Picture axis of plum, banana, bamboo and stone

[Picture Axis of Banana, Bamboo and Stone by Li Yu]

Picture Axis of Banana, Bamboo and Stone by Li Yu in the Qing Dynasty, paper, color, 195.8 cm vertically and 104.7 cm horizontally
Self title: “Yongzheng Jiayin winter in October. Futang Li Xuan.” Seal “Eel seal” white seal and “Zongyang” Zhu seal. On the upper right, Zheng Xiao wrote: “Your home is scorched with bamboo in the east of Zhejiang Province. This painting also adds pillar stone skills. The most envious is Mr. Qing’s distinguished guest, and the south courtyard of the palace robe is 40 red. Zheng Xiao, the elder brother of the Banqiao scholar, worshipped his hand to paint for Mr. Futang.” The seal is “Zheng Xiao’s seal” and “Olive Pavilion”. Yongzheng Jiayin was the 12th year of Yongzheng (1734)
The banana, bamboo, stone and rose miscellaneous flowers in the paintings are all the scenery in the garden, and are also the common themes of literary painters since the Yuan and Ming dynasties. In this painting, the banana is painted with thick splashing ink. It is thick and light, and the ink is dripping. It is very powerful, but it does not break the rules. It accurately shows the elevation of the banana leaf to the back; The tender bamboo is painted with double hooks. The strokes are flexible, and the craftsman is not craftsman. Compared with plantain, it is more beautiful and colorful; The pillar stone is thick hook outline, chapped old and spicy, dyed with ochre to set off the banana bamboo in the foreground; The rose miscellaneous flowers are exquisite in brushwork and elegant in color, which play a role in enriching and awakening the picture. Li Xuan tried to use the combination of ink freehand brushwork and fine brushwork to express the elegance and leisure of the literati. Li Xuan’s painting style has undergone three major changes. This picture was painted by Li Xuan at the age of 49, and is a representative work of his gradually mature freehand painting style. Zheng Banqiao’s inscription in the painting shows his admiration for Li Xuan’s painting as a tribute to the inner court, and believes that the pillar stone in the painting is the meaning of the national pillar stone. At this time, although Li Xuan had fallen out of favor, he did not lose the heart of his official career. At that time, Zheng Banqiao, who had not yet won the scholarship, also had the ambition of “being an official and keeping the country in mind” and “benefiting the people”. This work provides their early ideological situation.