Bodhisattva image

Author: Su Xiaosong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-11-01
Features: Liu Songnian, a Southern Song Dynasty painter. Born in Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang), he was a student of the Chunxi Painting Academy and served as a court painter during the Shaoxi period of Emperor Guangzong (approximately 1190-1194). During the Ningzong period (1194-1224), he painted the "Gengzhi Tu" (Ploughing and Weaving Pictures). He excelled in landscape painting, learning from Zhang Xunli (whose given name was Dunli, and who studied under Li Tang). His brushwork was precise and meticulous, with beautiful colors. He often depicted lush forests, towering bamboos, and landscapes of clear mountains and flowing water. The houses he painted had well-executed perspective drawings. He was also skilled in figure painting, capturing vivid expressions and dynamic clothing folds. His works such as "The Meeting on the Bridge" and "The Four Generals of the Reunification" expressed support for resisting the Jin Dynasty and opposition to surrender. Later generations ranked him alongside Li Tang, Ma Yuan, and Xia Guai as the "Four Masters of the Southern Song Dynasty." His surviving works include "Xiting Kehua" (Guest at the Stream Pavilion), "Four-Season Landscapes," "Drunk Monk," and "Arhat." This painting depicts a single arhat with his right shoulder bare, leaning against a bodhi tree trunk as if reciting a profound verse, lost in thought. Two black monkeys climb and play on the bodhi and pomegranate trees, offering fruits below, while a novice uses his sleeve to catch them. Nearby, a pair of roe deer roam gracefully. The scene balances motion and stillness, with exquisite and powerful brushwork, making it an excellent reference for learning traditional painting techniques.