Lang Shining Songxian Yingzhi Map Axis

[Lang Shining Songxian Yingzhi Picture Axis]

The axis of Songxian Yingzhi Picture, made by Lang Shining in the Qing Dynasty, is made of silk, colored, 242.3cm vertically and 157.1cm horizontally
In this work, Lang Shining fully demonstrated his solid basic skills of sketch and his ability to use light and dark to express the concave and convex three-dimensional effect. In the middle of the picture is a white eagle standing on a stone. The eagle’s head turns to the right side of the picture. The eagle’s eyes are bright, the beak is bent, and the eagle’s claws grasp the stone tightly. On the right side of the picture is a winding old pine. The old and mottled trunk and the pine branches in front and behind seem to be accessible. A vine climbs around the trunk of the pine tree, which is concave and convex. There are several ganoderma lucidum between the root of the pine tree and the gap of the stone. Its edge is rolled up, showing the thickness of ganoderma lucidum. On the left side of the painting is a slope stone. A swift stream flows down the river and twists and turns in the valley between mountains and rocks, stirring up countless water sprays. In this work, Lang Shining uses the European light and dark painting method. The light shines from the upper left side of the picture, so the right half of the tree stone is in the dark, and the tree trunk also leaves a shadow. The white eagle is just located in the most prominent center. The light and dark are intertwined, and the three-dimensional sense is very strong, which seems to be out of the way
In terms of color, Lang Shining also showed his talent. The white of the eagle, the green branches of the pine tree, the brownish red ganoderma lucidum, the pink and purple wisteria, and the red earth slope are all very bright, gorgeous, and thick, which are quite different from the traditional Chinese ink painting in appearance and taste
Although there are obvious European painting elements in this painting, the content in the painting is entirely Chinese. The white eagle, pine tree, ganoderma lucidum, boulder and running water in the picture are common objects in Chinese painting, and painters often use them to congratulate and pray for people’s birthday. In traditional Chinese flower-and-bird paintings, flowers and birds are not simply depicted as plants and animals, but rather are endowed with some figurative meaning to these creatures in nature, that is to say, they repose the ideas and feelings of painters or viewers. It is obvious that the white eagle, pine tree, ganoderma lucidum and boulder in Lang Shining’s paintings also contain the meaning of singing and blessing. The name of the painting “Songxian Yingzhi” is actually the homonym of pine, eagle and ganoderma lucidum. These animals and plants symbolize longevity, strength, sensitivity, auspiciousness and so on in the Chinese metaphor
According to the inscription on the painting, this picture was in October of the second year of Yongzheng’s reign (1724). When we learned that the birthday of Emperor Yongzheng was in October, the content and meaning of the axis of Song Presenting Yingzhi were self-evident. This is a birthday picture specially painted for the emperor’s “Longevity Day” (the emperor’s birthday is called Longevity Day). As a foreign painter, whether Chinese or foreign, who worshipped in the court of the Qing Dynasty should completely follow Chinese customs, which is the duty and work of the court painter.