Ma Shouzhen Orchid Bamboo Narcissus Axis

[Ma Shouzhen’s Orchid, Bamboo and Narcissus Axis]

The Orchid, Bamboo and Narcissus Axis, Ming Dynasty, Ma Shouzhen’s painting, paper, ink, 83.5 cm vertically and 47.2 cm horizontally
The author uses skillful pen and ink to draw the swaying shapes of orchids and bamboos under the breeze. Orchid and bamboo are the themes that prostitute painters are most interested in depicting. The reasons are as follows: First, orchids, bamboos, pines and plums have been praised as the “four gentlemen” in the paintings by literati of all dynasties. The orchids and bamboos with the style of gentleman can show the painter’s own noble feelings; Secondly, the tranquility of orchid and the emptiness of bamboo can reflect the special mentality of prostitutes; Third, and the most critical point is that painting is a cultural content of communication between literati and brothel women. The image of orchid and bamboo is simple, and the time required for creation is short, so painting three or two branches can form a full body of qi to help the temporary interest. Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, there were many prostitute painters who were famous for drawing orchids and bamboos, among which Ma Shouzhen was the best. Ma Shouzhen is famous in the south of the Yangtze River for the essence and specialty of painting orchids, so he calls himself “Xianglan”
In the creation of orchids and bamboos, Ma Shouzhen does not attach importance to the detailed description of the external forms of orchids and bamboos, but focuses on writing the connotation and spirit of orchids and bamboos to express the ease of mind. Therefore, she is extremely casual from the use of pen, ink application to composition, but she is clever and does not lose charm. The elegant and wild orchids and bamboos in her works are different from the quiet flowers and grass in the courtyards carefully drawn by the female painters such as Wenchu, and have more similarities with the flower art of male literati painters, especially the Chinese Zhengming of the “Wumen School of Painting”, which reflects the prostitutes’ catering to male literati painters and the relationship between teachers and successors
Title: “Jiuwan has a lot of clear conditions, blue clouds and fairies. It is Dezi Xiangzhi who makes friends with the innocent. The three friends of the wife of Lin Guan are pictured at the Qinhuai Water Pavilion, and the Xianglanzi Ma Shouzhen.” Seal “Ma Xianglan seal”, “spring song rhyme” white seal and “Shouzhen Xuanzi” Zhu Wenfang seal