Five Horses

• Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk　
• 186 x 106 cm

Zhao Yong, who went by the style name Zhongmu and was a native of Wuxing, was the son of the renowned painter-calligrapher Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322). In painting and calligraphy, Zhao Yong followed after his father and excelled at painting landscapes and especially figures and horses.

Through his father's influence, Zhao Yong became an official, serving in the capital approximately from 1342 to 1350 up to the post of Attendant in the Jixian Institute. Up until 1356, he served as the Prefect of the Huzhou Circuit in his hometown. From the content of the inscriptions on this painting by Liu Yong and Wang Guoqi, Chao did this work for Yuan Qing, a major Mongol official. Thus, it appears that in 1352, Zhao Yong was still active with members of the Mongol nobility. 

This painting shows a scene of herding horses on a grassy pasture dotted with trees and rocks. The five horses shown here appear to be in a variety of activities such as rubbing against a tree, nestling  with each other, and grazing. Both physical structure and external appearance of the horses reveal the artist's close observation and understanding of them. A groom is also shown leaning against a pine tree  as he dozes off in a leisurely and carefree manner. The figure and horses were outlined with a centered brush as the artist gave the figure an interesting expression and the horses a robust and imposing manner. The leaves and needles of the trees appear painted in a strict manner using fine brushwork that almost looks formulaic .

The result is a strong emphasis on decoration that also yields an aura of archaic simplicity. Zhao Yong employed the expansive surface of the lake behind to push out the space to the distant mountains, making the middle- and background light and airy. Despite the spatial layering, the trees and elements of the foreground dominate the composition. 

The blue-and-green coloring  and brushwork are in the manner associated with the Tang dynasty (618-907), but the combination of coloring and texture stroke methods distance this work from the elegant purity of Tang blue-and green landscapes , giving full expression to the Yuan dynasty that focuses on texturing brushstrokes.

 

Nestling

【解說小字典】

Feeding：

Groom is also shown leaning against a pine tree

Formulaic brushwork

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.

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.