Willows and Magpies

Title

Willows and Magpies

Creator

Xu Beihong

Year/Period

Dated 1939

Region

China

Object Type

ink wash paintings

Material

Chinese ink, paper (fiber product)

Technique

ink wash (technique), painting (image-making)

Dimension

Image size: L:124.5 cm x W:41 cm,
Image size: L:247 cm x W:53 cm

Accession No.

2000-07887

Collection of

Asian Civilisations Museum

Credit Line

From the Xiang Xue Zhuang Collection in memory of Dr Tan Tsze Chor

Xu's art was inspired by a wide range of sources, but essentially it was rooted in the pursuit of Realism. He is considered the first Chinese artist to have successfully integrated Chinese painting and Western academic realism.This painting shows the artist's skill in depicting small creatures. From a young age, Xu Beihong was already encouraged by his father to paint what he observed directly from nature. Magpies were regarded as harbingers of good fortune in Chinese symbolism. Xu produced many such paintings to raise funds for the anti-Japanese movement in China.