A picture of horses and deer singing

[The Painting of Horse and Deer Singing]

The Painting of Deer Singing, Southern Song Dynasty, The Painting of Horse and Deer Singing, Silk Version, Colored, 28 cm vertically and 864 cm horizontally
This volume is one of the “Book of Songs” series paintings created by Ma Hezhi, a famous painter in the Southern Song Dynasty. The whole volume of books and paintings consists of 10 paragraphs, with the original text of the Book of Songs in small regular script at the front of each paragraph and the picture at the back. At the beginning of the first paragraph, there are four words “What Deer Sings”, at the end of the book, there are three poem titles and small preface, and at the end of the book, there are “Ten Deer Sings”
The first paragraph: In the picture of Luming, there is a luxurious palace Chinese lantern feast. A person with a king’s appearance sits in the palace, and the guests and ministers sit on both sides to highlight the meaning of the guests at the king’s banquet. Outside the hall, under the red stairs, there are courtiers standing in a ring. Musicians play music with drums and harps to make music for the emperor and his ministers. On the right is the tall trees and the folded clouds, which seem to form a screen to naturally separate the picture, showing the deer in the valley, singing, running, or looking for food with their heads lowered. The whole picture is close to the center of the guests at the banquet. It is simple and clear, so that people can easily understand its profound meaning
Paragraph 2: The chapter “Four peonies” was sung during the tribute to foreign envoys. This passage depicts the plot of the foreign envoy on his way to China. In the picture, a four-carriage is going left, and one person is holding the tail end. Four servants are riding in front of the carriage with a bridle, and one person is following. Only a clump of trees is painted in the background, showing the desolation of the journey and the hardship of the envoy. The facial expression of the main characters in the picture is not happy, but slightly sad, which is consistent with the portrayal of the mood of the characters in the poem “Zhou Dao is late, don’t you want to go home”, but “the king’s affairs are difficult, my heart is sad”, and the protagonist shows a complex feeling of worrying about the country and the king’s affairs
The third paragraph: The Emperor of China, a four-horse-driven car is winding along the road between the mountains, which is opposite to the running direction of the characters in the previous paragraph, from left to right. The preface of the poem reads: “The emperor is the king of China, and the king sends envoys, and sends them with rites and music. The words are far away, and there is glory.” A man sits in the carriage with a bridle in his hand, and a follower beside the carriage holds the tail used by the envoy, and the servants follow the carriage with different items. This paragraph shows the envoy going out at the king’s command. The surrounding vegetation, the deep valley and the flowing streams in the mountains show the envoy’s hard work for the state affairs through the description of the environment
The fourth paragraph: Chang Di painted three people standing on the bank of the slope with almost the same appearance, which seems to show that the three brothers are watching the plants in the water. There are also three plants in the water, which grow randomly, or are the trees of Changdi. The feudal society stresses filial piety and fraternity, which means brotherhood and harmony. The poem “Chang Di” said: “Brothers are both Xi, harmonious and exquisite, and are suitable for your family, and happy for your wife’s money
The fifth section: The cutting section is painted with high mountains, deep grass and lush trees. Two people in the valley hold sharp axes and cut under a short tree. Both of them focused on a bird perched on a tree, with the theme of “from the valley to the arbor”. The picture is relatively straight, but the extended meaning in the poem is not shown
Paragraph 6: The picture of Tianbao is painted with high mountains and steep mountains, tall and beautiful trees and pines, blue sea and waves, auspicious clouds and mist, the red sun rising on the water at the beginning, and the bright moon setting off between the peaks and mountains, which is brilliant. At the end of the poem, it is said: “The people of Li, like the people of the moon, like the rising of the sun, like the longevity of Nanshan Mountain, do not die, like the luxuriant pines and cypresses, do not die or inherit. The word “Heng” in the poem recorded in this paragraph is missing the last two horizontal strokes, avoiding Zhao Heng’s taboo
The seventh paragraph: The picture of Caiwei shows a group of horses and carriages running right in the mountains and forests, all of them wearing armor. Banners fluttered with the wind, and the sound of hooves broke the tranquility of the mountains. Only seven people and eight horses are painted on the picture, but the few flags raised on the top of the hillside make people feel like thousands of troops are coming. In the poem, it is repeatedly emphasized that the soldiers guarding the border are far away from their homes and suffer from hunger and cold. They are encouraged to contribute to the country, resist foreign aggression and work hard for the king. This is also of great practical significance in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty
Paragraph 8: The scene of the king taking a car out of the suburbs to comfort the soldiers who defended the border and returned. As the poem goes, “I am going out of my car, and I am going to be herding there, and I am going to be herding there.” In the picture, five carriages and horses are going to the left, with neat armor, thick weapons, and flying military flags. This picture is mainly composed of characters, horses and carriages. The background is only a few clusters of trees dotted on the corners, and the distant hills are looming
Paragraph 9: Tu Tu painted the thatched hut looming in the mountains and forests, and a woman on the path looked out with a basket, praying for her husband who had not returned after the time limit. The flag on the top of the mountain looms in the distance, implying that the soldier will return it.
Paragraph 10: Yuli draws a picture of two people rowing a boat in the pond, carrying the fish they caught to the shore, and the two people on the shore are talking with each other. This paragraph is intended to show that after the stability of the regime, the people are rich in wealth. However, “it begins with care and diligence, and ends with pleasure”. Therefore, it is necessary to take the idea of “politics” from time to time, which has a certain exhortation implication for the ruler’s governance
Ma Hezhi grasped a detail in the original poem, gave full play to his subjective imagination, and drew 300 illustrations of the Book of Songs in a simple and understandable painting language, which is a huge project in painting creation
The Book of Songs created by Ma Hezhi has gone through two dynasties: Gaozong and Xiaozong. According to the “Picture Preparation”, “Emperor Gaozong tried to write with three hundred pictures of Mao’s poems, and died before the end of the matter.” Later, Emperor Xiaozong continued his work and still ordered him to make up the pictures. The volume of “What Deers Sing” is recorded in the “Picture Preparation”, which shows that it was created in the Gaozong Dynasty. However, Ma Hezhi’s “The Book of Songs” appeared in copies and imitations shortly after its publication. There are about 16 volumes in the world, with different styles and levels. Obviously, there are authentic works, imitations and imitations. The present view is a scroll, and the painting is simple and flowing. It is a typical “grasshopper painting” of Ma He. The calligraphy is dignified and elegant. It is a high level of classical calligraphy. The calligraphy and painting are authentic, and it is a rare combination of Zhao’s calligraphy and horse painting.