Read Du Fu's "Paintings Presented to General Cao"
Ge Xiaoyin
The descendants of General Wei Wu are now common people and members of the Qing family.
Although the heroic separatism is over, the literary talent and grace still exist today.
I started learning from Mrs. Wei, but I hated Wang Youjun.
I don’t know how old I am, and wealth is like a floating cloud to me.
It is often mentioned in the Kaiyuan Dynasty that the number of Cheng'en went to Nanxun Hall.
Ling Yan’s heroes are less colorful, but the general’s writing is more interesting.
The good prime minister put a virtuous crown on his head and a big feather arrow on his waist.
Bao Gong Egong hair is on the move, and he comes to fight fiercely with his heroic appearance.
The late emperor's horses were decorated with five-flowered horses, and the painters were as different as the mountains.
This day brought the wind under the red ridge, and stood in the air.
The edict said that the general had to brush the silk, and the craftsman was in trouble.
The ninth-level true dragon appears, washing away all the mortals.
Among Du Fu's nearly twenty poems about painting, "Danqing Yin" is the most famous one.
It not only describes the painting events and can be called "the first-hand painting in ancient and modern times" (Qiu Zhao'ao's "Du Shi Detailed Notes" extends Han Guang's words), but also uses the painter's life experiences to illuminate the changes in the world before and after the Anshi Rebellion, and to express his sustenance. A deep emotion about the rise and fall of the war. This poem was probably written in the second year of Emperor Guangde's reign (764) during the period when Du Fu was serving in Yanwu Muzhong in Chengdu. At this time, the Anshi Rebellion had been put down, but the country's vitality was severely damaged. The eunuchs were dictatorial and tyrannical. The generals rebelled at home and abroad. The Tubo invaded Hexi and Longyou repeatedly. Dozens of states in the northwest fell one after another in a few years. Du Fu once described the situation at that time in a poem "Relief from Boredom": "There has been no disarmament for ten years, and dog soldiers have returned to Xianjing... Jackals and wolves have blocked the way and cut off all passers-by, and beacon fires illuminate the night with corpses lying everywhere. The emperor should also be tired of running around, and the crowds Gong Guhe wants peace.
But he is afraid that if he does not change his ways, he will live forever after hearing the Tao. I am increasingly nostalgic for the peaceful scene of the prosperous Kaiyuan era. Poems such as "Recalling the Past", "Nostalgia" and "Pictures of Paintings" written in the same year are all devoted to the sorrow of recalling the past. Cao Ba was good at painting horses and became famous in Kaiyuan. Du Fu also praised his painting skills in another song, "Wei Xi Lu Shi Zhai Watching General Cao Painting Horses". After the Great Rebellion, the famous painter wandered around, and later ended up in Chengdu. This aroused Du Fu's infinite feelings, and he wrote this poem "Danqing Yin" as a gift to him.
"The descendants of General Wei Wu are now common people and members of the Qing Dynasty. Although the heroic separatist regime is over, the literary talent and grace still exist today." Let's start with the rise and fall of Cao Ba's family lineage, which contains the purpose of the entire article. . Cao Ba is a descendant of Cao Cao's great-grandson Cao Mao, who is good at calligraphy and painting. From the Wei Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, dynasties changed several times, and the descendants of the nobles and nobles of the original royal family have now become poor families of the Qing Dynasty. Although Wei Wu's heroic deeds of dividing the world into three parts have become history, there are still successors to his literary talent. The first four sentences start with a vast and clear connotation, and the writing style is vigorous and ups and downs. With only two contrasts of ups and downs, the hundreds of years of changes in the Cao family are naturally transferred to Cao Ba's calligraphy and painting: "I learned calligraphy from Mrs. Wei at the beginning, but I hate Wang Youjun. I don’t know how old I am, and wealth is like floating clouds to me.” These sentences summarize Cao Ba’s artistic career and personality, and they are obviously ambiguous about his calligraphy and painting, but the meaning is very euphemistic. Mrs. Wei was the wife of Li Ju, the prefect of Ruyin in the Jin Dynasty. Wang Xizhi, the general of the right army, learned calligraphy from her when he was young. It is said here that although Cao Ba's calligraphy was learned in the styles of Wei and Wang, he could not surpass the level of Wang Youjun. In fact, it is a subtle hint that Cao Ba gave up calligraphy and worked on painting because he was not a famous calligrapher. But comparing him with great calligraphers, even if there are shortcomings, it doesn't hurt. Although this poem was given as a gift, it is not overly praised, and the proportion is just right, which shows that the following praise of Cao Ba's painting skills is not a complimentary word. The quality of a painting depends on the character. The poet first praised Cao Ba's noble character who did not admire glory and wealth and devoted himself to artistic creation all day long.
"I don't know that old age is coming" and "Wealth and honor are like floating clouds to me" are almost copied from the original text of "The Analects of Confucius·Shuer".
Generally speaking, using too many scriptures can easily lead to a sense of confusion and seriousness, but Du Fu's use of text to transform its meaning is appropriate and appropriate, light and free, without revealing any traces. It is indeed everyone's handiwork.
"In the Kaiyuan period, it is often said that the number of Cheng'en went to the Nanxun Palace. Ling Yan's meritorious officials were less colorful, and the general's writing was more interesting." When you are brought to your presence, you can display your talents. Nanxun Hall is located in Xingqing Palace where Xuanzong lived. Du Fu specifically mentioned this hall not only for the convenience of rhyme, but also to express his memory for Xuanzong. During the Zhenguan period, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty painted portraits of heroes in Lingyan Pavilion in recognition of his assistance. It faded over time and was renovated during the Kaiyuan period. The poet believes that Cao Ba, a humble man, often visited the palace to draw pictures. Such special favor could only be encountered in the prosperous age when talents were valued. The term "raw noodles" comes from "Zuo Zhuan": "Di people returned to the ancestors of Zhen's original noodles, and the noodles were as raw as life." "The Biography of Wang Lin in Southern History" also said that "the head of the ileum is diseased, and the noodles are still alive". Therefore, the sentence "Crush a new face with a brush" has a double meaning. It not only refers to re-imitating the old image and creating something new, but also praises the lifelikeness of the painting and the feeling of the face as if it were alive. The next four sentences:
"The good prime minister has a virtuous crown on his head, and he shoots a big feathered arrow on his waist. Bao Gong Egong's hair is moving, and his heroic posture is still fierce." Twenty-four pictures of the heroes of Lingyan Pavilion, if they are one by one. If you talk about it, you will not be able to please. Here we only highlight two details: the crown of a good prime minister and the arrows of a fierce general, and the different temperaments of the two heroes in the civil and military classes are clearly evident. Among the portraits of various heroes, only the two most distinctive portraits of Duan Zhixuan, Duke of Bao Zhongzhuang, and Wei Chi Jingde, Duke of E were selected, saying that they had moving hair and heroic postures, and looked as if they were still fighting. The rest of the portraits were It is not difficult to imagine the vividness. These four lines of freehand brushwork are like a dragon in the clouds, with only one scale and one claw visible, both head and tail. The tone is rough and informal, almost vernacular, but it is extremely consistent with the characteristics of the characters in the painting. Not only is the vigor of the good prime minister and fierce general clearly visible, but Cao Ba's simple and vigorous painting style is also clearly visible.
What best reflects Cao Ba’s artistic originality is his unique skill in painting horses, and this is the focus of this song line. Therefore, the poet first went to great lengths to exaggerate the atmosphere before the painting was completed:
"The late emperor's horse jade flower Cong, the painter's work is as different as the mountains. The sun brought the red ridge, and the wind was growing. The imperial edict said to the general The silk is brushed, and the craftsman is in the dark. In a moment, the nine-level true dragon appears, and the eternal horse is empty. "Using the same jade flower imperial horse as a model, although there are many painters with different appearances, I think the heroic horse of Pegasus is indeed extraordinary. It is available in hand, but before the real horse arrives, the suspense that this horse is difficult to draw has already been created. After it was brought in, we saw that it was tall and tall. Even in a static state, it gave people the feeling of wind blowing thousands of miles away, which further highlighted that it was particularly difficult for the painter to capture the flying spirit of this horse. Then he describes the painting process of Cao Ba after receiving the order, bleak management, and finishing in a moment. The audience has no time to react from the painter's rapid movements when the painting is completed, and suddenly all the horses in the world are eclipsed. The initial impression is that the power of "the breath has been swallowed before the pen reaches it" (Su Shi's "Wang Wei and Wu Daozi Hoe") highlights the atmosphere of "washing away all the horses in the past", making the painted horses appear vividly on the paper.
The poet then described the resemblance of the horse in the painting based on the artistic effect after the painting was completed:
"The jade flowers are on the imperial couch, facing each other in front of the court. The Supreme Lord smiled and urged the gold, and all the people and servants were melancholy. "The horse should not be standing on the imperial couch, but the word "but" in a suspicious tone creates the illusion that the horses are not real, and two horses stand in front of the court. The relative whimsy makes this illusion even more realistic. The word "屹" corresponds to the word "迥" above, and the strong and strong bones of the two horses are vividly depicted from their proud posture. Although "The Supreme" and "The Servant of Enren" are foils, their simple expressions are also consistent with their respective identities. Although Xuanzong was happy, he just smiled and urged to give the gold, which was indeed an imperial demeanor. The man who raised the horse and the servant who was in charge of the horse looked as if they were lost in comparison, which was a special mentality only for horse officials. This subtly points out from the viewer's reaction that even a real horse cannot beat the divine steed of the painted horse. At this point, the poet was still unsatisfied and suddenly turned his pen: "Disciple Han Qian has entered the house early and can also draw the poor appearance of horses. Qian only painted the flesh but not the bones, and endured the withering of the Hua Liu Qi."
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Han Qian is a disciple who can exhaust all special features and has extraordinary skills. However, compared with Cao Ba, he still cannot have the spirit and strength of Hualiu. His painting skills are so superb that no one can match him. He uses layers of color to express the meaning of each sentence, leaving no trace of ingenuity behind. The horses painted by Han Gan are fat and strong, which is actually a true portrayal of the emperor's stable horses. It is unique and conforms to the common appreciation standard of plumpness as beauty in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, Zhang Yanyuan, the author of "Famous Paintings of the Past Dynasties" once criticized Du Fu for "I don't know the painter." ", Zhang Lei in the Song Dynasty also said: "Qian Ning could not bear to draw Ji Gu. At that time, the king of Mangma was unknown. " (See Volume 13 of "Ke Shan Collection" "Xiao Dynasty Sanhui Stone Edition Han Gan Ma Tuma's Death") However, Du Fu's words here are restrained. One is to use Han Gan's painting of flesh to contrast Cao Ba's painting of bones. Long, the other is also related to his preference for strong bones, thin and strong artistic taste. The art of poetry and painting in the prosperous Tang Dynasty focused on depicting the spirit in form and embedding spirit in form. Du Fu's idea of ????requiring the simplicity of shape, skinny skin and strong bones was very important to the Tang Dynasty. The changes and development of modern art styles are of great significance.
"The general's paintings are of great significance, and the chance to meet a fine artist is also a blessing." "These two sentences connect the previous and the next, summarizing the characteristics of Cao Ba's paintings that are famous for their spiritual resemblance, and also lead to the painter's downfall from the changes in the materials he used: "Nowadays, wandering in the war, there are many ordinary travelers. Being poor on the road is looked down upon by the common people. There is no such thing as public poverty in the world. "In addition to copying portraits and painting horses, Cao Ba was also good at sketching people and painting portraits, but he would only start writing when he happened to meet a good scholar. The value of Cao Ba's paintings at that time was as described in "The Song of Watching General Cao Painting Horses": " When nobles and powerful people get their handwriting, they begin to feel the brilliance of the barrier. "
Nowadays, when we are wandering in the war, we can only draw portraits of ordinary passers-by. Although we have great art, we are so poor and miserable. Not only do we have no sympathy, but we are also looked down upon by the world. This "incomprehensible Chonghua" The "human world" of "Liu" (Part 2 of Du Fu's "Two Survival Slogans") is so cold and snobbish! So the poet couldn't help but cry out for the painter: "But it seems that despite the great reputation in ancient times, he has been plagued by ups and downs all day long! "The ending echoes the beginning, linking Cao Ba's honor and disgrace with the ups and downs of the times, and placing the hope of people making full use of their talents in the rule of Shengping. This is an important idea throughout the whole poem.
"Viewing General Cao" "Horse Painting Song" says: "Don't you see, in the pines and cypresses in front of the pile of golden millet, the dragon media has gone and all the birds are calling the wind!" "Lamenting that talents disappeared with the death of Xuanzong and the passing of the prosperous age can be mutually reinvented with the meaning of "Danqing Yin". However, the poet is not limited to blind nostalgia, but extends it to the fact that talented people throughout the ages are often trapped and frustrated under their reputation. The universal law elevates the realm of poetry to a level of realistic critical significance.
This poem uses pictures to praise talents, and combines incisive artistic insights into expressive chants. Among the painting techniques, whether he writes about people or horses, he only writes with spirit and does not bother to describe everything. It can be said that the layout of the whole text is varied, vertical and horizontal, oscillating, and full of details. It embodies the unique style of Du Fu's seven-character poems, which are vivid and ups and downs. Song Hongmai's "Wubi" said that reading such poems can "make people feel transcendent and full of spirit." Bones are an important reason why Du's poems can still inspire people even after thousands of years.