Dai Dунбэн's newly drawn album pages of harmonious nature -- Animal Friends series

Author: Dai Dunbang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Unlike the large-scale "masterpieces" known for character painting in Dai Dunbang's works such as Dream of the Red Chamber and Water Margin, this book is not grand in scale. However, under Dai Dunbang's brush, every vivid character and every moving story reflects his love for life and reverence for nature. At the same time, this is one of his thematic collections of small pieces that is closest to real life. The "Animal Friends" section is composed of paintings inspired by the artistic conception of Chinese literary treasures. Mr. Dai, who excels both in painting and scholarship, carefully selects ancient Chinese poetry and prose, pairing them with new illustrations and annotations. The book includes famous works by renowned authors such as Bai Juyi's Birds, Du Mu's Remote Letters, Zhang Ji's Pastoral Boy's Song, Su Shi's Against Killing, Ouyang Xiu's Painting the Magpie, Lu You's To a Cat, and more. It is not difficult to find well-known "protective life" quotes such as "Do not shoot the birds on the branches, for their mother is waiting for them back in the nest," "Do not shoot the southbound wild geese, for they may carry letters to distant people," and "Different people have different feelings for fish; I come to feed them, and you cast your hook." It is precisely these ancient ideas of protecting animals that have inspired this "folk artist" to develop a deep love for animal welfare. Under Dai Dunbang's brush, from large animals like oxen, horses, apes, and dogs to small ones like chickens, ducks, pigeons, and fish, even swallows, bats, and bees—all creatures in the world are imbued with life and emotion. Moreover, the artist captures the fleeting "eye contact" between animals and humans, their subtle relationships and conflicts, vividly on paper, stirring the heart. The short introductory texts for each poetic illustration demonstrate the painter's courage to face life head-on. These "reflections" he expresses while creating reinforce the theme of "protective life" and add a new layer of meaning—protecting the human living environment—without hindering the reader's own understanding and imagination.