However, he also encountered some troubles. On one occasion, Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, and his ministers visited the Spring Garden. The sun is shining, the flowers and trees are sparse, the blue waves are rippling, and rare birds are rare. Emperor Taizong then asked the painter Yan to sketch and paint the spring scenery. Yan used paper as a painting tool and crouched in the spring garden pool, drawing while watching and drawing in detail. He has the habit of painting. He likes to lick his pen with his mouth. He had no choice. Whether it is black or color, he licks it in his mouth or wipes it on his body, making his whole body black, red, green, orange, yellow and purple, and everyone laughs. Yan was covered in sweat and embarrassed. He felt great humiliation. When he got home, he was furious and admonished his son: "I am no less educated than others, and my official is no smaller than others, but I have to be driven and laughed at." Don't love painting like your father in the future, so as not to lose face. " Of course, this is just a moment of anger. In fact, he loves painting and studies and creates seriously. When he was in Jingzhou, he went to see the murals of Zhang Sengyou in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. For the first time, he was unconvinced and thought it was only in name only. Look carefully for the second time, you think it is worthy of the name and a modern player; The third time I felt better and better, and even slept under it and refused to go. It can be seen that he does not blindly worship the paintings of his predecessors, but can learn with an open mind.
Yan is from Lintong, Shaanxi. He used to be a doctor, assistant minister of punishments, general, minister of industry and right minister. His father Yan Pi is good at painting, craft and architecture, and his brother Yan Lide is also good at painting and calligraphy, craft and architecture. Yan was deeply influenced by the family art atmosphere since she was a child. When I grew up, I inherited my family studies, especially painting. Yan is good at painting Taoism, Buddhism, figures, portraits, landscapes, pommel horses and so on. Portraits of people are the most famous. First, he worked as a painter in the Palace of Qin, leaving a picture of Eighteen Pictures of Qin House, with portraits of 65,438+08 literati advisers such as Fang Fang and Du Ruhui, and portraits of 24 heroes such as Wu Ji and others on the wall of Lingyan Pavilion. In Introduction to Dan Qing, Du Fu described the lifelike characters he painted with a poem: "A good general will rise to his head. If you put all the commanders' arrows at their waists, they will praise men and women, and Mao will start a fierce battle." . In addition, he also painted foreign paintings, Yonghui courtiers (ministers of Emperor Gaozong) and portraits of Zhaoling. Therefore, Yan's works are an ode to the great political cause of the Tang Dynasty. His works, such as The Emperors of Past Dynasties, have been preserved to this day, which is an important work that ancient painters tried to express their individuality.
This scroll contains portraits of thirteen emperors: Liu Fuling, the former Han emperor Zhao Wen; Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty; Cao Pi, Shu Emperor Liu Bei; Sun Quan, Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty; Chen Wendi Bay; Emperor Chen; Bozong, Chen Feidi; Chen Houzhu Bao Shu; Emperor Yuwen Yong of Northern Zhou Dynasty; Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang Guang of Sui Dynasty. Among them, the first six people are far away from the Yan era, while the last seven people are closer. Chen, Sui Wendi, Yan and his son may have seen it in person. Although Yuwen Yong is his grandfather, he may not have seen him because of his early death, but his understanding of him may be more real and specific. Yan succeeded in shaping the personality of the emperor. This painting not only shows the painter's understanding of them, but also shows the painter's evaluation of them.
Yan described these emperors from the standpoint of supporting reunification and praising stable political power, which met the social development and historical requirements of the early Tang Dynasty. Yan showed not only their personal characteristics, but also their * * * dignity to emperors such as Cao Pi, Sima Yan, Yuwen Yong and Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty who unified the world or promoted the trend of unification. Chen is the so-called king of national subjugation, but Yan regards it as a little gesture of covering his mouth with sleeves to show contempt. As for the other emperors of the Chen Dynasty who were partial to the south of the Yangtze River, they lacked heroism, but Chen Bei in the south of the Yangtze River was an emperor who built a foundation, and Chen Chuan was an emperor who indulged in political corruption and was helpless. There are also significant differences between them. Because emperors in history are accidental factors of historical development, their personal behaviors reflect historical development to a certain extent, and their different political bureaus, such as unity and division and local security, have great influence on people's lives. Therefore, Yan's description of them is related to their political achievements, that is, he tried to summarize the broad life through characterization. Such creation is based on the highest requirements of portraits. This artistic achievement of the map of emperors in previous dynasties represents a new level of figure painting in the early Tang Dynasty and plays an important role in the history of ancient painting.
"Step Map" is another important work handed down by Yan, which describes an important historical event that Emperor Taizong met with Tubo ambassador Lu Dongzan in the fifteenth year of Zhenguan. The images of Emperor Taizong and Lu Dongzan are vivid and the atmosphere is grand and harmonious. He praised the wisdom of Emperor Taizong and recorded the friendly relations between the Chinese and Tibetan peoples.
Xiao Yi Zheng Lan Ting Tu is also considered as Yan's work. This painting shows the style of the early Tang Dynasty in terms of figures, pleats and line patterns. In the picture, a scholar and an old monk are sitting opposite each other and talking. A monk is standing by and a waiter is preparing tea. Emperor Taizong of Li Shimin ordered Xiao Yi to visit the eloquent monk and got Wang Xizhi's calligraphy by coaxing him. There are just these similar characters in the story, so this painting is considered to be this content. The relationship between the characters in this painting is natural, especially the unhappy expression of the monk standing there is vivid, which represents the achievements of figure painting in describing life at that time to some extent.