Picture scroll of Wenbiren Nanxi Thatched Cottage

[Picture Volume of Wenbo Ren’s Nanxi Thatched Cottage]

The Picture of Nanxi Thatched Cottage “Volume, Ming Dynasty, Wenbo Ren’s work, paper version, color setting, 34.8 cm vertically and 713.5 cm horizontally
This self-identification: “Longqing has been written by Tianxi in the winter. The five peaks are Wen Bolen.” The seals are “Five Peaks”, “Wen Bolen”, “Hua Yin”, and “Five Peaks”
In the paintings of the Wumen area in the Ming Dynasty, there are many works that take the room name and nickname of celebrities as the subject matter or depict the manor and villa landscape where scholars and officials live. This picture belongs to the latter one. According to the “Records of Rebuilding Nanxi Thatched Cottage” written by Wang Zhideng after the volume, this picture depicts the scene of the rebuilt “Nanxi Thatched Cottage”, the manor of the famous Gu family in Jiangnan
The watercourses in the picture are winding and crisscross, and the bamboo groves, fishing boat bridges, and grass houses and temples are scattered. The buildings and natural scenery are integrated, and the nature is harmonious. Although there is farmland and medicine garden, there is no farmer’s hard work, which shows the elegant and comfortable life of Jiangnan literati boating and reading. The manor in the picture is more elegant and exquisite than the general Jiangnan gardens, and has a unique idyllic charm
The composition of the whole painting is dense but not disorderly. The earth and stone on the flat slope are sketched and stained with dry brush. The branches and leaves on the tree crown are mostly painted with highly variable ink dots. The dots and dyes are used at the same time, sometimes with double hooks, which are full of layering. The whole picture is clear and concise, and the style is soft and bright, which represents the typical artistic style of Wen Bolen in his later years
Described by Wang Shiyuan, a close friend, “Lu Yun Lou Shu Hua Lun”.