Chen Hongshou's Flower-and-Bird Painting And His Viewpoint Of Painting

Chen Hongshou was an important painter in late Ming and early Qing dynasties.Following the style of ancient masters,his works can always surprise the audience.They remind people of the Taoist philosophy that "great wisdom appears dull." In terms of his contribution to art theories,he proposed that paintings should have "the charm of works in the Tang Dynasty,the preciseness of those in the Song Dynasty,and the taste of those in the Yuan Dynasty.His enthusiasm for ancient masters and his extensive learning and smart change of ancient masterpieces contributed to Chen Hongshou’s great skills in his early years.In his middle age,the times disappointed him with little chance to give play to his talent and fulfill his ambitions.The bumpy life experience resulted in his unrestrained personality.He even asked,"Who did ancient masters learn from then?",which indicated his stress on innovation and the existence of "self." However,in his old age,Chen,who was witnessing the death of the Ming Dynasty and the rise of Qing,felt frustrated about his political pursuit and had no more desires.What he could do was to make a step back and indulge himself in the world of art.And it was because of the rich life experience that made his great painting achievement possible in his last years.Chen’s bird-and-flower paintings are both exaggerate and natural,with bright yet elegant colors.While they can serve as great options for decoration,his paintings also have appropriate understanding and smart use of the artistic features of ancient masterpieces.His style is unique because he was courageous enough to "betray" the ancient and bring in something new,while upholding the ancient masters and traditions.This has determined the height Chen was able to reach throughout his life.This paper will center around the bird-and-flower paintings of Chen Hongshou.The author will analyze the style and characteristics of his paintings as well as his art theories,summarize his life experience,and further analyze his change of mindset from being enthusiastic to frustrated and to reclusive after the tragedies of his family,political career and homeland.When such change was represented in his paintings,what the audience see is the change of structure from being sharp,to round and thick,and then to slow and quiet.As his personal style became mature,he finally reached a supreme and unrestrained level in a step-by-step manner.