Yuan Shangtong Xiaoguan Boat Squeeze Map Axis

[Yuan Shangtong Xiaoguan Boat Squeeze Map Axis]

Xiaoguan Boat Squeeze Map Axis, painted by Yuan Shangtong in the Ming Dynasty, paper version, colored, 114.5 cm vertically and 60 cm horizontally
The title of this picture is: “The boat is crowded at dawn. The autumn and summer of Bingxu are deep in the bamboo. Yuan Shangtong.” The next seal is “Shangtong Private Seal” and “Yuan Shuming”
This axis depicts the bustling scene of boat races at the gate of the narrow waterway. In the misty Suzhou Changmen, a noble official ship was about to leave the city, competing with the boats of the vendors in the four townships who were busy entering the city. The officials stood at the bow of the boat, gave orders and were urging the crowd to make way, but the vendors who were eager to make a living in the city fought each other and did not give in. The narrow water gate was congested for a while, and there were still boats approaching the Changmen in the distance. The official boats are large and isolated, and the boats are small and powerful. The portrayal of the figure shape reflects the artist’s disdain for the powerful and powerful and his understanding and sympathy for the plight of the common people. The work is based on the real scene and is ingenious in design. It deals well with the spatial relationship of the picture in depicting the close view and part of the Changmen Gate in Suzhou.