Chen Hongshou Lotus Mandarin Duck Axis

[Chen Hongshou’s Painting Axis of Lotus Mandarin Ducks]

The axis of the Painting of Lotus Mandarin Ducks, made by Chen Hongshou in the Ming Dynasty, is made of silk, with colors, 183 cm vertically and 98.3 cm horizontally
The signature: “Hongshou, an old lotus in Xishan, was written in the Qing Yitang.” The lower seal: “Chen Hongshou seal”, “Zhanghou seal”
This picture is themed with the lotus flower that “emerges from the sludge without staining, washes the ripples without being evil”. The flower is clear and beautiful, or in bud, or in full bloom, and is colorful and polymorphic; The branches and leaves are dewy, graceful and stretched, and tilted to the side; The lake rocks are magnificent, sharp and firm, thick and heavy. Two colorful butterflies are dancing in the air, and a pair of mandarin ducks are swimming leisurely on the water, breaking the tranquility of a pool of clear water. A frog is lurking on the lotus leaf behind the stone, coveting the beetle, bowing to move, adding some vitality and interest to the picture, from which we can see that the painter is good at observing carefully and the delicate craftsmanship of the shape
The painting is exquisite but not rigid, the color is mellow but not vulgar, and the style of painting is simple and lively. It has both the ability to draw from life in terms of objects and pictographs, and there is no lack of appropriate and changeable exaggeration. The painting shows a harmony and unity in the contrast between complexity and simplicity, sparseness and density, hardness and softness
Judging from the signature and painting style, it should be Chen Hongshou’s middle-aged work.