"Little white rabbit, white and white, two ears up, love to eat radish and vegetables, jumping and jumping really cute."
Have you ever heard this childish song when you were a child?
The rabbit has long ears, soft fur, round body, cute and lively, which makes people love it. 2023 Chinese New Year ushers in the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac, so let's take a look at how the rabbit behaves under the artist's depiction.
Rabbit culture has a long history, and rabbits in nature have entered human life as early as ancient times, becoming domestic animals, pets, food, and fur-bearing animals. The fossilized rabbit bones from the Zhoukoudian site indicate that primitive man hunted rabbits for food. In the Yin and Shang dynasties, the word "rabbit" is found in the oracle bone inscriptions, that is, the image of a rabbit with long ears and a short tail. In the poem "The Book of Songs - Wang Feng", the hare is shown running in the fields, "I have a hare, and the pheasant is in Luo". The hare in the wilderness is also a favorite subject for painters. A brown hare is taking a nap on a grassy slope while two birds look down and cry, causing another hare to look back.
The painting "Bamboo Sparrow and Two Hares", excavated from Liao Tomb No. 7 in Yemotai, shows two vivid hares feeding on the grass below a clump of double-hooked ink bamboos. The hare's ears are close to its body and its posture is relaxed, with the one on the left looking up at the sparrow and the one on the right nibbling on grass leaves. The hare is a soy sesame color, with white fur on its belly and dark gray on the tips of its ears and back, which some scholars believe is typical of the northeastern hare. The painting, with its rich and vivid coloring, depicts a scene of rabbits accompanied by birds and flowers in the style and technique of the Tang and Five Dynasties and the spontaneity and ruggedness of the grassland people.
The rabbit is considered to be a rare beast in "Rui Ying Tu", saying "The red rabbit is a rare beast, and the king's virtue is in full bloom". The rabbit is one of the "five animals" of ancient rituals, and has been regarded as an omen of good fortune since ancient times. The rabbit also represents the opening of the spring gate and the flourishing of all things, symbolizing good luck and longevity, and this image is found on many Shang and Zhou bronze and jade objects.
The Western Zhou rabbit was excavated from Tomb M8 of the Marquis of Jin in Beizhao Village, Quwo County, in 1992. The body of this bronze vessel is in the form of a prostrate rabbit, with the ears of the rabbit also backward and close to the body, and the rabbit's body is carved with raised circular motifs on each side, decorated with volutes, beveled thunderbolts and hooked thunderbolts. The rabbit's body is hollow, as if a container is embedded vertically in the rabbit's body from above, and the rabbit and Zun are fused into a whole.
The rabbit shape on bronze vessels also appears as the double ears of the vessel, as in the case of the Western Zhou Dynasty's Goji double rabbit-ear gui, which has rabbit heads and double ears on both sides of the gui's abdomen. The rabbit's head is turned outward, the eyes are open, and the rabbit's ears are attached to the ears of the object. In the Shang Dynasty, the gui was an important ceremonial vessel in bronze, and the Son of Heaven sacrificed with nine tripods and eight gui. On the bottom of this bronze gui is the inscription "Ge Ji", which means that this double rabbit-eared gui is the "Gao" tribe's "Ji" day ritual vessel.
In addition to bronze, jade vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties were often carved in the form of rabbits. These two jade hare carvings are similar in that they are both flattened rabbits with a sideways view. The rabbits have round eyes and long ears, and fat bodies with short tails. The outline and detail of the rabbit's body are carved in bright green lines on two separate pieces of jade, each with a simple, rustic image and a hole that may have been used for tying a rope.
Jade rabbit, Western Zhou Dynasty, 2005, excavated from Yangtong Village, Quwo County, Shanxi Museum Collection
The image of the hare is also closely related to myths, legends and folk tales, and the stories of "Chang'e running to the moon" and "the jade hare pounding medicine" have been widely circulated. In poetry, the hare is often used to refer to the moon, as Li Bai recites "The white hare pounds medicine in autumn and spring, and Chang'e is alone with whom to approach" and Han Cong writes "The golden crow flies long and the jade hare walks away, and the green temples are never seen in the past". Mawangdui Han tomb No. 1 silk painting on the moon with rabbits and toads, in the Ming dynasty Tang Yin's brush Chang'e running to the moon embracing the jade hare, in the symbol of royal power of the Qing dynasty emperor dragon robe, the rabbit is also one of the twelve chapters, representing the moon on the embroidery of the moon laurel tree under the jade hare pounding medicine.
Chang'e and attendants brocade 14th-15th century China Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection
This magnificent brocade depicts the goddess Chang'e, wearing a red blouse and blue skirt, looking back with a laurel branch in her hand, surrounded by four attendants holding a scroll, a vase, a lingzhi, and a scepter. The brocade is also embroidered with three white rabbits with different movements and attitudes to symbolize the Jade Hare in the Moon Palace.
Also with the theme of Chang'e and the Jade Hare is this eight-petal diamond mirror. On the back of the mirror is a tortoise in the center, surrounded by a leafy laurel tree, a Chang'e holding a "daji" and a tray with a flowing figure, a jade hare pounding medicine, a jumping toad, and a pool of water, and decorated with flowers, butterflies, and clouds. It is a depiction of the story of "Chang'e running to the moon" and "the jade hare pounding medicine".
In some cases, Chang'e is not depicted in the moon palace, but rather as a hare, a metaphor for the moon. In "The Jade Hare in the Toad Palace" by Tao Cheng, a flower and bird painter of the Ming Dynasty, three rabbits are depicted under a laurel tree next to a flowering tree. A white rabbit looks upward with red eyes, ears up and alert, and its left front leg raised as if to leap into the air. Tao Cheng's brushwork in this painting is meticulous, the composition is clever, and the mood is serene.
Another painting, "The Jade Hare in the Toad Palace," combines birds and flowers with a panoramic landscape painting in green and blue, with only a white hare under an ink bamboo symbolizing the moon. The white hare is similar to the one in the previous painting, but facing in the opposite direction. Tao Cheng uses clusters of brush nibs, layers of coloring, and then outlines the rabbit's fleece, expressing the whiteness and agility of the white rabbit and demonstrating the elegant workmanship of the image and the painter's superior painting skills.
During the Ming dynasty, not only did floral and bird painters enjoy painting moon rabbits, but rabbits were also depicted in fabrics. In Chinese tradition, the moon is where the rabbit resides, and the rabbit running through the clouds symbolizes the moon. This fabric, woven with gold thread, is both luxurious and auspicious. A similar fabric was unearthed in the Ding tomb of Emperor Zhu Yijun (reigned 1573-1620), Emperor Wanli of the Ming dynasty, in the suburbs of Beijing, and the two fabrics are from the same period.
The image of the hare is also associated with the Mid-Autumn festival. In the last of the twenty performances of the Mid-Autumn Festival, "The Grass and the Woods are in the Grace", the god of August flowers and the gods of flowers ascend to the fairy tower together in the last performance of "Celebrating the Clear Autumn and Presenting the Dance". This green satin embroidered osmanthus and jade rabbit with golden ball pattern is the special dress of the god of August flowers worn in the play. The green standing collar and lapels with wide sleeves are embroidered with white rabbits and osmanthus flowers, the theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The white rabbit, which is lying or standing, running or leaping, is beautifully embroidered in the pattern.
The yellow ground with the pattern of a rabbit and osmanthus is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Xuande, Ming Dynasty
The image of the rabbit is also often found on porcelain, along with the development and evolution of porcelain through the dynasties, and is depicted in everyday utensils such as plates, bowls, basins, and dishes, and also in some cases as a symbol of "the rabbit's homesickness", expressing nostalgia for the homeland in the image of the rabbit. In the Liao dynasty, there was already a small dish with rabbit pattern in tri-color engraving, in which a yellow-glazed rabbit looking back while running was engraved on the green glazed base, and grass and plants were depicted next to it in line engraving.
A black-flowered rabbit basin on a white ground, Pengcheng kiln, Ming Dynasty, in the Palace Museum
The rabbit, which corresponds to the twelve earthly branches of the Chinese zodiac, is often depicted with other animals from the zodiac, either as a burial figurine, a stone carving, or a decorative object in a garden building. These zodiac animals are usually depicted with the head of a beast and are complemented by a human body.
Red Pottery Zodiac - Rabbit Tang Palace Museum Collection
This Tang dynasty Chinese zodiac sign is carved from lapis lazuli, with the head of a rabbit, ears close to the head, eyes, nose, and mouth of a rabbit, wearing a long robe with a cross collar and wide sleeves, and arching his arms in front of his chest, with a slender human form. Another Tang dynasty red pottery zodiac rabbit is also a rabbit-headed person, wearing a civil official's robe, arching his hand in front of his chest, possibly holding a wat, the image is simple and concise, and the surface is painted in ochre. The Tang dynasty's dianzhang was buried with twelve Chinese zodiac signs, with the rat in the center of the north and arranged in a clockwise direction to play a role in the tomb.
In addition to the animal-headed figures, the architectural decorations of the zodiac are sometimes represented by people holding zodiac animals. The Ming dynasty standing statue tile is shaped as a standing figure of a lady holding a rabbit in her left hand, with her right hand swinging back with a long sleeve, which sends people's good wishes. The lady is dressed in yellow and green glaze color, and the rabbit in her hand is white, which is a tri-color glaze. This kind of glazed tile is mostly from Shanxi, with vivid shape and distinctive clothing.
Bronze Rabbit Head Statue Bronze from the 12th to 24th years of the Qianlong period (1747-1759) at the National Museum of China (Photo: Chen Tuo)
During the Qing Dynasty, in front of the Western-style building Haiyan Hall in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, there were bronze statues of the twelve animal heads of the Great Water Law, representing the twelve hours of the year. At each hour, the bronze statues of the zodiac automatically spit water from their mouths, and the twelve bronze statues were launched simultaneously at noon. This magnificent structure was destroyed during the war, and the rabbit head was lost overseas for a time, returning to the country in 2013. The head of the rabbit originally had a robed body carved in stone, and the head was made of red bronze, and once had mortise and tenon joints inside to connect the water jet pipe, and was beautifully sculpted in a realistic style with distinctive rabbit hair.
Ren Yu Zodiac Album - Rabbit, Qing Dynasty, color on paper, National Palace Museum Collection
Ren Pre, one of the "Four Ren" of the Hai School of the late Qing Dynasty, depicted different animals of the Chinese zodiac in his album of twelve zodiac signs. He depicts three white rabbits in the lower left of the picture with ink lines and double-colored bamboo leaves, while a bright moon hangs high in the upper right, in a symmetrical arrangement. Ren uses the traditional Chinese technique of haloing to express the rounded body and fluffy shape of the white rabbits, and the red eyes of the rabbits are a great eye-catcher. The picture is a combination of reality and fiction, pure and elegant.
Qi Baishi, Rabbit of the Twelve Genera
The year 2023 is also known as the year of the rabbit. According to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches and the Eight Trigrams of the Five Elements, the year 2023 is also known as the "Year of the Black Rabbit. Qi Baishi's "Rabbit of the Twelve Genera" is precisely a black rabbit, and it was painted when the artist was 84 years old. This is a work of the artist when he was 84 years old. The brushwork is casual and the heart is childish, so take it for your cell phone desktop!
Qi Baishi Toadstool
Qi Baishi Peach and Rabbit Scroll
In addition to shrimps, the story of Bai Shi's old man and rabbits is also commendable - in order to paint rabbits well, he had personally raised several black and white rabbits, often carefully observing their habits and subtle movements. On the basis of his observations, he created a number of wonderfully evocative rabbit paintings, which instantly attracted crowds of admirers who came to his door to "buy rabbits".
Xu Beihong, "Tiger and Rabbit" 1935
This painting of a tiger and rabbit, which Xu Beihong gave to a couple of friends, is very intriguing - the artist placed the tiger and the black rabbit side by side, thus forming the narrative plot of the painting and providing the viewer with a rich space for imagination. The tiger and the rabbit are supposed to be in a predatory and hunting relationship, but the tiger in this work is like a "big cat", lazily playing with the rabbit, and the rabbit is also in a relaxed and natural state, and the two are close to each other. When the year of the tiger and the rabbit meet, the fierce tiger welcomes the rabbit, signifying good luck and prosperity.
Xu Beihong's Two Rabbits
Xu Beihong's "Rabbit of the Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs
"The male rabbit's feet are fluttering, the female rabbit's eyes are confused; the two rabbits are walking on the ground, how can we tell if I am male or female?" I think we are all familiar with this poem "Mulan Poem". The two groups of two rabbits in Xu Beihong's painting are precise in shape and vivid in appearance.
Liu Jiu Wine Double rabbits, color on paper, standing scroll
Liu JI Wine Double Rabbit
Liu Ji Wine's paintings of birds and animals are mostly a combination of brushwork and painting, and they are exceptionally grave, spirited, dashing and evocative, based on their colorful and accurate shapes.
Fang Chuxiong's works
Fang Chuxiong's rabbits are in different postures, depicting the different living environments of rabbits, and are cute and dynamic. The painter himself was deeply influenced by the Lingnan school of painting, and at the same time preferred Song dynasty flower and bird paintings. His flower and bird paintings are not only traditional but also full of life.
Huang Yongyu 2023 Chinese New Year Stamp
This is undoubtedly the most popular "internet bunny" of the year - Mr. Huang Yongyu's stamps have made it to the New Year's hotspots - their strong personal style has led to much debate among netizens, and the official The official explanation for this is that the blue wise rabbit "holds a pen in his right hand and a letter in his left", symbolizing "the good wishes of the New Year to the people". "The three rabbits are "connected at the beginning and end," and "show the vitality, vibrancy and warmth of life.
Pan Tiger - UN Year of the Rabbit Stamp
The Year of the Rabbit in China has attracted global attention. The United Nations' recognition of Chinese culture is growing by the day - this stamp designed by Chinese designer Pan Hu for the United Nations features the moon hare in a distinctive Chinese painting technique called "Gongbi". Combined with the white drawing of the auspicious clouds, the simple and clean design of the moon rabbit is a vivid and evocative rabbit without elaborate embellishment. The gentle, white and flawless rabbit can also highlight the meaning of the existence of the United Nations - to actively maintain world peace, develop friendly relations between countries and promote the upward development of world civilization with an attitude of fairness and justice.
Han Meilin Rabbit 2011
Inherited from Mr. Huang Yongyu, Han's animal stamps also have a strong national character. He emphasizes the "line". In drawing the stamps of the Chinese zodiac, Han uses a few strokes to outline the animals' charm, and the rabbits on the stamps have dynamic and pleasing lines that are both traditional and contemporary.
Dai Ze Rabbit 38x56cm Oil on Paper 1973
This work was created in 1973. The rabbit's form is summarized as a geometric shape, just like a lump, simple but without losing its texture, and Mr. Dai Ze's fun is evident on the paper, making the work very intriguing.
Shao Fan, Portrait of a Rabbit, ink and wash on paper, 280×175cm, 2017
The rabbit is an inseparable subject in Shao Fan's creation - his paintings intentionally hide the author himself behind the image, blurring style and expression, and correcting the image with rigor. The rabbit looks directly at the viewer, quietly, coldly, as if transcending time and space, provoking the viewer to dialogue and meditate with it in a new field.
Dick Brunner Miffy Rabbit
Born in 1955 under the pen of the famous Dutch painter Dick Bruna, Miffy Rabbit has since taken the world by storm, carrying not only the memories of the post-80s, but also continuing to this day. Miffy is a shy, kind-hearted bunny, and has been loved by readers around the world since the beginning of his creation. The artist uses simple lines and simple solid colors (usually orange, blue, yellow and green) to create the fairy tale world he has in mind, and Miffy's look always maintains the principle of simplicity and relaxation. Such a simple and "super fresh" image is perhaps the reason why Miffy's popularity has remained unchanged.
The white rabbit in the illustration of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland
Another wave of memories - Mr. White Rabbit is a character in "Alice in Wonderland" who always carries a watch and is in a hurry to worry about being late. He appears at Alice's garden party, trying to tempt Alice into the rabbit hole, responsible for bringing her back to the underground world to complete its mission. Although this "vest" rabbit is very famous, but in the film but repeatedly "play", it seems that the rabbit's job is not good.
Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter - Illustration
"Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Biddy." And so begins the story of The Beadle Bunny. Is this a childhood memory of yours? The image of the rabbit was so gentle and cute that it became the protagonist of many children's bedtime stories, and the story of this little rabbit is still being passed on by word of mouth among children all over the world.
Kawasaki Juizumi, Yoshikawa Ariomi
The 2023 commemorative stamps from Japan feature a Japanese vernacular toy designed by artist Kawasaki Juizumi and designed by designer Yoshikawa Ariomi. 63 yen stamps feature a rabbit from Miharu Jangzi and 84 yen stamps feature a rabbit money box from Nagoya Eigokuji Temple.
Hans Hoffmann, "Hare in the Forest
The hare lies dormant in the forest. The vegetation in the foreground is dense and dense, as if it were a stage set, showing a quiet corner of the forest and drawing the viewer into an otherworldly space different from this world.
Juan Miró Landscape (Rabbit) 1927 - Oil on canvas 29.6-x-194.6cm
Miro's rabbits are strongly surrealistic, with their fluid-like bodies twisting and turning, blending in with the twilight.
Vincent van Gogh Harefield 1889-Oil on canvas 32.5x40.5cm
This work is in the Van Gogh Museum. It is typical of Van Gogh's distinctive style, with expressive yellows flowing across the canvas and the outline of the rabbit outlined in dark, vibrant colors.
Albrecht Dürer Hare 1502 - Watercolor
Although this work by Dürer is only 25.1 x 22.6 cm in size, it is painted with the realism of a photographic work. He meticulously depicts the fleece and whiskers of the hare on palm-sized paper, which are both soft and shiny. The hare's front paws are crouched on the ground and its ears are alert, as if it will leap out of the frame in the next moment.
Dürer, "Sacred Family and Three Hares" Woodcut
The woodcut "Holy Family and Three Hares" is also by Dürer. The work depicts the Virgin Mary in the garden with the infant Jesus and St. Joseph in her arms. The three young rabbits at his feet catch the eye of Jesus.
Titian The Virgin and the Little Rabbits
This is also a work with the Virgin and the rabbits, by the famous artist Titian. In this work, the Virgin takes on the traditional pyramidal structure of a stable hand caressing a white rabbit. The painting is harmonious in tone, with the blue-green cloak complementing the red dress, accented by white, and the golden dawn giving the image a serene, peaceful and sacred emotional color.
Chagall Marc Chagall, Dream (Rabbit), 1927
The dreamy tones of rose and blue are a consistent style for Chagall. In the painting, the rabbit seems to be carrying a woman's body on its back and gazing into the distance-it seems to be an allegory about dreams. In fact, many of Chagall's works can be viewed upside down by rotating 180, and the same goes for this one.
Andy Warhol: Rabbit in Multiples
As a leading figure of American Pop in the last century, Andy Warhol was also quite successful in fashion. The fashion brand "Playboy" has influenced a generation of American men. Under Andy Warhol's creation, its meaning was dissolved and it became a consumer image not unlike Campbell's cans or Marilyn Monroe.
Jeff Koons Rabbit 1986 Stainless steel 104.1×48.3×30.5cm
This is probably the most expensive rabbit in the world - selling for $91,075,000 at Christie's in 2019, Jeff Koons set a new record for the highest price paid for a work by a living artist at the time. Made entirely of stainless steel, the rabbit nevertheless gives a balloon-like quality - a contrasting beauty of mystery and rigidity that makes it considered by many viewers as one of the classic masterpieces of 20th century art.
Eduardo Kac, "Green Fluorescent Rabbit
Attention! This is a real live rabbit with a life! In 2000, Eduardo Katz collaborated with French scientists to extract the DNA of a jellyfish and transplant it into a rabbit, thus creating an entirely new species: a rabbit that fluoresces all over its body, and naming it Alba. While the artist's romantic imagination explores the possibilities offered by transgenic technology, he also throws a poignant question into the public domain: should such an unnatural man-made creature really exist? Eduardo Katz wanted to express his questioning of technological developments in this way, but the work (or rather the event) was met with serious public controversy at the time.
With so many rabbits, which one do you like the most? Or what other rabbits are recommended on the list, welcome to leave comments and share your stories with us about rabbits!
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