Xin'an Evening News Anhui Network Dawan News Why is the Year of the Tiger only 355 days? Why is the appearance of the tiger on the Stamp of the Year of the Tiger attracting attention? 2022 is the Year of the Tiger, and it is time to "talk about the tiger". The reporter understands that there is a painter in Hefei who specializes in painting tigers, and how does he see the unique charm of the king of the hundred beasts when he sketches twenty or thirty tigers a year?
Painter Dong Fang exhibited a number of works.
The Year of the Tiger is ten days less than in previous years
I don't know if anyone has noticed that according to the lunar calendar, the upcoming Year of the Tiger is from February 1, 2022 to January 21, 2023, only 355 days, why is this? Lu Qinxue, executive vice president and secretary general of the Hefei Folklore Society, introduced that this is divided according to the lunar/lunar calendar and twenty-four solar terms, especially the twenty-four solar terms are calculated according to the 15 days of each section, if this year is not enough, it will be extended to the next year. There will be an annual calendar of 28 days in the flat month, and the folk have the saying of "three years and two leaps, three years and two leaps", that is, five years and two years. A lunar year with a leap month is called a leap year, which generally has 384 or 385 days, while a lunar year without a leap month is called a common year, which generally has 354 or 355 days. So the upcoming Lunar Year of the Tiger is also a common year, with a total of 355 days.
The tiger is a big cat and is known as the "king of a hundred beasts". Lu Qinxue mentioned that tiger culture is mighty and exorcises evil spirits, and at the same time is also a totem. Because our ancestors had tigers in their hunting prey, thus also forming a script, the emergence of tiger culture is far earlier than the dragon culture, and tiger culture is closely related to people's lives and keeps pace with the times.
The ancients believed that the tiger was a powerful animal that could drive away the three major disasters of the family: fire, theft and evil. Because of this, the ancients often posted tiger paintings on the walls, and the tiger paintings had to face the gate, so that all kinds of demons would not dare to enter the door because they were afraid. Lu Qinxue said that in some areas of China, when a child is born in the Year of the Tiger, parents will wear tiger head shoes, tiger head hats, embroidered tiger robes, red pockets, red socks, etc. Whenever the Year of the Tiger comes, people in some places will write "King" with a red pen on the forehead of children, which also has a good meaning.
Zodiac stamps convey an auspicious meaning
In traditional culture, the tiger is also the patron saint of mankind. Lu Qinxue introduced that in the ancient myths and legends of our country, the gods of the land and the city god finally surrendered to the tiger and took the tiger as their mount, and later the tiger became the mount of the gods. Tigers guard human villages, buildings, manors, and cities, and people are very grateful for the tiger's protection, affectionately calling it "Tiger Master".
China Post issued a set of 2 special stamps for the "Year of Nongyin"
On January 5 this year, the Year of the Tiger stamp was issued, which belongs to the fourth round of zodiac stamps. The set of stamps was designed by the painter Feng Dazhong, who is particularly famous for painting tigers in his artistic creations. However, since the debut of this realistic pen style of "tiger tickets", it has triggered a fierce discussion on the Internet, and many netizens believe that the tigers on the stamps do not have tiger power. The author, Mr. Feng Dazhong, said that 1 of the 3 small tigers in the original second stamp was removed, so that the composition was more plump, and the animal attributes were broken through in the painting and anthropomorphized.
Since 1980, China has begun to issue zodiac stamps, which in the eyes of folklore experts also carries people's feelings about traditional culture and folklore. There are two stamps in this set of Stamps for the Year of the Tiger, the first one is called "National Fortune Changlong", which is a male tiger climbing a mountain and overlooking; the second is called "Tiger Yun auspicious", which is a female tiger with two small tigers. Lu Qinxue said that painters hope to convey the auspicious meaning of going abroad through art and folklore.
"The markings on the tiger's body are as beautiful as musical staves"
Dong Fang, a 70-year-old member of the Anhui Provincial Artists Association, began to learn to draw tigers in the 1980s, and has never stopped over the years, basically sketching out twenty or thirty tigers in his heart every year. There are many subjects to choose from in Chinese painting, so why specialize in painting tigers? Dong Fang feels that tigers are very important in the minds of Chinese, "and our people feel that tigers are an auspicious animal." ”
Painter Dong Fang showed his work "Climbing the Peak Without Fear of Wind and Snow".
Dong Fang told reporters that he studied under Mr. Zhang Beilu, one of the four famous tiger painters in China, and he learned a lot of painting skills from the teacher, such as the shape of the tiger, the patterned trend, the depiction of the tiger's demeanor, the layout of the picture, etc., which laid a solid foundation for his artistic creation for many years.
In his opinion, drawing tigers is meticulous and not easy to learn. The hair on the tiger's body, because the color is different, needs to be painted many times to show the best effect. In the public's impression, the tiger is a mighty and domineering animal. Dong Fang introduced that when painting a tiger, he will reflect the domineering spirit of the tiger from the aspects of the tiger's eyes, mouth, front paws, and tail, and in order to make the tiger's eyes more three-dimensional, he will use the five colors of black, white, red, yellow, and green to express it, so that the tiger's eyes will be more dazzling, both the style of Chinese painting, and the characteristics of Western painting, "and the tiger's tail should be like a steel whip, if the painting is soft, the whole tiger will appear without momentum."
In order to paint the tiger more carefully and vividly, Dong Fang will often go to the zoo to observe the tiger and see the changes in the tiger's posture when walking and sleeping. Dong Fang said that painting tigers is a hobby and wants to bring happiness to the general public. Over the years, he has also held and participated in many exhibitions, such as in April 2020, he participated in the "Actively Supporting the Fight against COVID-19" calligraphy and painting charity auction organized by the Xiaolongshi Art Research Association in Anhui Province, and donated a four-foot whole piece of Gongbi Tiger Painting "Wei Zhen Qiankun". Because he has been painting tigers for many years, Dong Fang has a heartfelt love for tigers. "I think the markings on the tiger's body are as beautiful as a musical stave." He laughed.
Zhan Weiwei Xin'an Evening News Anhui Network Dawan News trainee reporter Huang Yushan reporter Chen Mu photo report
Edited by Wang Cui