Picture scroll of Li Gonglin herding in Weiyan

[Li Gonglin Pasturing and Pasturing in Weiyan]

Pasturing and Pasturing in Weiyan, Song, Li Gonglin, silk, ink and light color, 46.2 cm long, 429.8 cm horizontal
This is a work by Li Gonglin, a painter of the Song Dynasty, who copied Wei Yan, a painter of the Tang Dynasty. The painting is in the form of long scroll, extending from right to left. Between the rugged earth slopes and the vast plains, the herders drove a large number of horses to rush in. The horses neighed and screamed. After the middle part of the picture, the horses gradually spread out and moved in groups. Some looked down for food, some chased and frolicked, some ran, some rolled on the spot, and some horses went to the distant river to drink. Many horses have different postures and are vivid and natural. Some herders put horses on horses, some dressed neatly, some barefoot and barefoot. The herders who rest in the shade of trees are Khitan, and there seems to be hierarchy differences. The composition of the whole picture is congested and tense in the first half, and evacuated and relaxed in the second half, full of rhythm
There are more than 140 people and more than 1200 horses painted in the whole picture, which can be said to be magnificent
The horses and figures in the painting are drawn with ink lines, which are straight and powerful, and have a thick color. The slope stone ink is slightly lighter, and slightly chapped, and then rendered with ochre, which strengthens the atmosphere of the painting. Changes in composition and ink. It makes the whole work clear and lively, avoiding rigidity, repetition and confusion. It is difficult to imagine such a huge composition without long-term operation and careful thinking, even if it is copied
Most of Li Gonglin’s paintings are painted on paper and do not apply color. “They only copy ancient paintings and use silk to color” (Yuan Tang’s “Painting Review”). This work is a temporary copy, painted in silk and painted in light color, which is completely consistent with the records of painting history. Wei Yan, a painter of the Tang Dynasty, has no reliable works. Through this copy of Li Gonglin, you can also appreciate the style of his paintings.