2012年5月24日星期四

Along the River During the Qingming Festival


Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a panoramic painting by Song Dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145). It captures the daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng , portrays the festive spirit and worldly commotion at the Qingming Festival. It is often considered to be the most renowned work among all Chinese paintings,and it has been called " China 's Mona Lisa."
The picture is 5.28-meter long, can be divided into three parts, but the countryside and the densely populated city are the two main sections, with the river meandering through the entire length.
The right section is the rural area of the city. There are crop fields and unhurried rural folk—predominately farmers, goatherds, and pig herders—in bucolic scenery. A country path broadens into a road and joins with the city road.
The intermediate section is about the busy quays. There are businesses of all kinds, selling wine, grain, secondhand goods, cookware, bows and arrows, lanterns, musical instruments, gold and silver, ornaments, dyed fabrics, paintings, medicine, needles, and artifacts, as well as many restaurants. The vendors extend all along the great bridge, called the Rainbow Bridge (虹桥 Hong Qiao) or, more rarely, the Shangtu Bridge (上土桥).
The left section is the urban area, which eventually leads into the city proper with the gates. Many economic activities, such as people loading cargoes onto the boat, shops, and even a tax office, can be seen in this area. People from all walks of life are depicted: peddlers, jugglers, actors, paupers begging, monks asking for alms, fortune tellers and seers, doctors, innkeepers, teachers, millers, metalworkers, carpenters, masons, and official scholars from all ranks.
There are 814 humans, 28 boats, 60 animals, 30 buildings, 20 vehicles, nine sedan chairs, and 170 trees in the picture, and the painting is known for its accurate images of all these variety things. Every people who catch a glimpse of the picture will be filled with deep esteem.

没有评论:

发表评论