Night-Shining White

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The Night-Shining White is from the Chinese culture by the artist, Han Gan. This piece was created during the Tang Dynasty period (618-907) in 750. Mediums used for the art was just ink and paper, made into a hand scroll. The scroll is about 30.8 centimeters by 34 centimeters. The piece resembles a horse from the Tang Dynasty. The artist, Han Gan was famous for painting such a well-done horse and also the spirit it gives off. What makes the horse so alive is the movement that Han Gan captured in its pose. The horse is positioned in a side profile, with a very aggressive look on its face. What make its face so intense are the burning eye effect, flared nostrils, hair movement, and the open mouth. Also, the body appears to be strong. The legs and hooves are in a dancing motion, giving it a real action pose. The horse is supposed to represent a leading horse of the Tang Dynasty. It is a charger of the Emperor Xuanzong. The horse is so powerful looking so that it embodies some of the Chinese myths of Central Asia. The myths say that horses of this scene were actually dragons in disguise that sweated blood and were considered celestial steeds. Surrounding the horse is a lot of red and black Chinese script. The purposes of these markings are seals and inscriptions of later owners and appreciators. This has a lot of significance and shows the distinctive feature of Chinese collecting and connoisseurship. The seals are continuously added once the piece is passed on to show ownership. About a thousands years of seals of ownership and comments are in scripted on the piece. This is definitely interesting to show off to the future generations, it more than just an artwork, it is apart of tradition and Chinese culture.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39901

Night-Shining White, Han Gan (Chinese, active ca. 742–756), Handscroll; ink on paper, China Night-Shining White, Han Gan (Chinese, active ca. 742–756), Handscroll; ink on paper, China

Comments

  1. Emily SnyderOctober 23, 2020 at 10:34 PM

    Hello Amanda, I think you chose a very interesting piece! I knew horses were very valued, but I had no idea that there was a myth centered around them being disguised as dragons, very awesome! I also found it interesting when you mentioned all the different seals and markings surrounding the horse that show ownership of the piece. Definitely a great tradition for future generations.

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