Overview
Chinese Name: 清明上河图
English Name: Along the River During the Qingming Festival; Qingming Shang He Tu
Year: Northern Song Dynasty北宋时期
Artist: Zhang Zeduan 张择端
Dimensions: 24.8cm*528.7cm
Brief Introduction
The Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a genre painting of the Northern Song Dynasty北宋时期. It is the only surviving boutique of the painter Zhang Zeduan 张择端 of the Northern Song Dynasty. It is a national treasure and is now stored in the Palace Museum 故宫博物院 in Beijing.
Using the perspective composition of scattered points, the work vividly records the urban appearance of Bianjing汴京 (also call Dongjing东京， now Kaifeng开封, Henan Province河南省), the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty in China in the 12th century, and the living conditions of people at all levels of society at that time. It is not only a witness of the prosperity of the capital in the Northern Song Dynasty, but also a portrayal of the urban economy in the Northern Song Dynasty.
The Along the River During the Qingming Festival is one of the Top 10 Chinese Paintings 中国十大传世名画. In the five-meter-long painting, a large number of colorful figures, cattle, mules, donkeys and other livestock, cars, sedans, large and small ships, houses, bridges, towers and other unique features are painted, reflecting the characteristics of architecture in the Song Dynasty. It has high historical and artistic value. This is unique in the history of Chinese and even world painting.
What is worth appreciating about this painting？
It is rich in content and depicts many things.
From vast fields, vast rivers and towering city walls to rivets on boats and cars, small commodities on vendors and words on market signs, they are harmoniously organized into a unified whole.
In the painting, there are officials, farmers, traders, doctors, wizards, monks, Taoists, soldiers, women, children, boatmans, woodcutters and other figures, as well as donkeys, cattle, camels and other livestock. There are scenes such as marketing, buying and selling, wandering, drinking, chatting, pushing boats, pulling cars, taking sedans, riding horses and so on.
There are 1695 people in the painting (500 people version, 815 people version), more than 60 livestock, more than 20 wooden boats, more than 30 houses and pavilions, and more than 20 carts and sedans.
Such rich and colorful content is rare in ancient paintings of all dynasties. The various activities of various characters are not only dressed differently, but also have different expressions and temperament, but also interspersed with various activities, which are full of dramatic plot conflicts, which makes the viewer have endless aftertaste.
The structure is rigorous, and the paragraphs are clear.
Although there are so rich and colorful contents, the main body of the painting is prominent, echoing from beginning to end, and integrated. Every character, scene and detail in the painting are arranged reasonably. It fully shows the painter’s deep insight into social life and his high ability of picture organization and control.
The painting techniques combine the thickness and details.
This painting chooses those things, scenes and plots that are both vivid and poetic, and have essential characteristics to express. Very meticulous observation of life, depicting every character and prop. Everyone has his own identity, attitude and plot. Houses, bridges and other buildings have rigorous structure and meticulous description. The objects on the ship, the way of riveting, and even the way of tying ropes and buckles are clearly depicted, which is amazing.
The Artist of the painting
Zhang Zeduan (about 1085-1145) was a master of painting in the Northern Song Dynasty. Good at painting buildings, trees and people. The custom paintings include detailed depictions of shops, bridges, streets and city walls, accurate boundary paintings, bean people and inch horses, and the image is like life.
Zhang Zeduan was studious since childhood. In his early years, he traveled to Bianjing (now Kaifeng, Henan Province) and later studied painting. He is an outstanding realistic painter, and most of his other works have been lost. The Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a treasure of ancient Chinese art.
There are no historical records on Zhang Zeduan’s life experience, which has been a mystery for thousands of years. There are only 85 words of information about the author of Along the River During the Qingming Festival.
A Moving Masterpiece 清明上河图
Panorama of “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” View online
