An emaciated horse in the painting "A Hundred Horses" by Giuseppe Castiglione: the image and meaning of a thin animal in traditional Chinese culture

Du Juan Postgraduate student; Institute of Design and Arts; St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technology and Design 199397, Russia, Saint Petersburg region, Saint Petersburg, 39k1 Korablestroiteley str. dujuan91930@gmail.com Other publications by this author

For many centuries, horses have played a big role in the life of the Chinese people. This is probably why they have a special place in traditional painting. Paintings and poems on this subject often include the image of an emaciated horse.

The image of a skinny horse is a special symbol of the best horses in China ^[1]. Although he emphasizes weakness, painfulness and visual unattractiveness, his rich ideological subtext lies in the author's honest expression of sadness at the unrealization of his talent. Ideas about healthy and emaciated horses were formed during the Chinese Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 BC). They were widely used by writers who were disappointed that their abilities were not appreciated ^[2].

In a folk song from the Han Dynasty, "Bao Xili Song", there is an interesting description of the Bao family's horse farm: "The politically important Bao family has very good horses. Although they are thin, their gait is steady." All three generations, Bao Xuan, Bao Yun, and Bao Yu, were important officials of the Han Dynasty. The eldest, Bao Xuan, was a censor and an honest politician. However, he angered the emperor with a harsh statement. After he was removed from office, he committed suicide to prove his innocence. His son Bao Yun also went down in history as a decent official. In the biographical book "Hou Hanshu" about the history of the Eastern Han dynasty it is written: "Although Bao Yun served as a general, the carriages, horses, and clothes he traveled in were very simple. The people adored him." In 35 BC, Bao Yun openly impeached Emperor Guangwu's uncle Liu Liang, without fear of clashes with high-ranking officials. He was demoted, after which he died of an illness. Bao Yun's son, Bao Yu, inherited family values, respected the law, and was also particularly straightforward. It is written in the historical book: "He adhered to the law and abided by the code of honor, just like his father." The author compares the Bao family to beautiful light-colored horses, extremely stable. This symbolizes their infallible honesty and perfect adherence to ethical standards. From a philosophical point of view, the story of Bao is comparable to the steady stride of an exhausted horse, which not only demonstrates its inner strength, but also reflects its steadfastness in the wind and rain. She emphasizes the importance of moral choice, the sacrifice of well-behaved people in the face of power. This is reflected in the idea of Confucius, where "a noble person is known as righteousness, and a villain is known as goodness." Thus, a true noble person will act in accordance with his obligations, without pursuing personal interests. Courage and honesty in observing principles is a vivid interpretation of the ancient question from moral philosophy: "What is justice?". By their actions, the Bao family not only set an example for future generations, but also generated important reflections on honesty and sacrifice in Chinese history.

Du Fu, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote many poems about horses. Their images are firmly woven into Chinese literature and are even reflected among numerous phraseological units ^[16]. In his "Rides on a skinny horse" there are lines: "I saw a horse in the eastern suburbs that was very thin, and it upset me. Her bones were sticking out like rocks... Her skin was completely covered with dirt, cracked and peeling, and her dull mane was not even overgrown with snow and frost... In cold weather, she stayed away from domestic geese, and at dusk she was pecked by crows."^[3] Du Fu wrote this poem after he was demoted to Huazhou (758 AD). It describes a war horse that once fought on the battlefield. Due to a fatal mistake, she was accidentally abandoned by her owner and lived in the suburbs, which caused readers to feel sorry for her. The work depicts the plight of an animal as a metaphor for the author's fate, showing his ups and downs in the field of officialdom. Du Fu helped the emperor by saving Fang Guan, but unexpectedly angered Tang Suzong and was eventually thrown out like a skinny horse to live in the countryside. The horse's deteriorating condition is an expression of sorrow and pain. The unique poem is considered a classic, the best on the subject. From a philosophical point of view, it demonstrates elements of existentialism, especially in self-awareness in the face of suffering and isolation. Describing the condition of the skinny horse, Du Fu reflected his frustration with the bureaucracy and the plight of marginalized people in society. This type of poetry, reflecting personal experiences, highlights the relationship between the individual and the environment, as well as her mindset in adversity. Summing up, we can say that "Walking on a skinny horse" by Du Fu is both a classic work about horses in Chinese literature and a philosophical argument. This poem highlights the poet's reflections on his fate and his feelings about reality, demonstrating a unique moral depth and emotional expressiveness.

A group of horses often appears in traditional Chinese paintings. Several horses are loosely positioned by the artist above and below. It is worth noting that in such compositions the author usually depicts in detail many graceful, frisky and unbridled horses, which were loved by the ancient Chinese rulers. However, there is also a motive that runs counter to public aesthetic trends. These are exhausted horses ^[15]. There are two reasons for their appearance. The first is the desire for diversity. The second is a special symbolic meaning, an expression of the author's feelings.

Giuseppe Castiglione is an Italian Catholic Jesuit monk and a Chinese court painter. His works combine Chinese Guohua with constant reliance on traditional culture ^[18] and Western oil painting techniques, creating a unique manner that captures the court servants and animals of the Qing Dynasty from its beginning to the middle ^[13]. The master greatly influenced the early development of this technique in China ^[14], becoming a successful example of the possibility of interpenetration of two cultures.^[15] Giuseppe Castiglione's magnificent paintings, such as "A Hundred Horses," "Grazing Horses in the Suburbs," and "Eight Horses," also depict thin horses. The artist placed them in compositionally important positions ^[4]. The "Hundred Horses" from the National Palace Museum in Taipei depicts three emaciated steeds (see Figure 1). They are easily overlooked among healthy animals because they are scattered around the edges of the work. There is a sharp contrast with the external force of the noble creatures grazing the grass ^[5]. The skeleton of an emaciated horse stands out under the skin, emphasizing Giuseppe Castiglione's excellent anatomical knowledge. The skinny three differ from each other. The whole picture is united by the direction of reading traditional Chinese paintings from right to left. Based on the direction of the horses' movements, the author divides the foreground of the painting into three parts, and it is in them that the exhausted troika is located.

In the first The part that stands out is a skinny horse with a brown coat. Her shoulder blades and pelvic bones protrude upward, and her ribs are very noticeable (see Fig. 2). Her head is lowered. There is a group of healthy horses nearby. The overall atmosphere is relaxed. Some of the horses are having fun playing together and cheekily biting, some are resting, and some are sleeping peacefully on the ground. The compositional movement of frisky horses takes the form of an arc surrounding an emaciated animal. It's skinny, in stark contrast to the stocky, well-fed horses frolicking around. A steep slope is visible behind. The muscles of an exhausted horse are tense, as is the tail. This pose means both the desire to retreat and its impossibility. The soil and trees behind the animal have predominantly dark tones. Only for the neighboring slopes, a light color scheme is used: the resulting contrast serves as a kind of spotlight. The skinny horse's condition is very different from the others, making the audience feel isolated, confused, helpless, and even panicked, unable to change its position for external reasons.

In the second part, the emaciated horse has a slightly maroon hue. She has her back almost completely turned to the viewer and stands motionless, leaning on all four hooves (see Fig. 3). 9 thick trees grow nearby. All of them are tilted to the right, have thick branches and leaves covering the sky, and also surround the animal, forming a small enclosed space. The static posture of the horse contrasts with the movement of distant horses engaged in licking their fur. The trees bend in the same direction due to the fact that for many years the wind has been blowing in one direction. Their tilt symbolizes the constancy of an external force – as stable as social traditions or deep-rooted ideological tendencies that influence a person. Finding a skinny horse in a central position refers to foreign views and Western painting brought to China by European missionaries. During the Qing Dynasty, which adhered to traditional Chinese concepts, isolating an emaciated animal meant alienating foreign ideas or cultures ^[12]. His position hinted at the alienation of the alien element in the local culture, difficulties with integration. A well-fed horse peeks out from behind a tree and looks at a thin one: it expresses empathy or doubt about the position of a fellow tribeswoman, but does not try to help her. Such a wait-and-see attitude further reinforces the isolation of the skinny steed and reflects how society's empathy often remains shallow: there is a lack of practical support and intervention, even in situations of obvious distress.

In the third part, the horses form a queue to cross the river. Here, the emaciated animal is gray and white and wanders to the left (see Fig. 4). It goes along with a strong white horse: the difference in their fattening and condition is striking. The coat of a skinny horse is light gray, yellowish in places, dull, and the mane, curly and weakened, hangs over a thin neck. Spots are visible on the abdomen and upper thighs. Her companion, on the other hand, looks neat – her mane is combed smoothly. The skinny horse walks with doubt and uncertainty, his steps seem heavy. It seems that deep down she is hesitating about the route, but she is afraid to break the established rules. The companion, in contrast, is full of energy, strides forward and looks confident and powerful. The deep philosophical significance of this scene lies in the contrast between the physical and mental state of the two horses. The image of an emaciated animal symbolizes Giuseppe Castiglione's oppressed and limited existence in the palace. At first glance, he is not alone, but at the same time he is unable to resist the oppression of power, he is forced to accept control from its side. Although the rider on the white horse does not look at the skinny horse, the rope pole in his hand means watching and controlling it closely, further enhancing the contrast and expressiveness of the problem. This painting reflects Giuseppe Castiglione's criticism of unequal social relations. Being a connoisseur of Western culture, he brought its inherent subjectivism into his painting ^[17]. Two different steeds are a metaphor for subjugating the weak to the strong in silent protest. As you know, metaphorical constructions in the Chinese cultural environment go beyond art and directly relate to public life ^[20]. The work is devoted not only to describing the condition of animals, but also to deep reflection on social reality.

Giuseppe Castiglione brings anatomical techniques from Western painting to his paintings of Gohua. Except for the obvious protruding bones and lack of muscle mass, the skinny horses that emerged from under his hand look normal and healthy. When walking, they show no signs of illness. This seems to be a common weight loss caused by hunger or fatigue. Obviously, if the breeders improve their nutrition and take good care of their charges, they will soon regain their strength. An analysis of the composition "Hundreds of Horses" shows that Giuseppe Castiglione could depict the situation at the Qing court using the image of skinny horses. Giuseppe Castiglione was a missionary in China, but the period during which he was engaged in missionary activity fell on the eighteenth century – the most severe era of rejection of Catholicism in Chinese history and culture, despite the possibility of entry of non-believers ^[19] The conflict between China and the West was intense ^[6]. In January 1724, the Yongzheng Emperor approved a law prohibiting the spread of Catholicism, and all missionaries in China were censored, persecuted, and deported^[7]. Although the Qianlong Emperor was very fond of Giuseppe Castiglione's paintings, from the point of view of religious beliefs, he turned out to be a stranger to this country ^[8]. "A Hundred Horses" was painted by Giuseppe Castiglione in February 1724. The image of the third skinny horse reflects the helplessness of Giuseppe Castiglione, who was forced to abandon his missionary career ^[9].

In China, the large-scale appearance of images of emaciated horses is closely related to the social environment and cultural concepts. It has a deep meaning and historical basis ^[10]. In different eras, artists of different identities have relied on the symbolic significance of horses in Chinese culture. The image of the particularly thin ones was used as a representation of their inner world, realizing a unique artistic idea ^[11]. Giuseppe Castiglione became a kind of outsider, his traditional paintings opened a window for creative exchange between East and West in a special way. He was the first foreign artist to create famous works in China. His works symbolize the alienation and isolation of people within large social groups, reflecting the insurmountable internal and external barriers that people can feel even in conditions of numerous social interactions. They not only visually emphasize the image of an exhausted horse, but also encourage in-depth reflection on the relationship between a person and a crowd, communication with oneself and the environment.

1. Giuseppe Castiglione's "One hundred horses in the landscape" (駿圖駿圖), 1728, silk, tempera, 94.5 cm X 776.2 cm, National Palace Museum, Taipei

2. Giuseppe Castiglione "One hundred horses in the landscape" (駿圖駿圖), 1728, silk, tempera, 94.5 cm X 776.2 cm, National Palace Museum, Taipei. The fragment

3. Giuseppe Castiglione "One hundred horses in the landscape" (駿圖駿圖), 1728, silk, tempera, 94.5 cm X 776.2 cm, National Palace Museum, Taipei. The fragment

4. Giuseppe Castiglione "One hundred horses in the landscape" (駿圖駿圖), 1728, silk, tempera, 94.5 cm X 776.2 cm, National Palace Museum, Taipei. The fragment