The 17-foot-long masterpiece attributed to the painter Zhang Zeduan is an intricate ink-on-silk painting of life in the Northern Song Dynasty capital, Kaifengan and it captures what life was like during the Song Dynasty, the peak of Chinese civilization. It captures the Six Principles of Chinese Painting that were established by Xie He, a writer, historian and critic in 6th century China. It shows animations through spirit consonance, the energy and vitality transmitted from the artist to artwork with its lifelike depiction of all the action, people crossing the bridge, sailing in boats and the crowds gathering on the bridge and shores. The trees and river are depicted to show nature. Brushwork gives the painting texture, although it is difficult to see here.
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The distance between near and far has been accurately shown with the brushwork throughout the hand scroll. Fidelity to the object in portraying forms is shown by the delicate shapes and line work. The bridge is the focal point and draws your eye across the river and up the road where people are walking down to the bridge which is known as the Rainbow Bridge. Conformity in applying color layers, tones, values and shading depict the spring season. Precise coloring is soft but eye catching. The greens of the trees and the grasses greening up from the golden color of the winter’s dead grass show spring’s arrival. The colors are varied in their tone and hues, highlights are added to the center of the shore across the river and the underneath side of the bridge is almost white which makes the shape and size stand out. The proper planning in placing the items in the composition show space and depth and also perspective. I enjoy the overall composition; depth is shown as the buildings get smaller and less detailed as the painting goes back into the distance and the use of parallel projection in shown. Iintricate and realistic scenes are placed in the foreground, while the background shows vast and
The distance between near and far has been accurately shown with the brushwork throughout the hand scroll. Fidelity to the object in portraying forms is shown by the delicate shapes and line work. The bridge is the focal point and draws your eye across the river and up the road where people are walking down to the bridge which is known as the Rainbow Bridge. Conformity in applying color layers, tones, values and shading depict the spring season. Precise coloring is soft but eye catching. The greens of the trees and the grasses greening up from the golden color of the winter’s dead grass show spring’s arrival. The colors are varied in their tone and hues, highlights are added to the center of the shore across the river and the underneath side of the bridge is almost white which makes the shape and size stand out. The proper planning in placing the items in the composition show space and depth and also perspective. I enjoy the overall composition; depth is shown as the buildings get smaller and less detailed as the painting goes back into the distance and the use of parallel projection in shown. Iintricate and realistic scenes are placed in the foreground, while the background shows vast and