On Du Fu’s Poetic Intent

On Du Fu’s Poetic Intent

• Image Number: K2A003021N000000000PAA
• Dynasty: Qing dynasty
• Category: Paintings
• Author: Dong Bangda;董邦達
• Form: 軸
• Exhibition dimension: 192.3×94.6
• Description:
  Du Fu’s poem “Reflections” goes, “Reflections turn into rivers and turn over stone walls. When you return to the clouds and embrace trees, you lose your mountain village.” This is Dong Bangda’s poetic map based on this poem. The composition inherits Dong Qichang’s tradition and is similar to Dong’s painting “Painting Du Fu’s Poetics”. It uses light ochre to dye the river water and mountain walls to convey the scene of early rain and sunlight. The composition of the “one river and two banks style” popular in the Yuan Dynasty was changed to oblique direction, so that the waves and mountain momentum are the same. The magnificent rivers and the clouds in the mountains seem to be empty and solid. With this poem as the title, there are three similar compositions of Dong Bangda’s works, which are different in size but similar in composition, indicating that the Emperor Qianlong appreciated the original work very much and would reproduce it again and again.