Li Ju Lotus Chart Axis

[Li Ju Lotus Painting Axis]

The Lotus Painting Axis, Qing Dynasty, Li Ju painting, paper, ink, 136.5 cm vertically and 46.1 cm horizontally
There are seven quatrains on the painting: “Don’t doubt that the water is covered with mud, and the ink is turned over and turned into a lather. Last night, the dark clouds and plum blossom in Puxu, and the grass house is pure and rainy and windy.” The inscription: “Written by Li Xuan eight years ago in April of Qianlong’s reign.” Self-seal “Eel seal” white seal, “Know I hope you” Zhu seal. The seal on the lower right is “the seal of Songliao Pavilion’s collection of calligraphy and painting”. The eighth year of Qianlong was 1743
“The Painting of Lotus” is Li Xuan’s work at the age of 58, which is the representative of his mature painting style. The picture shows the hibiscus after the night rain, which emerges from the mud without staining, and its branches and leaves are scattered at random, not spreading, fresh and lively. The pen is unrestrained and vigorous, and the ink is thick and light. It vividly reflects the artistic conception of the lotus pond after the rain, which is full of smoke and water. It is wonderful. Li Xuan attaches great importance to the use of water in the brush and ink. He once said: “Painters focus on the brush and ink. Badashan’s brush is better than the ink, Shi Tao’s human ink is better than the pen, and the brush and ink are extremely wonderful. We should seek it when we use the water, but it is difficult for the Samadhi to tell us this.” The inscription in the painting is arranged at the top of the picture, echoing the lotus leaves below, and plays a role in supplementing the picture. The content of the poem also plays the meaning outside the painting, and the poem, book and painting are perfectly integrated
Li Xuan’s flower and bird paintings are free from rope and ink, and they are more vivid than others. However, he is not a lawless person. Zheng Banqiao commented in his postscript to the book “Flowers”: “The rules are square and round, the scale and color, the light and deep separation are not disorderly. They are hidden in them, while the outside ones fall off.”