The fifth chapter of “Wen Zhengming’s Flower Album” is “Pure Planting in Fangtang”. (Provided by Taipei National Palace Museum)
Wen Zhengming (1470-1559) was a native of Changzhou (Suzhou, Jiangsu) in the Ming Dynasty. It was originally named Bi, with the courtesy name Zhengming, also the courtesy name Zhengzhong, and the nicknames Ting Yunsheng and Hengshan Jushi. His poetry, calligraphy and painting are all excellent. His painting teacher was Shen Zhou, and eventually he and his teacher were among the “Four Masters of the Ming Dynasty” (also known as the “Four Masters of the Wu Clan”). The other two masters were Tang Yin and Qiu Ying.
Wen Zhengming was not an official all his life. He often traveled in the mountains and forests, and was a scholar. He was immersed in poetry, calligraphy and painting every day, and his whole person naturally glowed with a refreshing and peaceful quality.
He wants to paint, and the paintings naturally reveal his essence and characteristics. In terms of brushwork, he is purely natural and does not emphasize special brushwork. In terms of coloring, he is clear and smooth, with a high degree of harmony, and the overall picture is simple and tranquil. Appreciating Wen Zhengming’s paintings makes people feel like they are taking a breath of spring breeze.
Appreciation of the painting “Pure Plants in Fangtang”
This painting is selected from the fifth volume of “Wen Zhengming’s Flower Album”. In the twelfth year of Jiajing (1533), Wen Zhengming accepted the invitation of Xu Jin (poet and official) and went to the Xu family in the west mountain of Dongting to spend the summer. It was the time when the flowers in Xu’s garden were in bloom. Every morning and dusk, some flowers were in buds with dew, some were blooming in the sunshine, and some would close up and rest at night… There were also various half-asleep and half-awake flowers in the pond. Lotus lotus. Whenever Wen Zhengming was fascinated, Xu Jin took the opportunity to ask him for a painting. Wen Zhengming had long wanted to make a book of paintings of exotic flowers in front of the window. The two looked at each other…nodding, smiling, and it was done.
The fifth chapter of “Wen Zhengming’s Flower Album” is “Pure Planting in Fangtang”. (Provided by Taipei National Palace Museum)
Wen Zhengming used the “line drawing method” to outline the standing lotus of Pingting, using extremely graceful and well-proportioned thin lines. In order to show the vitality of the petals, when drawing the petal tips, first use the “pause” in calligraphy to draw the petals, and then lift the pen up. As soon as it comes up, you can see the real seal. We see that Wen Zhengming’s petal lines are so delicate and gentle, as if they were drawn casually, with softness yet firmness, and firmness yet softness. It seems to have endless charm.
He deliberately painted each petal full and wide, and plucked out a solid flower in order. The sight of it makes people refreshed, as if they are seeing the elegant, graceful and powerful figure of a Tang Dynasty beauty. Longing.
It is rare to see such beautiful flowers drawn using line drawing techniques and fine lines. And what kind of leaves should be used to match such rich flowers?
The artist adopted the “boneless method” and used a slightly larger brush to add dark and light colors. The light color was on the inside and the heavy ink on the outside. The thick ink dyed the center of the large leaf, making it easier for the white lotus to appear. He uses the brush as if he is careful, he is relaxed and natural, and does not deliberately arrange special brushwork. When the thick ink at the end of the pen is used up, the light ink will naturally be released. Finally, the veins of the leaves are outlined with a heavy ink pen, and the fresh green essence of the lotus leaves is clearly revealed. Therefore, we can see that the large lotus leaves with natural colors and brushstrokes are cushioned under the fruit-like white lotus, holding the flowers up steadily. The white lotus that “comes out of the mud but remains unstained” is “born out of nowhere”!
In addition, a half-split branch with its mouth open, as if smiling, is about to bloom new leaves slanting towards the right side of the picture, and several long and narrow grass leaves with orchid leaves are flying in the background. This painting “Pure Planting in Fangtang” is based on The form is completed in the breeze.
Here we see Wen Zheng’s broad and quiet mind. How old is Wen Zhengming this year?64 years old! When modern people reach this age, many people suffer from many diseases; the ancients also said that “life spans are rare in the past seventy years”, and even lamented that “the vision is blurred, the hair is gray, and the teeth are shaky”. However, Wen Zhengming had such a long journey, and when he was nearly 90 years old, he could still write in small regular script (perhaps still hanging on his wrist). The handwriting is beautiful, clear and powerful. This should be attributed to his daily cultivation and unremitting spirit of writing every day. Direct relationship.
Some people may ask, is he Xianhu? Human?
Editor in charge: Fang Pei
