Zhao Mengfu’s “Autumn Colors on the Que and Hua Mountains”

Zhao Mengfu’s “Autumn Colors on the Que and Hua Mountains”
赵孟頫《鹊华秋色图》

作者：赵孟頫
Author: Zhao Mengfu
尺寸：28.4×90.2厘米
Size: 28.4 cm×90.2 cm
材质：纸本设色
Material: ink and color on paper
装裱：卷轴
Form: handscroll
年代：元代（现藏台北故宫）
Dynasty: Yuan dynasty (Collection of the National Palace Museum in Taibei)
《鹊华秋色图》举世无双，它的作者是元代书画家赵孟頫，画幅描绘的是济南的鹊山和华山。画中，赵孟頫将两座山分置于画面的一左一右，构图左右平衡，鹊山漫圆，华山高耸，树木茂盛，一派秋色美景，大气古远，被画界誉为元代文人画的代表作。
Created by Zhao Mengfu, a painter and calligrapher during the Yuan Dynasty, “Autumn Colors on the Que and Hua Mountains” is a unique painting, and depicts the scenery of the Que and Hua mountains in Ji’nan. The composition of the scroll is balanced: the pointed Mountain Hua on the right, and the rounded Mountain Que on the left. Around the two mountains are flourishing trees. The painting successfully conveys the beauty of autumn, and is well-known as a representative piece of landscape paintings in the Yuan dynasty.
《鹊华秋色图》是赵孟頫于1295年回到故乡浙江时为好友周密所画。赵孟頫曾任职济南，周密原籍山东，却生长在赵孟頫的家乡吴兴，从未到过山东。赵孟頫既为周密述说济南风光之美，也作此图相赠。
This painting was done by Zhao Mengfu in 1295 after he went back south from serving in the Ji’nan and was intended for his friend Zhou Mi. Zhou’s ancestral hometown was in Shandong, but he had never been there, as he was born and grew up in Wuxing, Zhao’s hometown. Zhao told Zhou of the beautiful scenery of Ji’nan, and presented Zhou with the painting.
《鹊华秋色图》在元、明两朝一直收藏于民间；到了清朝，这幅古画被收入皇宫，成了乾隆皇帝心爱的宝贝，乾隆亲笔以大字“鹊华秋色”题写于引首。
The painting was held privately during the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and during the Qing dynasty, it became a favorite of Emperor Qianlong, who wrote down the inscription on the painting, which reads “Que Hua Qiu Se (Autumn Colors on the Que and Hua Mountains)”.
鹊华烟雨
Que and Hua mountains in a misty rain
鹊山在黄河北岸，相传每年七八月间，乌鹊飞翔。又传先秦名医扁鹊曾在这里炼丹，死后葬此，故名“鹊山”。华山古称“华不注”，与鹊山隔黄河相望。北宋以前，华山周围一片湖水，远望华山就像水中含苞欲放的一支荷花。阴云之际，登上大明湖南岸的鹊华桥，向北远眺，但见细雨之中的鹊、华二山，若离若合，时隐时现，云雾缭绕，如两点青烟；再加上田野阡陌、水村渔舍，如诗如画，人们将此胜景称为“鹊华烟雨”。
Mountain Que is located on the northern bank of the Yellow River. Legend has it that during every July and August, there would be a large number of magpies flying over the mountain. Another story goes like this: a famous doctor of the Pre-Qin period called Bian Que once did his alchemic experiments in the mountain. He was buried there after his death. Hence the name Mountain Que. Mountain Hua, also called Mountain Hua-Bu-Zhu in the past, is facing the Moutain Que, which is across the Yellow River. Before the Northern Song Dynasty, Mt. Hua was surrounded by a lake. It looked like a budding lotus flower from afar. On a cloudy and rainy day, if you stand on the Quehua Bridge which is located on the southern bank of the Daming Lake and look to the north, you will see the two hills standing in the misty drizzle, which look like two plumes of smoke. This beautiful scenery, together with paths crisscrossing the fields, water villages and fishermen's homes, is known as “Que and Hua mountains in a misty rain”.
赵孟頫简介
Introduction to Zhao Mengfu
赵孟頫（1254—1322），字子昂，号松雪，浙江吴兴(今湖州)人。为宋太祖赵匡胤的十一世孙。
Zhao Mengfu (1254—1322), courtesy name Zi’ang and with the pseudonym of Songxue, was born in Wuxing (now Huzhou of Zhejiang province) and was a prince and descendant of the Song Dynasty's imperial family.
赵孟頫在书画方面的卓越成就，使他成为元初书画界无可置疑的领袖。他的书法，圆润秀逸，直追“二王”，正、草、隶、篆，无不冠绝。他倡导的“作画贵有古意”、“云山是我师”、“书画本来同”为当时画家广泛认同，并由其弟子承继推广，极大地拓展了中国画的表现领域，为元代的文人融入画坛奠定了坚实的基础。
Zhao Mengfu’s remarkable achievements in calligraphy and painting helped to establish his leadership in calligraphy and painting during the early period of the Yuan dynasty. Zhao was adept in many styles of calligraphy, such as seal characters, official script, running script and the cursive hand. His calligraphic works are neat, gentle and elegant, and enjoyed the same fame as the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi. His ideas on painting such as “The importance of reflecting the classical taste in painting”, “Clouds and mountains are the sources of my inspiration” and “The same resource in art of calligraphy, drawings and paintings” were widely accepted at that time, and were promoted by his students, which helped expand the expression of Chinese painting, and lay a solid foundation for scholars of the Yuan dynasty to enter the painting circle.