆者拋磚之舉，能對未來研究者提供參考價值。更盼望視中國傳統繪畫為拾古人牙慧，吳友如承古開今的成功案例，或許有些樂觀的啟示。 名詞釋義：Key Word 《點石齋畫報》“the pictorial magazine of Dian-shi Cottage” 吳友如 WU You-ru 《畫報》a pictorial magazine 《邸報》“the Official Press” 《繡像》embroidered images 《石版印刷》lithographic prints 《申報》“Shen news” 《新聞畫》news drawings 《新聞風俗畫》news genre paintings; news conversation pieces 《新聞格致畫》news scientific paintingsAbstract If the public opinion could be completely presented by image, it must have an extensive echo from the public. Furthermore, the people who are illiterate can also take this advantage to absorb the new knowledge. This kind of hypothesized ideal toward the pictures of media which almost like the images in the Arabian Nights were unexpectedly published a publication, “the pictorial magazine of Dian-shi Cottage”(點石齋畫報), during the late and perished Qing Dynasty. “the pictorial magazine of Dian-shi Cottage”was attached with the journal “Shen news”(申報) an every ten days. The English surprisingly founded the journal. There was a popular witticism more than a decade ago before the restriction of news was relieved in Taiwan: “To make a person suffered is persuading him to publish the newspaper.” It can be imaged that it is extremely arduous to manage the newspaper. Moreover the foreigner did not only publish a Chinese newspaper but also the pictorial newspaper in Chinese image. The most important method of success is the caution at the beginning. There is an old saying, “Finding a good cook and you won’t worry about no consumer.” The editor of”the pictorial magazine of Dian-shi Cottage”, WU You-ru (吳友如), who had the superior ability, gained the appreciation of the foreign in Shanghai. At that time, he was a painter of Hai-shang school and was skilled at the portrait of female in fine brushwork style. Because of the exquisite skill, he was once employed by Tseng Guo-quan (曾國荃) to paint “the Picture of Battle Achievements” (戰功圖). His skill was not bred by family studies but he was an artist who studied “the New Year pictures of Shan-tang” in Su-zhou(蘇州山塘年畫). According to the reasonable reference, “the pictorial magazine of Dian-shi Cottage” was certainly a traditional wood engraving tabloid, it had more illustrations than “the Official Press”(邸報). To create this tabloid was a task accomplished at ease for an artist who had such a background, but these pictorial magazines all used the brand new lithographic technique. The technique was invented in Europe only more than 70 years and was spread to Guangdong(廣東) about 50 years. The drawing on the lithographic slate was first seen around 1856. While the technique was spread in Europe it was not the case. In China, it was done as the Romans do while in Rome but was bred even better. To research the mystery of result, I am trying to investigate the sophisticate relationship with the persons, the events, the objects, and the epoch. Therefore, the target of this research is to aim at the representative “news scientific paintings” (新聞格致畫). From the biography and artistic development of WU You-ru, as well as the scientific training he had never received, I astonished find that he skillfully composed massive “news scientific paintings”. These images were visible, readable and touchable without strictly scientific appearance. The contribution of Wu’s paintings has been recognized and had its status in the history of Chinese painting. Furthermore, I try to interpret the multiple viewpoints of the early spread in China lithograph from my own experience in lithograph. And I will try to make a reciprocal comparison between the lithographic development of Chinese and of the Western. I hope that my research could offer something for the successors in the future and the public could respect the Chinese drawings as the ancestors’ hermitage. The successors would adopt the successful experience of Wu and get an optimistic enlightenment. 名詞釋義：Key Word 《點石齋畫報》“the pictorial magazine of Dian-shi Cottage” 吳友如 WU You-ru 《畫報》a pictorial magazine 《邸報》“the Official Press” 《繡像》embroidered images 《石版印刷》lithographic prints 《申報》“Shen news” 《新聞畫》news drawings 《新聞風俗畫》news genre paintings; news conversation pieces 《新聞格致畫》news scientific paintings