Xu Beihong: Master Painter of Equine Elegance

In this second installment of our two-part feature, we’ll talk about Xu Beihong's contribution to horse painting. Through meticulous attention to detail and mastery of form, he elevated horse painting to new heights, becoming renowned as a trailblazer in capturing the majestic beauty and spirit of these noble creatures.

Transcript

Xu Beihong: Master Painter of Equine Elegance

In this second installment of our two-part feature, we’ll talk about Xu Beihong's contribution to horse painting. Through meticulous attention to detail and mastery of form, he elevated horse painting to new heights, becoming renowned as a trailblazer in capturing the majestic beauty and spirit of these noble creatures.

After eight years of study and accomplishment in France, Xu Beihong finally decided to return to China. In September 1929, recommended by Cai Yuanpei, president of Peking University, Xu Beihong became Dean of the School of Fine Arts at the university. Cai Yuanpei then hired Qi Baishi, one of the most well-known contemporary Chinese painters, as a professor.

During that time, the art scene in Beiping, now Beijing, had become stagnant. The painting style was stubbornly conservative, with no one daring to innovate. Qi Baishi emerged as a refreshing stream in the art world. Despite being a carpenter-turned-painter, he boldly innovated and changed traditional painting methods. However, the academic circles looked down upon his peculiar style, and he didn’t receive much response. Xu Beihong decided to visit him personally to invite him to come out of retirement.

After several visits to Qi’s home in a four-wheeled carriage, Qi Baishi was moved by Xu Beihong’s sincerity. He said, “How dare I, a carpenter wielding an axe in an old house in my hometown of Xingtang, become a university professor?” Emotionally stirred, Xu Beihong replied, “Not only can you teach Xu Beihong’s students, but you can also teach me! You and I will use your axe to chop down the withered trees of the Beiping art scene!” From then on, despite an age gap of 32 years, a friendship between the two modern masters was formed.

Xu Beihong became a master painter renowned for his depictions of horses, with numerous folk stories extolling his talent. In the spring of 1934, Xu Beihong held an exhibition at the State Museum in Moscow, where he painted for the audience. The exhibition hall was packed with spectators. Xu calmly ground his ink and prepared his paper. In the blink of an eye, a lively horse appeared on the paper.

The audience was captivated by Xu’s extraordinary skill, and thunderous applause filled the hall. At that moment, Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny, a prominent Soviet military leader during the Russian Civil War and World War II who played a significant role in the Red Army’s cavalry operations and was later appointed as one of five Marshals of the Soviet Union, approached Xu Beihong, saying, “Mr. Xu, could you give me this artwork? Otherwise, I will go crazy!” Xu Beihong was deeply moved, nodded and with a smile, wrote a dedication next to the painting, and in the traditional two-handed manner, handed it to the marshal.

The marshal warmly embraced Xu Beihong, loudly praising him: “Mr. Xu, you are not only a magical brush in the East but also a magical brush in the world. Your horses are more magnificent than any I have ridden!” For Xu Beihong, painting horses was a spiritual enjoyment. As his brush strokes fell, the contours came to life, as if he were riding alongside the horse, listening to the sound of hooves and feeling the wind as they raced, his heart galloping alongside the horse.

His depictions of spirited horses, characterized by bold ink strokes and a combination of meticulous craftsmanship and expressive freedom, portrayed a myriad of postures and movements. They galloped and leaped, neighed and looked back, soared into the sky, and kicked up dust with their hooves. Combining elements from both Chinese and Western painting styles, his works were imbued with a sense of freedom and power that inspired a generation.

During the difficult period of the 1940s, as the Chinese battlefield suffered consecutive setbacks and the resistance against Japanese aggression entered an extremely challenging phase, some people felt pessimistic and despondent. However, Xu Beihong held an opposite view. He saw this as an opportunity to seize, to turn the tide and boost morale.

Therefore, he created the masterpiece “The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains”, showcasing the industrious and courageous spirit of the Chinese people, refuting the pessimism of those during the war. Two years later, Xu Beihong once again created the renowned “Six Galloping Horses” painting. In this piece, six galloping horses exude elegance and freedom, with ink strokes that are both bold and subtle, displaying the majestic and robust physique of the horses. The painting is grand and magnificent, symbolizing the spirit of China.

Xu Beihong saw the dawn of victory in the resistance against Japanese aggression and unhesitatingly joined the ranks of artists raising funds. It’s worth noting that Xu was famously reluctant to sell his paintings. Admiring the works of Ren Bonian, a prominent Chinese painter known for his mastery of figure painting, he used to exchange his own paintings for Ren Bonian’s whenever he saw them. This nearly left his family destitute.

Initially, it took three or four Xu Beihong paintings to exchange for one of Ren Bonian’s. However, by the 1940s, the value of their artworks had become equal, with one of Xu Beihong’s paintings being exchanged for one of Ren Bonian’s. Despite being such a painter, during the resistance against Japanese aggression, Xu Beihong frequently left Chongqing, the wartime capital, to hold exhibitions in places like Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and Malaysia. This initiative received strong responses from overseas Chinese compatriots, with an average of one out of every 20 Singaporeans attending his exhibitions. In the end, Xu Beihong donated the entire sum of US$100,000 he raised to the frontline.

On January 4, 1939, Xu Beihong departed from Hong Kong and arrived in Singapore five days later. Amid the critical situation of the domestic resistance against Japan, Xu Beihong had also transported his collection of paintings from Guilin of southwestern China’s Guangxi to Singapore.

These artistic treasures were the culmination of Xu Beihong’s lifelong efforts. Due to their large quantity and size, it was impossible to safely and promptly transport them back to China given the circumstances at the time. After careful deliberation, Xu Beihong and his friends selected two hidden locations to bury the artworks, hoping to retrieve them safely after the war ended. After choosing the hiding spots, Xu Beihong hastily boarded the last ship bound for India before Singapore fell to the enemy on January 6, 1942, and then made his way back to China via Burma.

However, when Xu Beihong sent someone to Singapore in 1948 specifically to retrieve the paintings, the reply received was devastating: all the buried artworks and collections had either been destroyed or their whereabouts were unknown. This news dealt a heavy blow to Xu Beihong. From then on, he severed ties with Singapore until his passing.

From March 14 to 26, 1939, Xu Beihong held his first Nanyang painting exhibition in Singapore. The exhibition featured 38 oil paintings including “Five Hundred Soldiers in Tianheng,” “Following My Leader,” and “Sound of Flute,” 89 traditional Chinese paintings, such as “Nine Rivers Gathering” and “People of Ba Drawing Water,” and also included Xu Beihong’s copies of famous paintings from major museums in Europe, totaling 172 pieces. 

In June 1939, Tan Yunshan, the Dean of the Chinese Academy at the University of India, arrived in Singapore, bringing Xu Beihong a written invitation from the great Indian poet Tagore. After some preparations, Xu Beihong embarked on his journey to India on November 3 of the same year.

In the village of Shantiniketan, about 100 miles north of Kolkata in India, Tagore founded an international university based on his educational ideals. On December 14, 1939, over 100 works by Xu Beihong were exhibited in the gallery of the University’s Fine Arts College. Tagore attended the opening ceremony, praising Xu Beihong as a cultural ambassador between China and India and wrote a poetic preface for Xu Beihong’s exhibition. Xu Beihong, in turn, painted nearly 20 portraits of Tagore, praising him as “the true Son of Heaven.” 

In November 1940, Xu Beihong bid farewell to Tagore and returned to Singapore. On August 7, 1941, Tagore passed away. The sad news reached Singapore, and Xu Beihong, deeply grieved, immediately created two articles, “Paintings of Mr. Tagore” and “Elegy for Mr. Tagore,” expressing his mourning for Tagore.

Xu Beihong cherished his friendship with Tagore deeply. After returning from India to Singapore, he included the painting “Portrait of Tagore” in an exhibition on December 19, 1940. Until his final moments, Xu Beihong kept a large photograph of himself with Tagore at home and retained the calendar from the year 1940.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Xu Beihong actively engaged in cultural and educational activities. He was elected as a national committee member of the National Literary Federation, executive committee member of the National Literary Federation, and as a representative to the first session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He also served as the president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

On September 26, 1953, Xu Beihong passed away at the age of 58 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. According to his wishes, his wife, Liao Jingwen, donated more than 1,200 of his own works, as well as over 1,200 pieces collected throughout his life from famous calligraphers and painters from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and modern times, along with over 10,000 books, albums, and rubbings, all to the nation.

The following year, Xu Beihong’s former residence at No. 53 North Xijiekou Street in Xicheng District, Beijing, was converted into the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall, dedicated to preserving and exhibiting his works. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai personally inscribed the plaque for the “Xu Beihong Former Residence.”

In 2003, to commemorate and promote Xu Beihong’s immense contributions to Chinese art, the highest national art award in the Chinese Academy of Painting and Calligraphy, the “Xu Beihong Art Award,” was established.

Well, that’s the end of our podcast. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Lü Weitao, translator Du Guodong, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.