Zhang Yuan, Liu Jingrong, Sangsheng Image Axis

[Zhang Yuan and Liu Jingrong’s image axis]

“Liu Jingrong’s image axis”, Qing Dynasty, Zhang Yuan’s painting, silk version, color setting, 169.3 cm vertically and 61.7 cm horizontally
In the lower left corner of the screen, the signature reads: “Zhang Yuanjin wrote.” The lower seal is 2
This is an interesting portrait painting. The picture shows the life of Liu Jingrong III. In the vertical bar picture, there is a group of figures in Qing Dynasty clothing in the middle. One of them is wearing a crown, wearing official clothes, and holding his wrists in front of his chest. The two servants in front hold the tail, and the two servants behind them hold the seal and the sword, just like the officials of the frontier, walking on the road, showing the real life scene of the hero’s complacency and boundless scenery. In the lower part of the picture, there are rippling streams and jagged rocks. An old monk is sitting in a rock gap. The upper part of the picture is painted with two monks talking to each other on the mountain
Although this work is a portrait, it is very storytelling. It shows the previous life, present life and future life of the hero Liu Jingrong through a three-paragraph composition, reflecting Liu’s strong Buddhist thought. The painter arranged the protagonist in the middle of the picture to show the current world. His clothes were bright, his guard of honor was complete, his face was exquisite, and his expression was vivid. The hero’s image is tall, in sharp contrast with the servants, which completely inherits the tradition of highlighting the main characters in ancient Chinese portraits. The old monk in the lower part of the picture is calm and looks like an ascetic monk, while the two monks in the upper part are younger. The painting methods of these three people obviously do not have the characteristics of portrait painting. The painter skillfully and naturally treated the three paragraphs, separated by clouds in the middle. At first glance, it looks like a complete figure landscape painting. A closer look can reveal the relationship between the three compositions. This kind of composition is quite similar to the composition of the Han Dynasty silk paintings that show the sky, the earth and the earth. The whole picture is a unique work in the Portrait of the “Boschen School”, which combines the dynamic and static, with exquisite brushwork and originality.