Prince Yun's Western Painting Selection (1940-1945)

Author: Wang Ziyun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Wang Ziyun created and sketched a vast number of artworks throughout his life, with a particular emphasis on sketches. Especially during the period of 1940-1945 when he organized the Northwest Art and Cultural Relics Survey Team, he conducted comprehensive artistic and cultural surveys of the provinces in the northwest. Wherever he went and whatever he saw—whether landscapes, famous historical sites, cultural relics, or folk customs—all were vividly depicted in his works. Many of his famous cave temple panoramic sketches were not only aesthetically pleasing landscape paintings but also detailed, dimensioned field records for research. Representative works include the panoramic view of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang. This nearly five-meter-long scroll was drawn by Mr. Wang Ziyun over the course of a month. He meticulously measured the positions, distances, sizes, and heights of each cave, and densely annotated clear numbering. To create the panoramic view of the Mogao Caves, he ran around, climbed up and down, using his skilled painting techniques and even his unskilled measurement methods, with immense effort, finally completing the scroll. This is an extraordinary long scroll painting. At that time, it was impossible to capture such scenes with cameras; today, even with advanced tools, the original state cannot be replicated. Therefore, it is irreplaceable historical material. "This precious Dunhuang scroll was donated to the Dunhuang Academy without charge, becoming an important archival resource for them. Additionally, works like the panoramic view of the Tang Dynasty's Eighteen Tombs and the Han Dynasty's Maoling Tomb scroll arranged the mausoleums in their respective directions, forming a cohesive whole. These works, neither purely artistic paintings nor complete engineering survey maps, authentically reflect the terrain at the time. Some of these historical relics have been damaged or disappeared, while others have been altered beyond recognition, making these scrolls even more invaluable. Furthermore, during the survey team's journey, sketches of landscapes, streetscapes, and folk customs were sketched along the way. Though brief, they vividly capture the essence, presenting the true face of society half a century ago and giving viewers a sense of being there. Those paintings depicting the rear-area people's physical efforts in the war further reflect Mr. Wang Ziyun's boundless patriotic spirit and unwavering belief in victory. These sketches, apart from the long scrolls, are mostly of dimensions 56cm × 35cm.