Many people paint on paper or walls, but he prefers to paint on leaves, capturing the vastness of the world within a tiny space!
He is Sun Haoping, the second-generation inheritor of leaf vein painting. In his hands is an ordinary broadleaf about the size of a palm, which, after nearly 30 meticulous processes, is transformed into a delicate leaf vein painting as thin as a cicada’s wing.
"Leaf vein painting is a unique gem from the ‘hometown of calligraphy and painting.’ It uses the shape and vein patterns of leaves to depict landscapes, figures, flowers, birds, and more on the leaf surface. Craftsmanship and nature blend seamlessly into the leaves, creating an art style with a distinctive charm."
Leaf vein painting originated from the Buddhist "Baiye Painting" of India and has a history of over 2000 years in China. It flourished during the Tang Dynasty, declined through the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and was nearly lost in modern times.
Sun Haoping has been learning painting from his father, Sun Wenguang, since childhood. He began studying the creation and painting of leaf vein art in 1982. After 1984, he continuously improved his painting skills. Upon graduating in 1990, he returned to the cultural center to engage in guiding community art activities.
Sun Haoping has been creating leaf vein paintings for over thirty years and has received numerous awards. In 2005, his work titled “Auspicious Happiness” won the Folk Art Gold Award. In 2007, he participated in the first World Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo, where his piece “Leaf Vein Fuwa” made a significant impact in the arts and crafts community. In 2009, his leaf vein paintings were again honored with an Excellence Award. His artworks are highly sought after by collectors both at home and abroad, achieving great market success.
The production of leaf vein paintings is a complex process. Each piece requires picking bodhi leaves or other broad leaves, which are carefully processed through traditional techniques such as corrosion (where biological yeast dissolves the leaf flesh), drying, and washing to produce the leaf veins. Then, traditional painting methods are used to hand-draw outlines, apply colors, and add gold detailing. The entire procedure involves more than 30 meticulous steps, mostly done manually, reflecting the craftsmen’s dedication to preserving this intricate art form.
They have to carefully search among thousands of tree species, and the leaves must come from trees that are at least five years old. After collecting the leaves, they conduct repeated experiments to finally identify the broadleaf tree species best suited for creating the artwork.
After 100 to 200 leaves go through more than 30 procedures including drying, soaking, and brushing off the leaf flesh to create the leaf veins, only about twenty to thirty leaves remain suitable for painting. The processing time for large leaves takes about one year, while smaller leaves require nine to ten months.
Painting on leaf veins as thin as a cicada’s wings is not easy. First, the colors need to be applied carefully, sometimes up to thirty layers. Then, lines must be drawn on the uneven surface of the leaf veins. To achieve smooth and flowing lines, it requires decades of painting experience.
Black-and-white leaf vein painting is the oldest and most traditional technique. Without any color embellishment, its quality depends entirely on the lines. For a more splendid effect, gold leaf is applied. For example, on the painting "Five Sons Bringing Happiness," the gold leafing part took two months to complete.
Leaf vein paintings are not only delicate and exquisite, but also fade-resistant and waterproof, allowing them to remain unchanged permanently. Besides their high artistic value, leaf vein paintings can also be used as exhibition pieces, gifts, souvenirs, and more.
Now, Zizhong leaf vein painting is constantly innovating. Depictions of Taoist immortals, classical heroes, Tang poetry, Song lyrics, and characters from folk customs have all become subjects of leaf vein paintings.
Nowadays, leaf vein painting is becoming increasingly popular. However, it is affected by weather, water quality, and the environment, making it time-consuming and costly. Additionally, with the impact of modern computer printing technology, there are fewer and fewer artisans willing to handcraft leaf vein paintings and carry on the tradition.
Almost no young people are able to persist in it; currently, leaf vein painting is passed down through family traditions. For the Sun family, leaf vein painting is not only a form of artistic expression but also a piece of historical and cultural heritage.