Scenes Inspired by Yu Xin’s Poetic Sentiment

Winning high acclaim for their bold and lively styles, Xu’s horse paintings were admired amongst collectors and connoisseurs for their strength and brashness, linked to Xu’s desire to express his own feelings of patriotism. Painted with exceptionally bold and expressive strokes, Purple Horse is a breakthrough from the conventional techniques using meticulous fine-lines and controlled ink wash. Xu employed freehand strokes and outlined only the critical parts, such as the nose, the chest, and the hooves. Xu Beihong studied the anatomy of horses and observed their postures and expressions in great detail; the shape of the large muscles at the neck, breast and back is accentuated with ink washes in various tones, creating a handsome and robust figure, confirming Xu’s position as one of the first generation of innovative artists seeking to revive the long tradition of Chinese aesthetics and visuality.