Horseback Riding in Spring

• Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk　
• 88 x 51.1 cm

Zhao Yong followed the style of his famous artist-father Zhao Mengfu. The manner of the scholar still appears somewhat in Zhao Yong's fine-brush manner and coloring . Among his paintings of figures and horses, "Five Horses" is perhaps the most famous. This work, though undated, appears quite similar to "Horseback Riding" painted in 1347. Both depict a noble figure dressed in official garb riding a horse under a tree and holding a bow . This compositional formula of a figure and horse under a tree was common in the Tang dynasty and the style follows the colorful Tang blue-and-green landscape  tradition. Also harking back to older traditions, the figure here is exquisitely rendered, and the horse appears robust. Both were painted using a centered brush to create fine lines that are dense and fluid. The background has been simplified to include only two crossing trees. The trees and earthen forms also appear to have been rendered in an almost patternistic  manner, revealing yet another reference to the simplicity of painting in high antiquity.

Coloring

There are two traditions of Chinese painting, monochrome and polychrome. They are generally referred to as "color painting" and "monochrome ink painting." The former involves the use of either vegetable- or mineral-based colors that is known as "coloring." Depending on the darkness and hue of the colors, various gradations or combinations (such as "blue-and-green" or "green-and-gold") are possible.

Holding a bow

Blue-and-Green Landscape

Also known as "green-and-gold landscape," this is a traditional form of Chinese landscape painting involving mineral pigments based on azurite (blue) and malachite (green). Gradations of blue and green are possible to create "major" and "minor" blue-and-green distinctions. "Major blue-and-green" involves mostly outlines with few texture strokes and heavier coloring. It is therefore more decorative. "Minor blue-and-green" usually involves a foundation of more ink or color washes, creating a lighter and more transparent effect.

Patternistic