Chen Chunkui Stone Map Axis

[Chen Chun Kui Stone Axis]

Kui Stone Axis, Ming Dynasty, Chen Dao’s reproduction, paper version, ink, 68.6 cm vertical, 34 cm horizontal
This self-question; “The green leaves are hanging in the clear dew, and the morning breeze is blowing on the side of the golden eagle.” The two white seals are stamped with “Chen Chun’s seal” and “Chen’s seal”.
The okra, bamboo and stone painted in this picture were common flowers and trees in literati gardens at that time. Chen Daofu, the author, lived in Suzhou, where there were many literati in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. He was deeply influenced by the art of the “Wu School” by the famous literati painter Wen Zhengming, so most of his materials were flowers and trees loved by scholars and used to decorate the environment, such as plantain wutong, lotus narcissus, plum orchid bamboo stones, etc. Although these flowers and plants are simple and plain, they are very elegant. The painter uses the technique of freehand brushwork in ink and the combination of poetry, calligraphy and painting to express the charm and sentiment of Kui Shi incisively and vividly, making it the best of the year
A okra leans out of the picture, with several leaves in one flower, simple and refreshing; The roots are surrounded by weeds and tender bamboos; The background is lake and stone, undulating and wrinkled. The composition and form of this axis are quite distinctive, such as Xu Qin’s “Record of Ming Paintings”, which commented that “its sketch, a flower and a half leaf with light ink, is made of sparse, oblique and chaotic, aggressive and realistic, and the traces of color and light ink are all changed after a long time.” This simple and colorful, realistic and flexible image is highly characterized by “literary and elegant” of literati painting
The painting method uses the freehand brushwork technique of ink and wash. The use of the brush benefits from the skill of cursive writing. It has many ups and downs and natural drawing strokes, with the charm of “free brushwork and cursive”. For example, the wheel line of the lake stone and sunflower is simple and fast, and sometimes you can see the lying pen, the folding front and the flying white, which is very similar to the edge of the wild grass; The orchids, bamboos and miscellaneous flowers of the stone root are also often written in succession or in a sudden manner, rich in writing rhyme; The sunflower leaves are sprinkled with water and ink, which shows the intensity and weight of the brush, and the traces of natural infiltration can be seen on the outer edge, showing the sophistication of the ink method. The combination of Xian Lian’s image and elegant pen and ink has created a new style of ink and wash freehand flower painting, which is a qualitative leap over the predecessors of the “Wu School”
The poems inscribed on the painting express the painter’s feelings and add poetic flavor to the picture. The cursive font is also in harmony with the brushwork of the painting, and set off each other. The combination of poetry, calligraphy and painting makes the work more interesting.