1. Appreciation
"War Horse" has no background. A vigorous and upright horse is painted on snow-white rice paper, almost filling the frame, which highlights its majestic appearance and high momentum.
The horse has three feet on the ground, and its left front hoof has been slightly raised. It turns its neck and looks back, as if it is listening. Although it seems to be static, the fluttering mane and tail have the momentum of flying, as if It will rush away at any time. The shape of the horse is outlined with round and powerful lines, and the thick ink and heavy brush strokes are integrated into the calligraphy style of Wei stele and cursive script. The horse's head is left largely blank to show the highlight, which strengthens the three-dimensional sense of the horse and the hard texture of the horse's head; the heavy brush strokes are used straight down, The brush strokes are bright, showing the strong and flexible posture; the body is swayed vertically with slightly lighter ink to clearly explain the body's block face; the strong lines are used to outline the protruding joints, hard horse hooves, etc.; the horse's mane and tail are the most distinctive Momentum, a broad brush sweeps across, and the flying force breaks through the air. Xu Beihong expresses his heart with joyful and dripping pen and ink, expressing the charm of the war horse to the fullest. The straight-out brushstrokes and powerful and smooth lines are just like his uncontrollable enthusiasm.
Xu Beihong’s horses can be described as “washing away all the horses of the past”. Traditional horse painting is often based on fine line outlines, supplemented by drying and dyeing. Xu Beihong’s freehand horses break through the barriers of the predecessors, with rough and bold The lines are expressed with the "writing" spirit of calligraphy, which has the style of realism without losing the charm of traditional Chinese painting. Xu Beihong gives Ma a new image and meaning, a new aesthetic taste, full of the flavor of the times, with unbridled passion, inspiring the viewer's high-spirited emotions.
2. Introduction to the work
Xu Beihong's "War Horse" is a work created by Xu Beihong, a famous Chinese landscape painting master. The work has no background. The artist uses rough and bold lines to draw a vigorous and upright horse on the snow-white rice paper. This work was well received by many collectors at the 2011 Beijing Chengxuan Autumn Auction.
3. Introduction to the author
Xu Beihong (1895-1953), a famous painter, was born in Qitingqiao, Yixing, Jiangsu.