Song Xu City South Gaoyin Map Axis

[Song Xu’s high hidden map axis in the south of the city]

The high hidden map axis in the south of the city, written by Song Xu in the Ming Dynasty, paper, ink, 76.5 cm vertically and 32.5 cm horizontally
The picture takes the thatched courtyard as the main scene, the gate of the courtyard is closed, and a scholar is sitting under the eaves with his knees crossed, admiring the lotus planted in the tank. Five willow trees are scattered outside the wall. A small boat is cruising on the river. A person on the bridge is walking forward and seems to come to visit. An ancient city looms in the distance amid the disillusionment of smoke and clouds. The work vividly shows the scene of the protagonist living in seclusion away from the world. In the first half of the picture, Song Xu wrote four words in official script, “The south of the city is high and hidden”, and wrote a seven-character poem: “The monk Niu Yi used to live in the east of the wall. How can he be like Zhang Jianong in the south of the country. The chanting of songs is amazing, and the walking of grass is better than the work of Linchi. The willow color of the Hengmen and the green smoke, and the lotus flowers in the small courtyard reflect the sun. The floating clouds and the world are different in different days, and I lie alone in the true wind.” The poem is intended to praise the character of the hero
According to Song Xu’s title, we know that this painting was made by Song Xu and his friend Zhu Wenshan in 1588, and it is a documentary work. The main character in the courtyard in the picture is Zhu Wenshan, the painter himself, who is walking on the small bridge. Song Xu portrays Zhu Wenshan as a hermit living outside the city, and secretly tells him that he has the character of Tao Yuanming, a famous scholar of the Jin Dynasty, with five willows. The five willow branches in the painting are very strong. The willow branches are soft, charming and waving in the wind. This is a metaphor to praise the hero
The works use the method of contrast between thick and thin, and the virtual and real to make the picture clear. In the composition, the painter used the traditional Pingyuan composition method. The scenery is close to the big and small, close to the real and far away from the virtual, with a strong sense of depth, and created an elegant realm that can be lived and traveled. The large section of self-inscribed poems at the top is elegant and elegant, with powerful strokes, which not only enriches the picture, but also reflects the characteristics of the era of the combination of poetry, calligraphy and painting by the literati of the Ming Dynasty
The axis of “High Concealed Picture in the South of the City” not only reflects the typical style of Song Xu’s painting in the middle and late period, but also represents the artistic level of literati painting in the late Ming Dynasty.