(Source: Writer Fang Xiaoli)
(1) The spiritual civilization and value of horses
What is a horse? The horse is a symbol of traditional Chinese culture.
In the "I Ching Legend of Sayings", it is mentioned: "Qian is a horse, Kun is an ox, Zhen is a dragon, Xun is a chicken, Kan is a pig, Li is a pheasant, Gen is a dog, and it is a sheep." ”
As a symbol of the head of gossip, the horse means the spirit of "walking in heaven and self-improvement", taken from the spirit of galloping and enterprising horses in reality, that is, "dry", dry represents the sky!
And the ox, as the symbol of the second place in the gossip, is "kun", kun is the earth, "virtuous and carrying things", and it is symbolized by the ox that carries everything through hard work.
Therefore, the two characters of Qiankun represent heaven and earth, and the two characters of ox and horse seem to be ordinary, but they are the first two in the gossip, plus the other six to form the gossip, and evolve everything in heaven and earth!
Therefore, Tsinghua University is known for "self-improvement. The school motto of "Virtue and Possession" admonishes students, and naturally draws on this power and makes people emulate.
(Stone carvings for the centenary of Tsinghua University, Hu Qingyuan. ）
(Image source: Learning to Strengthen the Country Learning Platform, "Daily School Motto - Tsinghua University", photo by Yuan Jie)
At the same time, the horse is the head of the six animals (six animals: horses, cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, chickens), which means that the farmer's life is prosperous and happy, because it is not only diligent and loyal, conscientiously completing the work given to it by the owners, but also to a certain extent, symbolizing the richness and even nobility of the owner (local good horses as tribute, but also more prominent similar breeds of horses in the master's house, and appear to have the identity of the owner's family), it plays a huge value in animal husbandry and agriculture, and even in the entertainment industry.
(Image source: Picture of the world, the paper cut of "six animals prosperous" as window flowers represents the beautiful meaning of the people and the wishes of the people.) ）
In the "Book of Poetry, Qin Feng, Che Neighbor", it is mentioned that a certain noble young man went to visit a gentleman, "There are car neighbors, and there are horses and white bumps." I did not see the gentleman, the order of the temple people. Although the identity and status of a gentleman are very noble, and his character is also very noble, but the noble young man goes to visit his people, and the horse pulling the cart is also an incomparable white horse, tall and fat, with a white hair on his forehead, and the white seal on his forehead looks even more majestic.
It can be seen that this aristocratic young man has an ordinary family background.
Of course, the status of horses in the military is very important, the ancients had the saying of "horse politics", mastering a large number of horses, which means that there is no disadvantage in war, and the horse of the divine steed is an opportunity to promote the development of the emperor!
The emperor likes horses, and should also be in line with the "number of qiankun", the emperor has the title of "true dragon and the son of heaven", representing "dragon", and there is "dragon horse spirit" Some people say that it is a dragon horse, but in fact, when the word "dragon and horse spirit" is used, and the dragon represents dry, the horse is relatively kun, because in the I Ching, Qian gua says "dragon", such as "flying dragon in the sky, Lord Limi" and so on, while kun gu says "horse", such as "horse of chastity" and so on.
In the Book of Changes, the horse is the representative of the sky, the ox is the kun, and the earth is the representative;
But in the I Ching, the dragon is the dry, the representative of the sky, and the horse is the kun (especially the beauty of the mare's loyalty, breadth, and suppleness), and the earth!
(Whether as opposed to a dragon or an ox, the status of the horse can be seen.) ）
And when the combination of "dragon" and "horse" always lifts Chinese's spirits!
(Image source: @tiannanxing, the first trigram of the I Ching - Qiangua, the original text of the dictionary and the vernacular translation"))
(Source: @Jinwenguanzhi, "What is Kun? Yuan, Heng, Limu Ma no Zhen")
"Zhou Li Xia Lawsuit Sima Xiaren" pointed out, "Horses above eight feet are dragons, more than seven feet are horses, and more than six feet are horses." The "dragon" here refers to the dragon horse, which in mythology and legend is a dragon-like horse that can fly and has wings on its back.
Unfortunately, the dragon horse is really difficult for ordinary people to see, so in the "Legend of the Ram", there is also a distinction between the social class at that time, especially the official rank, about riding horses: "The Son of Heaven is a dragon, more than seven feet high; The princes are horses, more than six feet tall; Dr. Qing and Shi Yueju, more than five feet tall. From this distinction, each class embodies a sense of superiority, even if the Son of Heaven has not really met Ryoma.
Although the later Ming Chengzu Zhu Di and Ming Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji reigned, in order to consolidate the rule at that time, there were "dragon horse strategies", showing good omen by the emergence of dragon horses in a certain place, and maintaining the rule at that time.
(An important border town under the jurisdiction of southwest Guangxi today: Yuzhong Town, which is a Longma Square in Yuzhong Town, "Dragon Horse" is a legendary horse that looks like a dragon, with wings on its back, can fly to, is an auspicious beast, and is also a symbol of Chinese civilization.)
Image source: American cycling network BIKETO, "Route recommendation #Take the Great Wall on the Sino-Vietnamese border to view the world's second largest transnational waterfall full strategy")
But after all, the Son of Heaven knows that dragon horses are rare and legendary!
Therefore, the emperors of the past have prided themselves as "the son of the true dragon and heaven", plus BMW, which can be regarded as in line with the "Qiankun Zhigua" in the I Ching (Note: Qiankun, which represents heaven and earth, means the lord of heaven and earth, and its intention must be called wise. ), and noble!
(The Palace Museum collects the "Qianlong Grand Yue Rong Mounted Horse Statue", painted by the Qing Dynasty court painter and Italian Lang Shining.) ）
How much did the emperors like horses? ——————
Therefore, King Mu of Zhou had "Eight Juns" (legend has it that King Mu of Zhou also took the Eight Jun carriage to the Tianshan Mountain to meet the Queen Mother of the West, and the two exchanged gifts, and the Queen Mother of the West wished him a long life. The Gleanings says, "A Jedi who does not trample on the soil." Two flipped feathers and crossed the birds. Three runners, wild miles. The four Yueying walked day by day. Five of them are more than bright, and their coats are shining. Six superlumines, one shape and ten shadows. Seven people soared into the mist, riding the clouds. Eight winged with flesh wings. ”；
So Qin Shi Huang Qijun, Jin Cui Leopard "Ancient and Modern Note, Birds and Beasts" said: "Qin Shi Huang has seven horses: Chasing the Wind, White Rabbit, Jumping Jing, Benden, Fei Yi, Tongjue, and Shen Jiao. ”
Therefore, Emperor Wen of Han also has Jiuyi, "Xijing Miscellaneous": "Emperor Wen of Han has returned since his own generation, and there are nine good horses, all of which are the best in the world." The names are Floating Cloud, Chidian, Juqun, Yiqun, Ziyanliu, Luxiao, Longzi, Jiju, Juchen, and Jiuyi. There is to Xuan Nengyu. ”；
Therefore, Emperor Taizong of Tang Ten Ji, "Old Book of Tang": "Ten good horses were sent by backbone cadres, and Emperor Taizong of Tang made a name for it, and the number was Ten Ji: one is Tengshuangbai, the second is Kyaukyue Qiao, the third is Condensing, the fourth is Hanging Light Qiao, the fifth is Du Boyu, the sixth is Feixia Qiu, the seventh is Power Generation Chi, the eighth is Meteor Qiao, the ninth is Xianglin Zi, and the tenth is Ben Hongchi. ”；
Therefore, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had six horses paid tribute from foreign countries, namely: "Red Yu Chen, Purple Yu Chen, Ping Shan Chen, Ling Yunchen, Feixiang Yuan, and Hundred Flowers Yuan." ", another two horses from the Western Regions given to him by King Ningyuan, one "Jade Flower Horse" and the other "Zhao Yebai", both named by him himself, this "Zhao Ye Bai Tu" was painted by the "poetry Buddha" Wang Wei and the heavy court painter Han Gan, who once accompanied Tang Xuanzong in the southern conquest and northern war, and then accompanied him to take refuge in the Anshi Rebellion, which can be said to be deeply affectionate.
And "Jade Flower Horse" and "Night White" are rare sweat and blood BMWs.
(Tang dynasty painter Han Gan's Chinese painting on paper, "Zhao Ye Bai Tu", depicting Tang Xuanzong's favorite mount, the image of Zhao Yebai, is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.) ）
The combination of the emperor ("True Dragon Tianzi") and the horse, such as the "dragon" and "horse", have a sign of Qiankun, so this horse not only plays its important role in the war, but also is loved by the emperor, and after ascending the throne, it has become a symbol of stable national strength.
Of course, to open up the territory, horses are also indispensable, such as Genghis Khan, he was born in the Mongols, this is a "people on horseback", and he is also the world on horseback! During the Yuan Dynasty, the territory was more than 13 million square kilometers, he led the Mongol cavalry to sweep across Eurasia, and swept more than forty countries, so that more than 700 nationalities submitted, from the Korean Peninsula in the east, Poland and Hungary in the west, to the Russian countries of Siberia in the north, and to the Indochina Peninsula in Java, all within his sphere of influence, so now many people say that this Genghis Khan is a man who conquered half the earth!
(Yuan Dynasty Territory; Image source: Qushi.com, "How big is the largest territory during the Yuan Dynasty and which countries are included in these places")
In contrast, Saudi Arabia's founding monarch, Abdul Aziz ibn Al Saud, unified the Arabian Peninsula with 40 camels, more than 30 guns, and nearly 100 warriors, although it is also amazing, but compared with Genghis Khan's results, it is still poor!
At the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee in Fuzhou, China, the Najranhima rock art site in Saudi Arabia was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Saudi Arabia has always had a tradition of horse racing and camel racing. In the Hima Cultural Area in Saudi Arabia's Najran province, there are tens of thousands of boulders carved with different languages and petroglyphs.
Among them, in addition to camels, horses can also be seen, appearing in war.
In the rock paintings of the Yin Mountain in Inner Mongolia, we can also find the figure of the horse.
There are even "Arab" stallions.
In 2016, Chinese and German scholars discovered Arab war horse rock paintings during the war between the Xiongnu and the Eastern Hu in Damao Banner, Inner Mongolia, and experts believe that the Xiongnu at that time were likely to have trade with West Asia, North Africa and other places, so they would "barter things", using Arab horses as commanders and horses, or for the khan's travel ceremony.
It can be seen that horses occupy an important position in the history of world wars or civilizations and the history of human development!
Since the Najranhima rock art site in Saudi Arabia was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we have become more aware that our country's rock paintings, valuable historical materials about horses, also deserve attention.
(2) "Horse Soul": military horse painting of historical figures by border Cypriot military horse painter Gao Yan, a unique psychological experience
In 1965, Xianyang Qian County, Shaanxi Province, which is an important post station on the ancient Silk Road, is a pearl in silk culture: a baby croaking to the ground, I am afraid that no one would have thought that his life and "horse" formed an indissoluble bond.
He is Gao Yan.
(His works have been included in "Gathering Treasures" with Qi Baishi, Chuan Baoshi, Xu Beihong, Ye Qianyu and other masters, published by the People's Fine Arts Publishing House.) ）
(The works are included in "National Art Museum of China: The Age of Awakening, New Chinese Art")
(Biansai military horse painter, Gao Yan, immortal patriotic complex.) ）
(High Rock Diagram)
(High Rock Diagram)
No one thought that most of Gao Yan's life was devoted to expressing horses, spreading traditional Chinese culture and expressing patriotic ideas through the shape of horses and the gods of horses, and at the same time, he was also committed to commemorating the development of Chinese civilization, making an imaginative questionnaire, throwing it to history and mankind, inspiring people to understand horses, understand horses, understand horses, appreciate the connotation of horses' lives, and appreciate the entire world view, human outlook and values, and civilization view.
So, how did Gao Yan get involved with the "horse"?
In addition to its own family factors, the edification of parents and personal interests since childhood, it is also the Guanshan Ranch near Qian County (Qin Feizi, the ancestor of Qin Shi Huang, was once a horse herding here for the Zhou royal family and then knighted, and Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms to fight horses here, and it was also a royal military horse farm in the heyday of the Han and Tang dynasties... ) and after joining the army, he worked in Shandan Horse Ranch (the world's largest army horse farm, founded by the Western Han hussar general Huo Qubing Huo Qu Disease. This experience had a great influence on him.
And the horse, as a symbol of patriotism, an enterprising spirit, was firmly imprinted in his heart and became part of his life soul.
So, how did Gao Yan embark on the journey of representing the "horse"? In Gao Yan's previous works, in addition to portraying the indomitable patriotic will of modern military horses, they also portray the attitude of ancient military horses, especially reflecting a process of sinicization of Hu people in history, which is fascinating!
What kind of story is this?
(Takaiwa painting)
In the eighties, Gao Yan studied at the county cultural center, and at that time he was very fond of seeing the mural polo drawings excavated from Qianling and the three-color horses of the Tang Dynasty.
As Qianxian people, under the guidance of their teachers, they visited the tomb of Princess Yongtai, the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, the tomb of Prince Yide and other places to copy the murals.
In the process of copying the murals, he found that many scenes of Tang Dynasty royal activities were painted in the cemetery. And he especially loves those Chinese polo drawings, and as a teenager, he takes a sketchbook to copy whenever he has time.
In his opinion, "the lines on those Tang Dynasty murals are flowing, and the shapes are fat and round, showing the wealth and nobility of the Tang Dynasty." I really like it.
(Tang Dynasty polo playing diagram excavated from the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai in Qian County, partial.) ）
Invisibly, in Gao Yan's mind, he has such a belief: drawing horses can also show the scene of the society at that time, and reflect the society and historical culture at that time!
Therefore, in the process of later Gao Yan painting military horses, in addition to depicting the bravery, perseverance and patriotic spirit of modern military horses, but also in the process of interlacing time and space, a picture appeared in front of his eyes, reflecting a process of sinicization of Hu people in history, and this process was recorded with a brush to present its truth to the greatest extent possible and restore the history of a certain time: of course, he could not think he was perfect, but he tried to restore the impression and truth in his mind.
And the sinicization of the Hu people is indeed an indispensable part of the history of Chinese civilization.
(King Wuling of Zhao let the Han people wear Hu clothes and promoted "Hu clothes riding and shooting", the picture comes from Fang Zhi Handan, "[Handan Spring and Autumn] Idiom Allusion - Hu Clothes Riding and Shooting")
(Portrait of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei.) ）
(Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei moved the capital to Luoyang, picture source: Jiangsu Satellite TV "Classic Legend")
(Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei asked the Hu people to wear Han clothes.) ）
(During the Warring States period, King Wuling of Zhao's "Hufu Riding and Shooting" and Emperor Xiaowen's policy of sinicizing clothing both promoted further ethnic integration.) ）
(Takaiwa painting. ）
(Takaiwa painting. ）
(Gao Yan's work reflects some of the characteristics of the era in the process of Sinicization of the Hu people, reflecting a special psychological experience of his own.) ）
High rock painting horse, emphasis on "fine"!
In the process of painting horses in high rocks, you can see that from the hairstyle of the characters, it is a sign of a clear beard!
Hufu is usually considered to be "left 衽", but in fact, according to the excavated cultural relics, Hu fu is not necessarily "left 衽", but also has "right 衽".
For example, among the large number of samurai figurines excavated from the Qin Terracotta Army, the pleated suit is also called "Hufu", which is the hand-collared right side.
(Image source: @Shaanxi Learning Platform, "[Qin Figurine Hundred Questions Micro Lecture Hall] The Category of Pottery Figurine Clothes in the Qin Figurine Pit")
As for the discussion of "left and right" in Hufu, Huang Yi once wrote an article in the Beijing Evening News "Is Hanfu divided into left and right?" When it comes to a large number of excavated cultural relics, not only the Central Plains costumes are not divided between left and right, in fact, Yidi costumes are the same, so the Central Plains costumes also have left and right, and there are also right ones in Hu clothes, which is not generalized.
From the perspective of traditional culture, it is generally believed that Hanfu is on the right and Hufu is on the left, but from the perspective of excavated cultural relics, not all situations are consistent.
(The pottery figurines in the Northern Wei tombs excavated in Datong, Shanxi, the Hu people "female music figurines", have narrow sleeves with a right collar, and narrow sleeves on the left.) ）
Therefore, in Gao Yan's pen, the Hu people have their specific hairstyle, which is very easy to identify, and the collared top, pants, and boots, as a kind of identification feature of the Hu people, is still relatively obvious, and in terms of right and left people, it is not inhibited (as shown by the excavated cultural relics).
As for the belt, it reflects a mixture of Hu and Han imagination at that time.
(Figure 1)
(Figure 2)
(Photos 1 and 2: Photographs of Northern Dynasty horseback warriors.) ）
It can be seen that there are samurai figurines riding horses in Hanfu, and there are also ways to wear bearded clothes on the left and right, and so on!
And on the belt, does it also have to follow the corset with a leather belt? ...... Is there a special case or influenced by the Han culture at that time, so on the day of the Hu people, the waist was also tied with cloth belts? ...... It's an imagination, but it's not necessarily impossible.
Especially for the civilians in the military horse farm at that time.
(Takaiwa painting)
So in Gao Yan's imagination at that time, a picture was presented in front of him, after Zhao Wuling King Hu rode and shot, the Han people wore Hu clothes and led to the integration of Hu and Han, and then Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei reformed again, this time the Hu people wore Han clothes, and the Hu Han further integrated... As a result, the national dress presents a variety of inclusiveness and hybridity.
It is also this mixture that Gao Yan's imagination brings this diversity to the clothing of the Hu people, and gives their characters a unique living space:
In the special historical environment at that time, the clothes worn by the Hu people, during the mixing period, or the informality of the Hu people, may also be like the Han people, using cloth strips as belts to bind them.
This is an observational imagination, which Gao Yan knows is not perfect, but reflects a psychological experience in it:
In the heavy rain, or before leaving, the Hu people hurried, he tied a cloth belt casually tied around his waist, after all, he was a commoner, originally his wife felt so chilled, but her husband told her: "Many Han people are like this!" It's okay! So this time when he went out, he tied a cloth belt commonly used by Han people as a belt around his waist, and several times down, he actually felt ordinary, after all, cloth belts are much cheaper than belts.
He thought to himself: "No one knows whether I am Han or Hu, but it can be used, so it will work!" "After all, with the fusion of Hu and Han, this cloth belt is much cheaper than the belt.
(In fact, however, the people of the Northwest know that in the past, in order to keep out the cold, they often wrapped long cloths around their clothes as belts to prevent the wind from heating them.) ）
In such a psychological experience, Gao Yan painted his imaginary Hu-Han fusion scene in his pen.
He knew that it was not absolutely perfect, but he followed a certain degree of truth and played on it, which was a psychological exploration of his painting, because he believed that painting not only expressed its spirit, but also reflected the social culture and customs of the time in the scene.
(Takaiwa painting)
(Takaiwa painting)
High rock painting horses, focusing on "Ya".
Gao Ya has studied horses, not only physically, but also in artistic conception!
He is painting horses, in order to show the spirit of horses, the courage of horses, will use white or orange or red and other sunrise to set the atmosphere, of course, there are also at night, the night light shines on the earth, shining, good horses drinking water, people feel the beauty of oases in the desert, hope rises in the heart.
It also reflects the spirit of the horse never giving up and retreating in any desperate situation.
If on a snowy day:
As on the Gobi:
As in front of dark clouds:
It is always a posture of urgent catch-up, always working hard and moving forward courageously.
And the tree in the painting, with red poplars heroically rooted in the ground like a towering tree, vigorous will! The shock of life, from this!
(Takaiwa painting)
(Takaiwa painting)
The red leaves on the tree are not willing to give in, and they also show their stubbornness and arrogance in a vivid posture!
Gao Yan's poplar is also a manifestation of spirit and a symbol of perseverance! How else to say, "Poplar does not die for a thousand years, does not fall for a thousand years after death, and does not rot for a thousand years after pouring"? This is not to say that it is a matter of time, but to say that for a person who has a pursuit, his patriotic will and enterprising spirit like a galloping horse are eternal.
With the depiction of poplars, and the eternity of time, and the symbol of the horse's enterprising, you can go to any dream place, fearless, whether it is a clear sky, a snowstorm or other circumstances, it will never change this original intention!
Thus projecting the author's strong personality and noble pursuit of loving horses, respecting horses, and being like horses: the eternity of realizing value in dedication.
(Takaiwa painting)
(Takaiwa painting)
So you look at his horses, often in the form of "white horses" (also called "luma"), white spots on the forehead or head as white seals, different sizes and forms, respectively: small stars, stars, broken meteors, long meteors, long wide meteors, white nose or white nose, white face, white lips, etc.), and the forehead has the white seal of "meteor", what is the meaning of this meteor?
In the Book of Poetry, he is the carriage in which noble young people visit noble gentlemen, which is a symbol of nobility;
In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Lu Ma was ridden by Liu Bei, and it is strange to say that this Lu Ma helped Liu Bei jump over the Sanzhang Tanxi, but the others rode it, but the end was not very good, so at that time some people said that this "Lu Ma" was an ominous horse, Bole's "Xiangma Sutra" said: "The Lu, the one who enters the horse with white forehead to the tooth, is called Yuyan, a Lu." The slave passengers died, the lord abandoned the city, and the fierce horse was also. ", note that "slave passengers die", indicating that it is not controlled by ordinary people, and in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", according to the story, Liu Bei gave the luma to Liu Biao, but Liu Biao's adviser Kui Yue warned Liu Biao that this horse is a fierce horse, not to mention there is a tear trough, in fact, the horse conceals Liu Bei, refuses to submit to people, and there is a tear trough, reflecting Liu Bei's "love to cry"... But after Liu Bei rode on the horse, he did not hinder the lord and saved his life, until after giving it to Pang Tong, Pang Tong had an accident... It can be seen that in this, the one who is good at controlling a good horse is the general, the mediocre and difficult to control Lu, so this may be the source of the murderous reputation of "Lu Ma", as for Kui Yue's admonition to Liu Biaozhi, of course, it is implicitly meaningful, intending to tell the other party to remind Liu Bei! Therefore, Lu Ma is also the love of the general, and the mediocrity cannot ride either;
In "The World Speaks New Language", Yu Liang buys a Lu horse, and someone tells him that it is an ominous horse, but he says: "There will be a buyer who sells it, that is, he will harm his master, and he would rather be uneasy with himself and move to others." At the same time, he also gave the example of Sun Shuao cutting two snakes without giving blame to others, in order to eliminate the other party's vigilance! So does Luma have to be a "fierce horse"? In fact, Yu Liang, as a Gaoshi, of course, understood that this was a misinterpretation and a false rumor, "Luma" is called "馰" ((dí)) in ancient Chinese, referring to the horse with a white forehead, also known as "颡", 馰颡 (sǎng), 颡 means "forehead". And this "of" is actually "旳", which means bright, so the white of the forehead can be said to mean bright, but for some reason, in the folk, the word "of" is interpreted as the meaning of "arrow target", which is equivalent to the horse being hit by an arrow in the forehead, and it becomes quite unlucky, which may also be a source of Luma's "murderous name" (of course, it can also be seen that a "manifestation" of the lack of folk culture). ), and Yu Liang of course cannot be spread falsely, but some folk sayings are also impossible to directly confront, so he said that he could not blame others, and reflect his own demeanor, in fact, it also proved that Yu Liang is a Gaoshi, as a Gaoshi, but also a celebrity, must also face all kinds of gossip and slander, such as Luma suffered some "notoriety", but the heart always knew that he was innocent, so this Luma is also loved by celebrities;
In Xin Wai's "Breaking the Formation, Giving Chen Tongfu a Strong Word to Send It", the general told everyone in poetry that Luma is a magnificent horse and a military horse, and shows that he is not only fast, but also makes great contributions under the hands of famous generals, thus sweeping away the saying that Luma is a fierce horse! (If he thinks Luma is an ominous horse, he will not use it as an illustration to show how fast the horse is.) ）
(Takaiwa painting)
"Breaking the Formation, Giving Chen Tongfu a Strong Word to Send It"
(Southern Song Dynasty) Xin abandoned the disease
Drunk to pick up the lamp to see the sword, dream back to blow the horn company camp. Eight hundred miles under the scorching, fifty strings to turn over the outside sound, the battlefield autumn point soldiers.
Lu of the horse is fast, and the bow is like a thunderbolt. But the king of the world affairs, won the name of the posthumous body. Poor white happens!
In Pu Songling's "Liaozhai Zhiwei", the first "Kaochenghuang" also mentions "white horses", the original sentence is: "One day, when I was sick, I saw the official holding a horse, and led the white horse, and the clouds: 'Please go to the test.'" Here Song Tao was called by Guan Gong to take the exam (he was admitted to the city god later, but because his mother was still alive, he begged the other party to make him filial and go to the post again. ), the person who came was a petty official, indebted to the white horse, which shows that the white horse at that time was a symbol of power and a manifestation of status and status.
In Gao Yan's pen, this white horse is also Luma, which was originally loved by famous generals, Coats, and of course, emperors in history! Because of the emperors in history such as the Northern Song Dynasty Li Gonglin's "Five Horse Diagrams", in addition to a snow-white "Night White", the other four horses, crested horses, brocade cranes, good head red, full river flowers, of which the jin arm and the full river flower are white horses, and there are white spots (white seals) on the forehead, but in the legend, Li Gonglin painted the full river flower, the full river flower died, some people said that Li Gonglin painted too godly, so the "full river flower" was painted to death, thus adding the mystery of Li Gonglin's brushwork, so there is "painting killing" Manchuan flowers 'said', and in fact, Hequ horse as the Zhou Dynasty, the tribute horse of various dynasties in history, until the end of the Qing Dynasty, and among the Hequ horses, we can also know that there are many types of white horses, and from the "five horses" on Li Gonglin's portrait, it can be seen that as a tribute horse, no matter where it comes from the Western Regions, the white horse is a relatively common existence, and there is no taboo in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" or "folklore", including Pu Songling's novel "Kaochenghuang", and even it is also a small official who highlights his identity, This shows the preciousness of its status.
And "Manchuan Flower" as a white horse also has the legend of "painting and killing", it can be seen that the white horse may not have the legendary "murderous name", everything is just a legend.
Of course, life is worth cherishing for everyone. Both man and horse.
But one thing is certain, the preciousness of the white horse needs to be taken care of, if the owner does not understand the horse or does not know the horse, the horse may also "have an accident".
(Takaiwa painting)
(Takaiwa painting)
And Gao Yan's Luma, whose white seal basically presents the shape of a "long and wide meteor", shows that Gao Yan not only made careful observations in the process of painting, but also his personal preferences, and his form of "long and wide shooting star" means "auspicious high light", quite like the shape of a "star", representing good wishes.
The mane on the horse's head is mostly black hair, which looks very wild and mighty, and the snow-white long and wide meteor is lined with more and more heroic and unforgettable.
(Takaiwa painting)
(Takaiwa painting)
I was curious about Gao Yan's horses, especially in this historical figure, under different weather and environment, in addition to people and horses, there are often plants, such as poplars, stones, such as the Gobi, and red mountains in special geographical environments, reflecting the geographical environment at that time, thus showing the unique border style of the west.
Of course, the other animals that appear in the picture, such as dogs or birds flying in the sky, are unexpectedly joyful and show the vividness of the picture.
(Takaiwa painting)
(Takaiwa painting)
High rock painting horses, focusing on "specialized".
Where is the "specialized"?
His pursuit of artistic conception is undoubtedly precious, his admiration for noble personality is undoubtedly respectable, and his connotation of spiritual quality is undoubtedly rare! But he knows that "imagery", "imagery", the image is deeper! Deeper elephants come from deeper meanings! And the deeper meaning comes from persistently learning the technique on the "elephant" to appreciate its meaning, where the spirit of painting lies!
So, how does Gao Yan grasp the "horse" specialty? From form to meaning, how is this transformation accomplished?
(Image source: "Shaanxi Eat, Drink and Play", "How many of the most beautiful places in Shaanxi have you been?") 》）
(Image source: @Weiyou Gansu, "Shandan: A Bright Pearl on the Silk Road")
He first sketched extensively in Guanshan Ranch and Shandan Ranch, but in the process of sketching, he found that although he could grasp the movement shape and structure of the horse, it was difficult to transform it into the pen and ink form unique to Chinese painting.
He said: "Chinese painting has high requirements for pen and ink. The texture of the line, the shape of the dots, and the ink used on the surface are very particular. Pen and ink have common beauty and personality beauty, commonality is the traditional classic learning inheritance, and personality is to create its own unique pen and ink language in learning. ”
He loves horses, and he naturally enjoys showing the mysterious and broad symbol of horses in traditional Chinese culture in the form of Chinese paintings!
So, he began to study the paintings of famous people through the ages! How they draw horses!
Among the famous masters of the past, he especially likes the drawing of horse drawings by Cao Ba, Han Gan, Li Gongchen, Zhao Mengfu and others, and their techniques are very appreciated by him! So how to convert this pen-and-ink process? He studied the works of these people.
Although Cao Ba's painting of horses is very famous, in fact, no works have been handed down, but there are poems of Du Fu in the Tang Dynasty as evidence:
"Wei Satirical Record House Guan Cao General Draws Ma Tu"
(Don) Du Fu
At the beginning of the kingdom, he had come to draw a pommel horse, and the king of Jiangdu was the only one.
The general has been named for thirty years, and the world has seen the truth again.
Emperor Zeng Maung Xian shone white at night, and Longchi flew thunderbolts for ten days.
Inner house Yin red agate plate, Jieyu passed on the edict to the people.
The general of Panci returned from the dance, and chased after each other lightly.
Gui Qi Quanmen's handwriting began to feel that the barrier was radiant.
In the past, Emperor Taizong fisted Mao, and recently the Guo family lion flower.
Today's new picture has two horses, which makes those who know it sigh for a long time.
All of them rode and fought against ten thousand, and the desert opened the wind and sand.
The other seven horses are also unique, like smoke and snow in the cold sky.
Frost hooves trampled on the long rows, and the horse officials were raised in a column.
Pity the nine horses fighting for the divine steed, and Gu Shiqing is high and steady.
By asking who the bitter beloved is, there is Wei irony before the escape.
Reminiscing about the past and visiting Xinfeng Palace, Cuihua whisked the sky to the east.
Teng Xiaolei dropped 30,000 horses, all of which are the same as this picture.
Since the sacrifice of treasures to the River Sect, there is no re-shooting in the water of the Jiaojiang River.
Jun did not see the pines and cypresses in front of the golden millet pile, and the dragon medium went to the wind of the birds.
From the scenery of wind and sand, from the state of divine hooves, from the sky of smoke and snow, from Gu Pan Qinghua, from the fusion of history, from Du Fu's words to imagine Cao Ba's painting of horses, he became his experience, and presented it under the pen of force.
Han Gan paints horses, bone and flesh rhyme, skin beauty, each is the best state of each horse, but also the most skeletal charm, the beauty of Shen Yun nature, it has long surpassed the meaning of Puma, and shows a perfect way to draw horses, making people think about each horse, should be able to show the best state, and people love the horse in reality, so there is a positive meaning, and he uses the pen but is concise, the pen and ink are thick, the fragrance is fully displayed! This kind of elegant rhyme is deeply hidden in Gao Yan's paintings, and it can also vent the beauty of his inner feelings at any time.
(Han Gan, who Wang Wei admired as the "Poetry Buddha", is not only the painter of Tang Xuanzong's love horse "Night White", but also the world-famous "Mu Ma Tu" is also written by him, and Mu Ma Tu is now in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.) ）
Li Gonglin painted horses, before the "Five Horse Diagram", you can know that each horse is different, and Li Gonglin was once praised by Su Shi and said "" (Li Gonglin is also known as the Longmian Scholar), and his people have the mysterious legend of "painting and killing 'Manchuan flowers'"!
In fact, in the process of enlightenment, Gao Yan found that what Su Shi said was certainly correct, but where is this Li Gonglin painting bones, in the flesh and bone, isn't it still spirit? ...... Just from Li Gonglin's copying of the Tang Dynasty painter Wei Hao's "Pasture and Grazing Map", he saw that the appearance of each horse is different!
That is to say, every time Li Gonglin paints horses, he never looks at horses as just objects like ordinary people, in the eyes of Li Gonglin, a longmian layman, horses and people are equal, they also have their independent spirit, have their thoughts, so horses and people are equal,
Therefore, in Li Gonglin's "Linwei Grazing Map", Li Gonglin added his personal perception, in addition to copying Wei Hao's "Pasture and Grazing Map" staggered spatial arrangement, and his people embellish it with refined white drawing techniques, each horse has a different expression, and is an independent soul, which makes the whole "Linwei Grazing Map" appear more natural, vivid and touching.
The four characters of "clean and elegant" to describe its penmanship can be said to be "appropriate benefits"!
(Part of Li Gonglin's "Linwei Pasture Drawing".) ）
(In Li Gonglin's "Five Horse Diagrams", the figure of the famous horse "Manchuan Flower" can be seen.)
The world said that Han Gan painted and killed "Manchuan flowers", but they did not know the true fate of Manchuan flowers, Han Gan's penmanship was vivid, and Manchuan flowers were painted on paper, which has been passed down since then and has also given the world eternal nostalgia. ）
And after Gao Yan understood Zhao Mengfu's "Double Horse Map", he suddenly understood!
This "Double Horse Tu" happens to have Zhao Mengfu's self-titled poem, "Feiteng is a true dragon species, when did Jianbi come from?" The light of the light in the room wanted to fly, and the secret map did not dare to open to people. ", to show that as a descendant of the Zhao royal family, it is a pity that the time is not there, but he still has ambitions in his heart, but this ambition cannot be told to people, so he said that "the secret map does not dare to open to people"!
Of course, there is naturally more than one "Double Horse Map"! However, gradually, he saw that "the general trend has become a reality", from "Double Horse Tu" to "Centaur Tu", and even "Yu Ma Tu" and showed how although the environment has changed, he has always made the world a better place with a original intention.
And "Yuma Tu" uses Yang Liu as the background to show his high and independent character, even though the situation changes, but with the attitude of bathing horses to face the dust of the world, so that the "horse" is better, thus also looking forward to his attitude towards reality: since it is powerless to change, let it be in the existing environment, at least in your own hands, and your own desire to make it better.
(Zhao Mengfu's "Bath Horse Tu", part.) ）
Zhao Mengfu's mentality shows the attitude of a literati to the changes in the world, when he is powerless, he tries his best to do everything around him well and make it better, and each painting also has its real meaning: this meaning makes the simple painting of horses become "Supporting Things and Words", borrowing paintings to say their wishes!
(From "Centaur Map" to "Man Riding Map", we can see the change of Zhao Mengfu's mentality, and in the change, how to arouse his enthusiasm and work hard for Cangsheng.) ）
Gao Yan studied the above works, came up with various experiences, plus his original large number of sketching exercises, and gradually formed his own style!
Modern military horses, while showing strong strength, guarding the frontier!
The military horse paintings of historical figures show a certain scene imagined by themselves in the process of Hu and Han integration with vivid pictures, thus reflecting some transmutation characteristics of that era and culture, and achieving a certain miniature, expressing their patriotic aspirations with the vivid, profound and focused connotation of the picture.
No matter how traditional Chinese culture develops: the horse is always the epitome of the spirit of Chinese civilization, it is positive, it is motivated, it is masculine, it is broad, it is supple, it is ambitious, it is eternal, it is also healthy, it symbolizes might, it also symbolizes a long career, and morally loyal subjects and loyalties make it shine!
In the endless history, the horse represents both the modern and the future, showing the history or reality of that moment with a moment of painting the horse, and presenting the beautiful vision and expectation of the future, holding on to eternity in romance.
(Takaiwa painting)
(Takaiwa painting)
Or how it developed in the history of world civilization, Gao Yan paid attention to the performance of horses in history, and recorded the development of historical civilization at that time, including war, in the form of rock paintings.
In the history of human development, the integration of Hu and Han in Chinese history is also a stage that cannot be bypassed, and the presentation of this stage, Gao Yan with the strength of painting, verve, and beautiful psychological experience, integrated into this process, and showed his power, charm, imagination and vision of drawing horses!
(Takaiwa painting)
He implicates the meaning of "horse" in human civilization;
He presents the record of the "horse" in history and culture in the brush, and presents it outside the imagination, which is both real and beyond the real, reflecting a psychological experience beyond the beautiful imagination;
He tasted more about the "horse" written by celebrities, no matter whose spirit, whose connotation, whose creation, whose technique, whose thoughts, he integrated all this into his pen and became his unique horse!
His military horses!
(Takaiwa painting)
(Takaiwa painting)
Under the combination of classicism and realism, romanticism also came into being!
High rock painting horses, painting more than just horses! It is also a unique psychological experience of Chinese civilization!
Gao Yan paints horses, not only horses, he paints the enterprising spirit of human beings, the embodiment of civilization! The horse he imagined had broken through time and space, traveled through all history, and also came to reality! Galloping in the imagination, but leaving a heavy mark on history!
It is impossible for horses to disappear, even if there are fewer and fewer horses in war today!
However, the glory that the horse once left behind cannot disappear!
The horse species still gives us a wonderful experience!
Everything about horses, memorable and tasteful, it is synonymous with beauty!
(Takaiwa painting)
And the horse, from birth to death, from breed to connotation, it encompasses all meanings, and life, it is the same.
We read horses, and we read life.
Where is the painting horse in high rocks! He also paints himself, and everyone's life!
High rock painting horses, not just horses! He paints historical memorials and realistic experiences, beautiful imaginations, galloping enthusiasm!
He paints horses, loves horses, and every horse is also born of Gao Yan's participation in all ideological complexes!
Every horse is also his love for the motherland, and every heart that lights up!
If I had to name a high rock horse, I would think: "horse soul".
(Takaiwa painting)
Resources:
1. Tian Nanxing, the first trigram of the I Ching - Qiangua, the original text of the dictionary and the vernacular translation";
2. Jinwen Guan Zhi, "What is Kungua?" Yuan, Heng, Limu Ma no Zhen";
3. Sina Sports, "A Generation of Military Horses, "Plateau Dragon Horses" Going to Loneliness";
4. History of Peter Pan in Beijing and Tianjin, "Ancient Emperor Horse: Qin Shi Huang Qijun, Zhou Mu Wang Bajun, Han Wen Emperor Jiuyi, Tang Taizong Ten Ji";
5. Equestrian Micro Academy, "Horse Identification: White Seal";
6. Knowledge Library, "The First Masterpiece of Song Painting";
7. Zhilujun, "The only surviving authentic work of Li Gonglin in China, who painted more than a thousand horses and was forbidden to go abroad for exhibition";
8. Qushi.com, "How big is the largest territory during the Yuan Dynasty and which countries are included in these places";
9. Fang Zhi Handan, "[Handan Spring and Autumn] Idiom Allusions - Hu Costume Riding Shooting";
10. Beijing Daily client, "Is Hanfu divided into left and right?" 》；
11. National Party Media Information Public Platform, "The Reform of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei and the Historical Evolution of the Chinese National Community";
12. Shaanxi eats, drinks and plays, "How many of the most beautiful places in Shaanxi have you been to?" 》；
13. Global Network, "Extremely rare! Helan Mountain also discovered new rock paintings";
14. Micro Tour Gansu, "Shandan: A Bright Pearl on the Silk Road";
15. The Paper, "Beyond Quanzhou, New Members of World Heritage include Hima Petroglyphs, French Lighthouses, and Iranian Railways";
16. Shaanxi Learning Platform, "[Qin Figurine Hundred Questions Micro Lecture Hall] Categories of Pottery Figurine Clothes in the Qin Figurine Pit";
17. Human history, "Saudi Arabia's "Hima Petroglyph Site" inscribed on the World Heritage List;
18. Xinhua Photo, "Najranhima Petroglyphs Inscribed on the World Heritage List in Saudi Arabia";
and other materials, etc.
Thanks for sharing.