Lovely Couple with Good Fortune
Life has always been busy and it is not easy to arrange time to paint large paintings. However, it is indeed a lot of fun in life to squeeze some time to draw small paintings. In recent years, I have been particularly fond of silver paperboard. It has small size and it can be directly framed when finished. It is very convenient and beautiful. My works of “Lovely Couple” and “Good Fortune” have been painted on the silver paperboard.
What I really want to express through my painting “Lovely Couple” are the beautiful scenery of the full blooming of plum blossom and singing parrots. On the background of the painting, the trunk of plum is stretching up and branches incline sideways with pink plum blossoms. Other plum branches are slanted out in the front and the red plums are in full bloom. Two set of plum branches are separated up and down. It is hoped that a cut of the picture can be visually formed. Also, it is intended to echo with the pink plum blossoms on the background. Pair of brightly colored parrots is perched on the branches of red plum blossoms in the foreground. The one on the left is quiet while the one on the right is excited to dance and sing.
The title inscribed on this painting is “Biyi 比翼 (fly wing to wing) Qimei 齐眉 (eyebrows in unison)”. “Biyi” originally refers to that when birds fly, their wings are next to each other. Later on, it is used by scholars as an analogy that couples staying together forever. Moreover, “Qimei” refers to mutual respect and love between husband and wife. This painting is intended to borrow the image of parrots to express the good wishes for lovers in the world as the implication of the inscription.
In the painting “Good Fortune”, the trunk of ancient plum is thick and strong even though the tree body has been attacked by the wind and the frost. The bark has been cracked with epidermal bulge. On the top, two plum branches cross each other. Plum blossoms are either about to bloom or swaying and competing for beauty. Under the plum, a deer standing on the flat grass and turning to the left to look at something. Right next to the ancient plums, clear spring is murmuring and flowing down from the mountain rock. In the distance, the mountains are blurred and the trees are hidden, in order to create a scene of good temperament. The inscription of this painting is “Fulu Shuangzhi 福禄双至” meaning “Together with Happiness and Wealthy”. Since a plum blossom has five petals, it really conforms to the virtue of five blessings (longevity, wealth, healthy and undisturbed, virtue, good death). Therefore, it is regarded as a symbol of beauty and happiness. In Chinese, “Lu 鹿 (Deer)” is a homophone for "lu 禄 (Wealthy )", it also contains the meaning of auspicious longevity and wealthy with successful career.比翼齐眉 福禄双至
生活总是营营役役，要安排时间来绘画大画并非易事，但经常挤点时间画画小画，确是人生一大乐趣。近年，我特别钟情于银笺卡纸，它尺幅不大，画好了无需裱就可以直接装框，很是方便，也甚为美观。拙作《比翼齐眉》和《福禄双至》就是绘于银笺卡纸上。
《比翼齐眉》所要表现的是梅花盛放、鹦鹉唱和之美好景致。画中后景梅花主干上挺，梅枝横斜，粉色梅花缀满枝头。前方别有梅枝旁逸斜出，枝头红梅盛放，两截梅枝一上一下，既希望在视觉上形成对画面的切割，又欲与后景之粉梅形成照应关系。前景红梅枝干之上，是一对毛羽鲜艳的鹦鹉栖息其上，左侧鹦鹉意态娴静，右侧鹦鹉展翅欲舞，欣喜鸣唱。
此画题为“比翼齐眉”。按“比翼”一词，原指鸟类动物飞翔时翅膀挨着翅膀，如屈原《楚辞·卜居》：“宁与黄鹄比翼乎？将与鸡鹜争食乎？”后代指喻夫妇相伴不离，如《晋书·后妃传上·左贵嫔》：“惟帝与后，契阔在昔。比翼白屋，双飞紫阁。”“齐眉”出自“举案齐眉”的典故，《后汉书·逸民列传·梁鸿传》：“遂至吴，依大家皋伯通，居庑下，为人赁春。每归，妻为具食，不敢于鸿前仰视，举案齐眉。”指夫妻间互敬互爱。此画意在借鹦鹉的形象，以“比翼齐眉”四字，表达对于人世间有情人的美好祝福。
而《福禄双至》中古梅主干粗壮，树身历经风霜侵袭，树皮开裂，表皮凸起虬结；上方两杆梅枝横斜交叉，枝头梅花或含苞待放，或竞相斗艳，盼能摇曳生姿。下方一头梅花鹿立于平坡草地之上，转头望向左侧，似乎正在观望着什么。古梅之旁，可见清泉淙淙，如白练般从山石下泻下。远处则可见山峰迷蒙，树木掩映，冀能营造一派出尘脱俗的景象。此画题为“福禄双至”。按梅花因花开五瓣，契合五福（即：寿、富、康宁、攸好德、考终命）之德，因此被视为美好的象征。而梅花鹿则因“鹿”与“禄”同音，具有吉祥长寿和升官进禄之意。
