This painting shows Xu’s excellent grasp of the animal form. This was the result of his early training in copying images of animals from cigarette packs and the rigorous study of form in Paris. Xu often imparted human qualities to his paintings of animals. He loved to paint sparrows, likening them to the undercalss people who were simple-minded, carefree but suffering working class. Deer, being relatively small, gentle animals compared to lions and horses, could have taken on a symbolism similar to the sparrows for Xu.
