「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」A Scroll of Ink and Color, The Qingming Festivals of Two Dynasties

When it comes to the Qingming Festival, the first artistic work that comes to mind is undoubtedly the “Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival”. However, many people are unaware that apart from the original work by Zhang Zeduan of the Northern Song Dynasty, there is also a copy by Qiu Ying of the Ming Dynasty. They have captured the unique charm of the Qingming Festival in different eras on their canvases.

Zhang Zeduan’s “Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival” captures the bustling urban scene of the Song Dynasty during the Qingming Festival. The spring water of the Bian River and the various postures of the visitors are depicted. The scroll unfolds the entire scene with a scattered perspective, with a meticulous composition that is complex yet orderly. The brushstrokes are vigorous and combine both detailed and freehand techniques, integrating the precision of realism with the charm of ink and wash. The colors are elegant, without the gaudiness of court-style flower-and-bird paintings, yet deeply rooted in the realistic core of the Song Dynasty. It presents the vivid and complete picture of the urban life in spring during the Song Dynasty.

The “Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival” by Qiu Ying of the Ming Dynasty, a copy and re-creation of the Song version, breaks away from the simple and elegant style of the original. It incorporates the refined and elegant scenes of the Jiangnan region. The brushwork is meticulous and delicate, and the colors are bright and warm. It adds scenes of garden outings and elegant gatherings, presenting the leisurely elegance and bustling prosperity of the Jiangnan region during the Qingming Festival of the Ming Dynasty in a detailed and vivid manner within a limited space.

The Song and Ming scrolls each have their own charm. The Song scroll captures the authenticity of the solar terms and the northern life, while the Ming scroll depicts the elegance of spring and the refined charm of the south. Through the flowing brushstrokes, the distinct features of the Qingming Festival in different eras are captured, and the profound cultural and humanistic beauty of the festival is preserved in the thousand-year-old paintings, passed down from generation to generation.

The tea for today is all gone. Next time, I’ll brew a fresh pot and enjoy art with you again.