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Huang Chu-tsˇ¦ai, a native of Szechwan
province, was the son of the famous bird-and-flower painter Huang Chˇ¦uan.
He followed in his fatherˇ¦s style of outlining forms with thin
brushstrokes and then filling them with colors. The paintings by the two
Huangs set the standard for artistic excellence in the painting academy of
the early Sung dynasty (960-1279).
This work is an excellent
example of the balance between action and stillness. Take, for example,
the blue magpie in the lower section of the scroll. It appears to have
just jumped onto the rock as it bends down to take a drink from the stream
below. Despite the stillness, it suggests both the previous and future
movement. The forms actually in movement, however, are the sparrows above,
which are fly, chirp, or gaze about. The slender bamboo, phoenix-tail
bracken, and clumps of grass in the foreground extend horizontally in both
directions for balance and peace. Therefore, this painting imparts a sense
of ease and calm.
The magnificent blue magpie
extends almost from one edge of the painting to the other, with the rest
of the scene filled with a large rock and slope, thorny shrubs, bamboo,
grass, and sparrows arranged along a vertical axis. The weight of the
composition is located in the middle of the painting, correlating to a
similar practice in Northern Sung landscape painting. The patternistic
effect of the arrangement is also decorative, which reflects the
artistˇ¦s awareness of the archaic and beautiful style of bird-and-flower
painting practiced in the Tˇ¦ang dynasty (618-907).
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