“Detail of Admonitions”, Six Dynasties Period
March 7, 2010
Click for bigger picture.
The full title of this image is “Detail of Admonitions of the Imperial Instructress to Court Ladies”.
This image shows an escaped circus bear that rushes to kill the Han Emperor. The female servants are show running away from the bear, while the male figures attempt to fight it off with spears. Lady Feng, calm and ladylike, simply places herself in front of the bear, protecting the emperor in her own way.
This painting illustrates two out of the six ideal painting principles as written by scholar Xie He.
(1) It depicts the belief of the daoist/taoist qui, or the breath that animates all creation and shows life’s movement.
(2) The brush strokes illustrate the bones of the picture, which is a primary structural element.
