Xu Beihong is world-famous for his horse paintings. He uses freehand brushwork or part-time writing to create various, graceful and free horses, some galloping and jumping, some looking back and neighing, or soaring into the air with smoke emitting from their four hooves. …. The horses he painted have both the shapes in Western paintings and the freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese paintings. They combine the best of Chinese and Western paintings into one, with smooth brushwork and full form and spirit. Its vigorous and powerful horse gives people a symbol of freedom and strength, inspiring people to be positive.
Horse Xu Beihong's early sketches
He has made long-term observations and studies on the muscles, bones and facial expressions of horses. As early as when he was studying at the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he often went to the racecourse to draw sketches and studied the anatomy of horses, accumulating thousands of manuscripts. This laid a solid foundation for his subsequent creation of horses in various postures. Xu Beihong himself said: "I love to draw animals, and I have spent a long time working on the real objects, that is, I have made no less than a thousand sketches based on horses. I have also studied the anatomy of horses, become familiar with the skeleton and muscle tissue of horses, and then carefully examined them. Only the movements and expressions can be achieved." This way, we can capture the fleeting dynamic expressions with ease, and use the wide angle perspective that the predecessors did not dare to create new artistic images.
Because Xu Beihong often painted horses, he had a preference for horses
Being with the horses, listening to their hoofbeats and watching them galloping in the wind, he felt was a spiritual enjoyment. His heart seemed to be galloping with the horse. Liao Jingwen recalled in the book "The Life of Xu Beihong" that he once took a carriage in Chengdu. The carriage driver was a kind old man who loved horses and raised them very well. He raised his whip, and the old chestnut mare raised its beautiful hooves and galloped forward happily. Xu Beihong liked people who treated their horses well. When Xu Beihong got off the carriage, the carriage driver was busy preparing water and feed for the horses. "Hey, this is for you." Mr. Xu Beihong suddenly said to the coachman, taking out a folded painting of a galloping horse from his handbag. He just painted this last night.
The coachman raised his wrinkled forehead in confusion and stared at Xu Beihong with narrowed eyes, as if he did not understand what he said.
Xu Beihong Horse
"Old man," Liao Jingwen explained from the side, "this is a painting, given to you." The carriage driver's cloudy eyes suddenly brightened He got up, took the painting with both hands, and said repeatedly: "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir." The corners of the carriage driver's eyes were moist, and a teardrop hung down, "I met a good person. This morning, I saw a magpie flying to my door." On the window, I thought, maybe some happy event is coming, but what happy event can I, a poor old man, have? Now, it really works." He babbled again, and at the same time pulled up the cuff of his left arm with his right hand. , wipe away the tears that have flowed to your cheeks.
Xu Beihong's Six Horses.
Mr. Xu Beihong held the coachman's rough, stone-like hands and said "goodbye" repeatedly before leaving him.
"Sir, why do you suddenly want to give a painting to an unknown coachman? Besides, he doesn't know who you are. Are you a little too generous?" Liao Jingwen asked him in surprise. .
He replied very softly: "Because I love horses, and I also love people who take good care of horses. You didn't see this coachman. He can control the horse very skillfully and treat the horse as a family member." His love for horses touched my heart and moved me, not to mention his life was very difficult!" I was also very moved after listening to Mr. Xu Beihong's words.
Xu Beihong's Lament in 1942
Horse best reflects Xu Beihong's personality and best expresses his thoughts and feelings. Xu Beihong's horses are loved by people. In addition to his efforts, what is more important is the emotion he pours into them, and he turns this emotion into a spirit and expresses it with horses as a carrier.
Horses have always been a symbol of talent and a symbol of national upliftment in the minds of Chinese people. Xu Beihong, who was obsessed with reality, painted horses over and over again, expressing his feelings and expressing his feelings. The horses in Xu Beihong's works never wear bridles, but the black female horse in "Jiu Fang Gao" is an exception and wears bridles. Someone asked Beihong why this was, and Beihong smiled and replied, "The horses are also Like people, they are willing to be used by those who know themselves, and are not willing to be controlled by mediocrity."
Xu Beihong's paintings of horses are not only for general viewing, but are mostly used to express his unspeakable sorrow and patriotic worries. . In 1932, the "January 28th" Incident broke out in Shanghai. The 19th Route Army stationed in Shanghai and the people of Shanghai rose up to resist the Japanese. Xu Beihong was inspired by patriotic enthusiasm. He painted a horse with its head held high and named it "Independence", which expresses the consciousness of the times that hopes for the independence and prosperity of the motherland, which is inspiring. In 1935, Xu Beihong painted a painting called "Running Horse". He wrote on the painting, "It will be hard to reach the end of the world, and it will be in vain to be sad and happy." His concern for the country and the people is palpable. His "Picture of a Neighing Horse" depicts a horse galloping forward in the wilderness, with the poem "Wailing and thinking of fighting, standing up to the sky". He also painted a galloping horse that "looks forward to death in the Long March", fervently hoping that the Chinese nation will wake up and rise up to save itself. The noble sentiments he expressed through the image of horses and the connotations he placed in his artistic works have become a spiritual force that inspires people.
In 1949, when New China was founded, the galloping horse painted by Xu Beihong was titled "Running to the Sun". During the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, he painted "Running Horse" for the volunteers and wrote a passionate letter in his own hand.
On September 26, 1953, Xu Beihong died of a recurrence of cerebral hemorrhage due to overwork. In the first half of that year, he painted two paintings of "Running Horse" with great historical significance, one of which was dedicated to Chairman Mao Zedong and was titled "Hundred Years of War". Even though he has been suffering from illness for a long time, he has finally recovered, and wherever he looks, there is light." This expressed his love for the Communist Party of China. Another painting is titled "Mountains and rivers have fought a hundred battles and returned to democracy, and the rugged roads have been leveled." This is the artist's correct understanding of New China and the ideal he pursues throughout his life.