Description 竹雀圖 Birds by the Bamboo Grove
釋文：寒竹飄空翠，幽石帶曉煙，山禽應有意，來集夕陽邊。
款識：臨高且園，西山逸士溥儒。
鈐印：溥儒之印（白文）
Signed Pu Hsin-Yu in Chinese
With one seal of the artist
溥心畬，原名愛新覺羅．溥儒，初字仲衡，改為心畬，自號西山逸士；幼時入宮覲見，其敏捷的文思被慈禧太后讚譽「本朝靈氣，都鍾於此童」。溥心畬一生嗜詩文書畫，皆有成就。畫攻山水、兼擅人物、花鳥及書法，素有「北方畫壇第一」之封號；早年隱居馬鞍山，曾於《自述》中載明習畫的過程：「始習南宗，後習北宗，然後始畫人物、鞍馬、翎毛、花竹之類，然不及習書法用功之專，以書法作畫，畫自易工，以其餘事故工拙亦不自計。」最終讓他的藝術成就達至巔峰，融南北二宗於一體，而後更高於歷代文人雅儒的氣韻，呈現獨特的「溥氏風格」，其藝術成就超越了仿臨，展現出中國傳統文人畫的奧義。
溥心畬此作寫意《竹雀圖》以出紙法佈局，執蘭竹狼毫至畫幅左方落筆，畫節五枝成孤竹，墨韻澀澹跌宕，實中見虛，能一窺其深厚的書法造詣；上方旁枝竹葉的撇勢迅疾，墨色濃淡平分，竹葉相疊相破、夾葉藏鋒中富有生命力：下方濃墨側鋒掃葉，筆力翩若驚鴻；上部枯墨清掃，竹葉虛實相臨、錯落有致，可知其下筆毫不猶豫，用墨流暢遒健，能醒人眼目。畫雀法取寫意代工筆，簡筆澹墨出雀身歛羽的形貌、細筆描喙點眼，溥心畬畫雀鳥用筆相對地凌厲，細節處理也多率意而為，回首顧盼之姿雖然靈動、饒富機趣，但其間仍略帶感懷傷世之情。畫幅下方先以粗筆直掃山石，後用快筆皴點、細筆圓轉描草，溥心畬運筆一氣呵成，盡顯山中草色紛亂的景致。畫幅右側布白處以行書題「寒竹飄空翠，幽石帶曉煙，山禽應有意，來集夕陽邊。」寫盡故國山河不在的慨歎，寓情於景，詩畫間透出疏冷感，孤竹旖斜的姿態與佈白處的題詩兩者巧妙搭配，在視覺上展現出絕佳的平衡感。綜觀《竹雀圖》構圖清簡孤高，是溥心畬花鳥畫少見的構圖，除能表現出其承自北宗清勁的筆調外，又能以文人的氣韻賦與此作洗練沉穩的貴族風範。
Pu Hsin-Yu, also known as Aisin Gioro Pu Ru, Zhong-Heng, Hsin-Yu and Hermit of the West Mountain. He was regarded as a talented child and devoted himself to arts and literature from an early age, focusing on Landscapes, Figure, Flower-and-Birds and calligraphy. He was named as the greatest artist of the North. While he resided in Ma'an Shan at his early age, he practised Northern and Southern Song paintings of figures, horses, birds, flowers and bamboo, according to his autobiography. His artistic skills had advanced since, by incorporating the best of the Southern and Northern Song style, forming elegant scholarly paintings. His unique style became a style to imitate for generations that follow.
This work has a simple structure starting from the bottom left. A bamboo in solitude was drawn with concentrated and dry brush, showing profound experience on the use of brush. Branches of the bamboo was added with swift strokes and excellent control of ink. Overlapping leaves were depicted with a variation of slanted strokes and dry ink, adding movement to the leaves. Gongbi strokes and dry ink were used on the bird to sketch its feathers, beak and eyes. Meticulous details were put to portray the bird glancing backwards with a melancholic expression. Rough strokes were made on the rock with swift cun and fine brush. Plants were drawn in a swift and smooth brushwork. A poem in running script was written on the right as a sorrowful and distant expression over the lost empire. The simplistic composition of this work is rare among Pu Hsin-Yu's works. Such technique highlights its Northern Song style and the elegance of a scholar mourning over his glorified past.
Dimensions 99 x 24 cm
Artist or Maker PU HSIN-YU (Taiwanese, 1896-1963)
Medium 水墨 紙本 鏡框 Ink on paper, framed
