Yang Zihua of the Northern Qi Dynasty, "Survey Book Scroll", Song Dynasty white tracing book 29.3×122.7cm, collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, is a work of great historical and artistic value.
Yang Zihua, born and died in an unknown year, was the beloved minister of Gao Zhan, the ancestor of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and served as the general of the Zhige and the regular attendant of the foreign cavalry during the reign of the ancestor of the Northern Qi Dynasty (561~565). He was known as the "Saint of Painting" for his ability to draw aristocratic figures, palaces, chariots and horses, especially vivid and realistic, and is said to have caused the viewer to hallucinate at night, as if they heard the sound of horses searching for water plants and neighing. At the same time, he is also known for painting peonies, and Su Shi once praised his peony painting skills as "there is no Yang Zihua in the world".
The "Survey Book Scroll" shows the scene of Emperor Wenxuan's Gao Yang ordering Fan Xun and the eleven Xiucai and filial piety of Zhuzhou County in the seventh year of Tianbao of the Northern Qi Dynasty (556). The characters in the painting sit on a bed and read the scroll, or write with a pen, while others refuse or beckon each other with their hands to discuss the contents of the book. There are fruits, wine vessels and inkstones on the bed, and male and female servants stand aside, and the whole picture is full of the elegant life atmosphere of literati and scholars surveying books, tasting tea, and discussing Taoism.
The figures in the painting are plump and round, which is in stark contrast to Gu Kaizhi's "smooth and beautiful" style. The characters' expressions are focused and leisurely, showing the style of a literati.
The composition of the picture is ingenious, with four people sitting on the Hu bed in the front section, and two beds facing each other in the back section, forming a layout that combines movement and static. At the same time, the large screen, several cases, square tables and other backings are decently arranged, simple and generous, and orderly.
The lines are round and smooth, with slight light and heavy turns, and light and loose volumes, which just rightly expresses the idle character and temperament of the aristocratic literati. The colors are simple and elegant, and the white clothes are very eye-catching in the green and colorful surroundings, especially the delicate landscape paintings on the screens, showing superb painting skills.
The Scroll not only shows the life style of the literati and scholars in the Northern Qi Dynasty, but also provides us with valuable materials for studying the social culture and artistic style of the time. At the same time, as one of Yang Zihua's representative works, this scroll has an important position and influence in the history of painting.
Detail of "Survey of Books".
Song Dynasty color facsimile
Yang Zihua "Travel Map"