Chen Daofu’s peony flower picture axis

[Chen Daofu’s peony flower picture axis]

The peony flower picture axis, Ming Dynasty, Chen Daofu’s painting, paper, ink, 54.8 cm vertical, 30.8 cm horizontal
The title of the cursive script in the upper part of this picture is “Spring is the season of flowers, and red and purple are given respectively. Don’t say thin powder, which is enough to show the purity. Daofu.” After that, affix the seal of “Chen Daofu” and “Chen Chunzhi”
The work draws broken branches of peony flowers, uses light ink to draw the blooming flower heads, describes the branches and leaves in different shades of ink, shows the beautiful posture of peony swaying the spring breeze, and expresses the mood of not admiring the prosperity, being willing to be quiet, and enjoying oneself through poems
Chen Daofu has created many paintings with peony as the theme or containing peony images, such as the “peony scroll”, “Tianxiang fan”, “Luoyang spring scroll”, “twelve kinds of ink flower scroll”, and “Luoyang spring scroll”, “Jade tower spring scroll” and so on in the Palace Museum. These works are mostly ink or light color freehand brushwork paintings, which fully demonstrate the artist’s superb skills in shape and flexible use of ink. As Li Rihua, a great connoisseur of the late Ming Dynasty, said in this work, “Break a drop of ink, make all kinds of enchantments. Change the view of twilight, and prepare for four seasons”.