Although Japan placed a large amount of military power in Pacific War in 1943, in China, the Japanese and puppet troops continued to promote the "three-light" "sweeping" and "cleaning the countryside" operations in the north and south of China, carrying out a tragic massacre of the Chinese people, attempting to scare the Chinese people with this method.
However, from the perspective of the world situation, the Japanese army was struggling on Pacific battlefield , and the balance of the entire anti-fascist war gradually shifted to the Allied forces.
in Chongqing at the time Xu Beihong in order to inspire the Chinese military and civilians to create a painting called "Meeting in Tokyo".
Xu Beihong created this Chinese painting in which lions climbed Mount Fuji, roared angrily - "Meeting in Tokyo"!
Many people know that the horses drawn by Xu Beihong are a masterpiece. In fact, Xu Beihong is not only good at drawing horses, but also very good at drawing lions.
Xu Beihong recalls that he often goes to to Berlin Zoo to sketch , "Berlin Zoo is the most beneficial to artists. The threshold of beasts is always semicircular, and can be viewed from three sides. I love to draw lions, but because it is sunny or when there is no one in the morning, I will write it."
Xu Beihong recalled here " is the first book, and he wrote it every day, and he has accumulated hundreds of papers. ."
So we can see that in 1938, the Japanese invaders wanted to invade the land of China, countless people were killed by the Japanese invaders, and most of the country was completely destroyed.
Facing this scene, Xu Beihong created "The Lion of the Wound" with grief and anger.
In the picture, an injured lion squatted in the center of the picture and looked back, the lion's expression was full of anger and unwillingness.
Xu Beihong wrote in the upper right corner of the picture: "When Kong was in trouble in the country, he was visiting Mr. Lin Ruo in Chongqing without hesitation. He wrote this to express his feelings."
Xu Beihong compared China to a wounded lion. Although his body was damaged, the lion was not listless, but his eyes contained the tenacity of continuing to fight.
Another example is the "Lion's Side Eye" drawn in 1938. In this work, Xu Beihong also compared China to a lion and Japan to a poisonous snake.
Although the poisonous snake is entrenched and is ready to attack the lion, the lion's eyes are bright and not afraid of the threat of the poisonous snake at all.
in the upper left side of the screen Xu Beihong wrote: looks sideways. Zhuo'an Mr. Fang Jiahui was in charge of the anti-Japanese war in July 27th, and was betrayal.
Then, with the changes in the form of war, the artistic image of the lion has become the sustenance of the author's feelings for his country.
Xu Beihong's lion paintings are not only accurate in structure and vivid in shape, but also a model for the combination of Chinese and Western styles in painting art; but Xu Beihong's lion embodies the author's romanticism ideals, and has become one of the typical symbols of worrying about the country and the people and doing its best to revitalize China.
And Xu Beihong's "Meeting in Tokyo" is a fine product in lion paintings.
"Meeting in Tokyo" is based on the inscription of Xu Beihong's first draft. It was proposed by Chen Xiaowei, who participated in the Revolution of 1911 and later conducted military analysis in Hong Kong.
Chen Xiaowei is from Minhou, Fujian. He graduated from Baoding Military Academy in his early years. Later, he participated in the Revolution of 1911 and was appointed as the brigade commander of the lieutenant general. He left the military in 1929 and moved to Hong Kong in 1937 to establish a global military analysis magazine.
Chen Xiaowei once made a name for his reputation by successfully predicting in the media he founded that Germany would definitely launch a war against the Soviet Union and that Japan and the United States would definitely compete for the Pacific.
Chen Xiaowei said in a speech: In two or three years, Japan will be defeated, and the Allies will join Tokyo.
Xu Beihong, who was in Guilin at that time, was moved by Chen Xiaowei's speech and created the first draft of "Meeting in Tokyo" in 1942.
Picture Note: Xu Beihong's "Meeting in Tokyo" first draft
In this "Early Draft" of "Meeting in Tokyo", Xu Beihong wrote: The first draft of the meeting in Tokyo was written in Guilin in the autumn of 30 years. In the winter of 1936, Beihongju , Peking supplementary questions.
From the title, we can see that this picture was written by Xu Beihong in Guilin in the autumn of 1942 and added the title again in 1947. It should be something you always have with you.
Later Xu Beihong moved to the mountain city of Chongqing.
In Chongqing, Xu Beihong lives in his friend's Shijia Garden. Due to frequent Japanese air strikes, he risked being bombed during the day and took a boat to teach at the Central University on the opposite pine slope. After class, he hid under the stone cliff of Shijia Garden and painted in a small natural air raid shelter.
In order to prevent the Japanese plane from attacking, the whole mountain city was pitch black at night. Xu Beihong ignited kerosene lamps in the air raid shelter to create. Here he created another picture "Meeting in Tokyo", which is the picture displayed in the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall.
In this work, in the middle of the picture is a roaring lion, his heroic figure is elated and his eyes are glaring ahead. The tight muscles, rough mane and the heavy sense of mass of the lion make the picture full of masculinity.
There are three lions on the left, and on the right is a lioness leading two little lions.
And where these seven lions stand is Japan's iconic Mount Fuji. Although the upper right corner of
Although the color tone is gray, it feels like the battle clouds are dense and the wind is rising, it seems that a red sun is nurturing outside the clouds.
Xu Beihong wrote in the upper right corner of the picture: " meets Tokyo. The autumn of Renwu is painted as a first draft, and written in May of the following year. It is easy to use lions and chicks to be on the right side of the picture. It is a bit expressing anger, although it is too early, and it is also a pleasure to realize it. In the second year, around the Dragon Boat Festival, Beihong. "
This painting has a very obvious historical meaning. The roaring lions represent the anti-fascist alliance of China and ; the lions meet on the top of Mount Fuji in Japan, meaning that the War of Resistance Against Japan will surely win the final victory.
This painting is very artistic and imaginative and foresighted. Two years later, Japan surrendered unconditionally.
Xu Beihong once said: " I can't use a gun to kill the Japanese invaders, but I can use my brush to inspire people's fighting spirit in the anti-Japanese war and use the money obtained from the art exhibition to support the war of resistance. Although my family suffered a little while after me and was hungry, I felt calm when I heard the good news from the front line. All the unhappiness was swept away and I felt much more happy. "
Visited at the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall, not only to appreciate and learn Xu Beihong's works and techniques, but actually to learn more about Xu Beihong's patriotic feelings, which is also the precious inheritance left to us by Xu Beihong!
