Chirping Bird

Zhao Shao'ang has been praised by some critics as the best flower-and-bird painter of his time. This painting, which blends descriptive realism and impressionistic brushwork, exemplifies Zhao's firm grasp of both avian anatomy and the nature of human perception. The bird's joints and claws stand out distinctly, while the dashing brushstrokes and blurred colors of its plumage vividly recreate the sight of its fluttering motion. The bird's gaping mouth and well-defined tongue evoke an equally strong sensation of its shrill chirping. Zhao's representations of birds excel not only in their "jewel-like sensuous glitter," as noted by the critic Pierre Rouve, but also in their animated postures. Here, he has captured the bird in a fleeting moment just after landing, when it stands low on its legs, wings aflutter, tail raised high. Dedicating the painting to Lin Yutang's daughter, Taiyi, Zhao added a poetic couplet:

Fluttering about are many lovely birds.
Singing melodiously, they enjoy this beautiful moment.

(trans. by Shi-yee Liu)