Li Gonglin: Loved Painting More

Li Gonglin (1049-1106) (李公麟): Courtesy name Bo Shi (伯时), style name Longmian Jushi (龙眠居士); native of Qianshan, Anhui Province. After successfully passing the court-administered civil service examination, he rose to chief minister at the court of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, but unable to give up his favorite activity of calligraphic and artistic creation he took early retirement and returned to his painting. He is credited by critics with achieving premier rank in the Song period in the depiction of figures, horses and landscapes. This painting “An Imitation of Wei Yan’s Out to Pasture” (临韦偃牧放图) was commissioned by the Emperor as an imitation of a famous work by the Tang painter Wei Yan. There are 1286 horses and 143 people in the composition, which is divided into two parts. In the first part a large group of unsaddled war steeds at right are led by an official in a slow procession toward the left. In the second part at left, the steeds that have reached the pasture are widely scattered and move about freely. The entire entourage of horses and people are spread out along the river and on the hill in a detailed, realistic and majestic depiction of the royal horses put out to pasture. Although an imitation of Wei Yan’s old work, the painting, upon closer scrutiny, displays a uniquely personal touch of Li Gonglin in his rhythmical use of brushstrokes of varying thickness.

source: The Art Book of Chinese Painting, published by Long River Press