La Falaise rouge
Papier, Encre, Couleurs - Pigments
Peinture, Calligraphie
徵明; 徵仲; 徵山
Achat
M.C. 2007-1
Inscription and signature: 款識:壬戌之秋,七月既望,蘇子與客汎舟,遊於赤壁之下。清風徐來,水波不興。舉酒屬客,誦明月之詩,歌窈窕之章。少焉,月出於東山之上,徘徊于斗牛之間。白露橫江,水光接天。縱一葦之所如,凌萬頃之茫然。浩浩乎如馮虛御風,而不知其所止,飄飄乎如遺世獨立,羽化而登仙。
於是飲酒樂甚,扣舷而歌之。歌曰:“桂棹兮蘭槳,擊空明兮泝流光。渺渺兮余懷,望美人兮天一方。”客有吹洞簫者,倚歌而和之。其聲嗚嗚然,如怨如慕,如泣如訴,餘音嫋嫋,不絕如縷;舞幽壑之潛蛟,泣孤舟之嫠婦。
蘇子愀然,正襟危坐而問客曰:“何為其然也?”客曰:“月明星稀,烏鵲南飛,此非曹孟德之詩乎?西望夏口,東望武昌,山川相繆,欝乎蒼蒼。此非孟德之困於周郎者乎?方其破荊州,下江陵,順流而東也,舳艫千里,荊旗蔽空。釃酒臨江,橫槊賦詩。固一世之雄也。而今安在哉?況吾與子漁樵於江渚之上,侶魚蝦而友麋鹿。駕一葉之扁舟,舉匏樽以相屬,寄蜉蝣於天地,渺滄海之一粟。哀吾生之須臾,羨長江之無窮。挾飛仙以遨遊,抱明月而長終。知不可乎驟得,托遺響於悲風。
蘇子曰:“客亦知夫水與月乎?逝者如斯,而未嘗往也。盈虛者如彼,而卒莫消長也。蓋將自其變者而觀之,則天地曾不能以一瞬,自其不變者而觀之,則物與我皆無盡也。而又何羨乎?且夫天地之間,物各有主。茍非吾之所有,雖一毫而莫取。惟江上之清風,與山間之明月,耳得之而為聲,目遇之而成色。取之無禁,用之不竭,是造物者之無盡藏也,而吾與子之所共適。”
客喜而笑,洗盞更酌。肴核既盡,杯盤狼藉。相與枕藉乎舟中,不知東方之既白。壬子[?]月。徵明書。
Seals of the painter: 印: 1.徵仲(朱文) 2.衡山(朱文) This painting depicts a classical theme inspired by the “First Ode to the Red Cliff”, Qian Chibi fu 前赤壁賦, by Su Shi (1036-1101). The verses of this poem were transcribed by Wen Zhengming in the “small regular” script, xiaokai, 小楷, in the upper part of the composition. This literary subject, popular with the Wu school painters, was depicted numerous times by Wen Zhengming, usually in the form of a horizontal scroll. The text of “Ode to the Red Cliff”, also the subject of numerous transcriptions by Wen Zhengming in various styles, was sometimes directly connected to a painting, as is the case with this fan.
A story goes that at the age of eighty-six, Wen Zhengming transcribed Su Shi’s “Ode to the Red Cliff” in the “small regular” script in settlement of a debt contracted after a game of chess. Whatever the authenticity of the account, it reflects Wen Zhengming’s renown in a style of calligraphy requiring great technical skill and undiminished energy. For the author of this anecdote, the old man’s ability to execute “small regular” script illustrated his good physical and moral form. This interpretation, no doubt shared by Wen Zhengming’s contemporaries and, later, by his collectors, might also have applied to the Cernuschi Museum painting, dated 1552.
The landscape is also characterised by the delicate brushwork of the calligraphy. In counterpoint to this meticulous use of the brush, the colours, today faded, must have played an important role in the composition. While the red of the leaves in the foreground has retained its intensity, the green and, especially, the blue of the mountains have dulled. The work’s overall simplicity, reflecting a certain taste for archaism, also corresponds to the meditative nature of Su Shi’s text.