Bird 1. Freehand style

Author: Wang Yao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: In traditional flower-and-bird paintings, if there are only flowers, trees, and plants without birds, beasts, fish, or insects, it often feels lacking in vitality. In people's aesthetic impressions, plants and trees belong to static things, while birds and other animals belong to dynamic things. Only by combining motion and stillness can they complement each other. In nature, small birds soaring freely in the sky give painters ample space for imagination. They depict birds to express joy, to conceal sorrow, or to convey their aspirations, endowing these little creatures with infinite emotional depth. For example, in the works of Zhu Da (), a Ming Dynasty imperial prince, the birds he painted often stare at people with white eyes, revealing the painter's grief over the fall of the previous dynasty and his satire of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, showcasing the painter's aloof personality and his unwavering determination to stand apart. It is precisely because of the perfect combination of the image and spirit of birds that Chinese flower-and-bird paintings have maintained their unique charm and stood firm in our treasury of national essence for centuries.