The profile of Cao Ba mentioned that Cao Ba was born in 704 AD and died in 770 AD. Cao Ba was a famous painter in the Tang Dynasty. His ancestral home was in Qiao County. He was a descendant of Cao Mao, a noble prince of the Three Kingdoms. When he was young, he studied calligraphy and painting with Wang Xizhi and Mrs. Wei. He was especially good at painting horses. His representative works include "Nine Horses" , "Horse Winning Picture" and so on.
Portrait of Cao Ba
Cao Ba has been a man of both civil and military skills since he was a child, but his father was worried that Cao Ba would follow the same path as his ancestors. When Cao Ba was very young, he His father taught him seven-step poetry. Cao Ba felt the lessons of blood between brothers, so he decided to give up becoming an official and study calligraphy. He studied under many famous calligraphers, but Cao Ba himself believed that he could not surpass Wang Xizhi. So he changed to study painting, so Cao Ba achieved great success in painting and became famous all over the world at a young age.
As Cao Ba's fame grew, Cao Ba began to receive the attention of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. One day, Cao Ba was suddenly called into the palace. Tang Xuanzong asked him to repair the portraits of the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion. Cao Ba originally thought that after he completed the work, he would ask Tang Xuanzong to let him go home, but Tang Xuanzong was already in the palace. Ladies were prepared for him. After reading Cao Ba's works, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was overjoyed and rewarded Cao Ba with many fields and horses, hoping to keep Cao Ba in the court, but Cao Ba was unmoved and rejected Emperor Xuanzong.
After the Anshi Rebellion broke out, Cao Ba was dismissed from his official position because one of his paintings was suspected of alluding to the Tang Dynasty, and he lived a homeless life ever since. When he wandered to Chengdu, he was penniless and only made a living by painting portraits. Later, Du Fu finally found Cao Ba after several twists and turns. Du Fu also created "Danqing Presented to General Cao Ba" and "Viewing General Cao's Horse Painting" for Cao Ba.
The story of Cao Ba
Cao Ba, a famous painter in the Tang Dynasty, was born in 704 AD and died in 770 AD. reputation. So, what are the stories of such a dragon among men, Cao Ba?
Cao Ba’s Works
Cao Ba studied painting since he was a child and became a household name in his youth. painter. At that time, Cao Ba's reputation was growing day by day, which attracted the attention of Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty. One day, while he was painting in the garden at home, he suddenly received an imperial edict from Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty asking him to go to the capital to repair the statues of the Twenty-Four Heroes in Lingyan Pavilion. Cao Ba had no choice but to leave "Wealth and Honor" in the unfinished painting before leaving. "They are like floating clouds to me" to express the disinterest in fame and fortune.
After arriving in the capital, Cao Ba expressed his intention to return to his hometown after the repairs were completed, and Tang Xuanzong agreed with a smile. During the painting period, Xuanzong arranged for ten ladies to serve Cao Ba. Forty-nine days later, the renovation of Lingyan Pavilion by the twenty-four heroes was completed, and the characters were all vivid and breathtaking. Xuanzong nodded in praise, but failed to reward him as promised, and even asked Cao Ba to draw another horse picture. Although he once again reiterated his request to return home after completing the painting, Xuanzong just laughed and refused to answer. Cao Ba had no choice but to go to the Imperial Garden to complete the horse painting. A few days later, Xuanzong was overjoyed when he saw Cao Ba's work, and immediately ordered him to be rewarded with hundreds of horses and ten thousand hectares of land. However, Cao Ba still insisted on his original idea of ??not entering an official career. Xuanzong had no choice but to appoint Cao Ba as General Zuowuwei, giving him the power to ignore government affairs. After this incident, dignitaries rushed to get Cao Ba's handiwork and were proud to get his works.
The moon waxes and wanes, and people have misfortune and good fortune. During the Anshi Rebellion, Cao Ba was accused of insinuating the imperial court because of one of his paintings. Later, he went into exile in Chengdu and made a living by painting for others.
Cao Ba’s evaluation
Cao Ba, Han nationality, native of Qiao County (now Bozhou City, Anhui Province), was a famous painter during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. He is a descendant of Cao Wei Emperor Cao Mao. He was named General Zuowuwei by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty because of his outstanding paintings. So, what do people think of Cao Ba, a versatile man in both civil and military circles?
Cao Ba’s Works
Cao Ba was good at writing and painting since he was a child, and the famous painter Han Gan was one of them. A disciple. However, Du Fu believed that Han Gan's works painted flesh but not bones. They had their own form but lacked their essence. When it comes to both body and soul, Cao Ba is always better.
When Cao Ba was famous, he repaired the Lingyan Pavilion and painted a picture of horses according to the instructions of Emperor Xuanzhi of Tang Dynasty. Because of his superb painting skills, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty rewarded him with hundreds of horses and ten thousand hectares of land and named him General Zuowuwei, with the right to ignore government affairs. Unforeseen circumstances occurred. During the An-Shi Rebellion, Cao Ba was dismissed from his post because one of his works was suspected of alluding to the Tang Dynasty. Later, he went into exile in Chengdu and lived in poverty. The famous poet Du Fu admired his painting talent and visited Cao Ba many times, and finally met Cao Ba. He also wrote two poems to praise Cao Ba: "Danqing Yindai Presented to General Cao Ba" and "Wei Xi Lu Shi Zhai Watches General Cao's Horse Drawing" to praise Cao Ba. Du Fu believed that the horse drawings Cao Ba drew for Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty in the imperial garden were vivid and very realistic. , if you don’t look closely, it seems that the horse is alive. Cao Ba once repaired the "Statue of Heroes of Lingyan Pavilion" which was even more amazing. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was overjoyed and nodded in praise.
Unfortunately, all of Cao Ba's paintings have been lost, and future generations can only get a glimpse of them through Du Fu's poems and Xuanzong's evaluation. Du Fu wrote in "Paintings Presented to General Cao" that "The nine-fold true dragon appears, and all eternity is wiped out. But the jade flowers are on the imperial couch, standing facing each other in front of the court." This vividly expresses Cao Cao's performance. Ba’s works are both physical and spiritual. At that time, people compared him with his ancestors, the three Cao Cao - "Wen Ru Zhi Zhi Wu Ru Cao Cao calligraphy and painting are as good as Pi Fengliu".