Xu Beihong Autumn Tongmao Butterfly Figure Axis

[Xu Beihong’s Painting Axis of the Autumn Tongcat and Butterfly]

The Painting Axis of the Autumn Tongcat and Butterfly, in modern times, is painted by Xu Beihong, in paper, with colors, 92 centimeters vertically and 42.5 centimeters horizontally
Self title: “Madam Shou, I appreciate you clearly. In the autumn of the Renwu Festival, I mourn Hong.” The seal “mourn Hong” is printed by Zhu Wenfang and “Xu” is printed by Zhu Wenyuan
The year of Renwu was 1942, and Xu Beihong was 47 years old
The picture is painted on the trunk of a leafy wutong tree. A black and white cat is crouching forward and bowing out its claws, trying to catch the dancing butterfly. The scene is vivid and interesting, with both romantic and realistic colors
Chinese people are accustomed to calling 80 years old an octogenarian, and 90 years old an octogenarian. Therefore, in the subject matter of Chinese painting, the homonym “octogenarian” is often used to depict cats and butterflies, wishing for longevity
The cat’s behavior in the picture is not normal. With his keen observation, solid sketching foundation, and skilled pen and ink techniques, Xu Beihong accurately depicts the cat’s attentive demeanor and some subtle movements when capturing a butterfly. For example, a cat uses its left front paw to firmly grasp the trunk of a tree for fear of falling from a high altitude; In order to maintain body balance, a cat uses its right front paw to fully extend and grasp, while its rear body tries to contract and squat down; Even the eyes of the cat staring at the butterfly are vividly displayed by the artist in a way that is beyond his grasp.