The famous painters of the tiger in the past generations have paid attention to the idea, and the tiger in the painting may have a heroic spirit, or entrust the good wishes of stability and peace in the four seas. In modern times, there have been famous tiger painters such as Zhang Shanzi, Xu Beihong, and He Xiangning. They not only pursue both form and spirit, but also surpass their predecessors in the use of shape, color and line, especially paying great attention to the atmosphere of the times in their works.
Zhang Shanzi likes to paint beasts, especially tigers, and calls himself "Tiger Idiot", known as "Tiger Prince". When he was in Suzhou, a fellow villager and friend got a tiger cub and knew that Zhang Shanzi had a soft spot for tigers, so he gave the tiger cub to Zhang Shanmao. Zhang Shanzi was like a treasure, and he also gave him the nickname "Hu'er". Lin Yutang commented on Zhang Shanzi, "The tigers he painted have one muscle, one spine, one shoulder, and one claw, all of which are full of energy, pure and realistic. ”
Zhang Shanzi's "Double Tigers" painted in 1930 shows two fierce tigers standing on a cliff, one looking back and the other roaring angrily. The body of the tiger is on the mountain, the body of the tiger is tight, the head of the tiger is looking back, the eyes are round and angry, the eyes are blazing, the ears are erected, the thick ink of the tiger body outlines the markings of the tiger, and the ochre color is applied between the markings, the tiger's tail is strong and powerful like a steel whip, showing the demeanor and domineering of the king of the mountain. The scenery of the tiger's environment is equally exquisite, and the autumn foliage of the mountains is depicted by the painter's refined brushwork, which not only has independent aesthetic value, but also sets off the theme of the picture. The world often sees Qi Baishi painting shrimp and Xu Beihong painting horses, and their tigers are also vivid.
Qi Baishi is most famous for painting fruits, vegetables, flowers, people, fish, shrimp and crabs, and his works of painting tigers are extremely rare. "Tiger Picture" breaks the traditional painting method of facing the audience with the positive image of the tiger, only painting the back of the tiger, but through the figure of the tiger's back twisting, you can still feel the robustness and strength of its body, although the autumn grass on both sides of the tiger's body is swaying, you can still feel its unmoved by the surrounding environment, the king's demeanor of self-respect.
Xu Beihong's "Tiger Picture" depicts a spotted tiger lying on a stone, turning its head to look back into the distance, its vigilant gaze not only expands the sense of space in the picture, but also shows the domineering spirit of the king of beasts. The tiger in the picture is painted with the pastel colors of traditional Chinese painting, and the movement of the tiger's desire and stop is outlined with delicate brushwork, and the fur on the tiger's back is staggered with dark or shallow ochre and garcinia cambogia, showing a fine and silky texture.
People both love and respect the tiger's bravery and majesty and the spirit of a king. Since ancient times, the tiger in paintings has often looked at all directions and has the demeanor of a king, and has become a spiritual symbol of driving away evil and avoiding evil. However, tigers sometimes have a different shape. Xu Beihong's "Statue of the God of Wealth Riding a Tiger" is a reversal of the traditional image of the tiger, giving the mighty and fierce tiger of the past a certain pleasant and festive color.
In the Statue of the God of Wealth Riding a Tiger, the tiger's fur is first dyed with ochre, and the length is not painted while the water is not dry.
First, the staggered texture, the ink lines are scattered on the wet paper, and the effect of the ink is both virtual and solid, which naturally expresses the fine texture of tiger hair. The "Brother Zhao" in the inscription refers to the marshal of Zhao Gong who was able to attract wealth and treasure in folklore. As an auspicious painting, this picture has elements of imagination and exaggeration. Zhao Gong, a square-faced man, was dressed in armor, covered with a blue robe, and pedaled official boots, riding majestically on the back of a tiger.
This work was made by Xu Beihong at the request of a friend. The genus of the friend couple is a tiger and a rabbit respectively, and Xu Beihong created this work in which the tiger and the rabbit are playing together. The painter made the tiger no longer fierce and full of naughtiness, and used the scene of the tiger and the rabbit playing to symbolize the harmonious and intimate relationship between the husband and wife.
Lions and tigers are He Xiangning's favorite materials. The lion and tiger she painted are very accurate and vivid in shape and posture, with different forms, either roaring with their heads held high, or walking down the mountain alone, or sitting and resting, majestic and delicate, not angry but majestic, and have a kingly demeanor from the inside out.
Painted in 1910, "Tiger" was a gift from He Xiangning to Huang Xing. The painting is rendered in light ink as a whole, with the cold moon in the sky, vividly depicting the posture of a tiger crawling in front of the mountain and roaring loudly on the eve of dawn.
Figure: Gao Jianfu and Gao Qifeng are the founders and outstanding representatives of the "Lingnan School". The tigers they depict roar in the shape of a roar, and their eyes are extremely three-dimensional and transparent, and they are blazing.
The tigers in these paintings are fierce and domineering, delicate and cute, full of motherhood, or festive and funny, reflecting the rich and colorful spiritual world of the Chinese people and constituting the ever-changing tiger culture in the traditional sense of China.