Dai Dунбэн's newly drawn "Harmonious Nature" album pages · Animal Friends series

Author: Dai Dунбэн (Illustrator)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Unlike the large-scale "masterpieces" of Dai Dунбэн, such as Dream of the Red Chamber and Water Margin, which are renowned for his expertise in character painting, this book is on a smaller scale. Yet under Dai Dунбэн's brush, every vivid image 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 works that is closest to real life. The "Animal Friends" section is composed of paintings inspired by the artistic connotations of Chinese literary classics. Dai Dунбэн, who is both an artist and a scholar, has carefully selected ancient Chinese poetry and paired it with new illustrations and annotations. The book features works by renowned masters such as Bai Juyi's Birds, Du Mu's Remote Letters, Zhang Ji's Pastoral Poem, Su Shi's Against Killing, Ouyang Xiu's Oriole, 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 young ones are waiting for their mother's return," "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" with a deep sense of compassion for life. Under Dai Dунбэн'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 painting demonstrate the artist's courage to face life directly. These "postscript reflections" during the creative process 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.