Zheng Xie orchid diagram axis

[Zheng Xiao’s Orchid Map Axis]

Orchid Map Axis, Qing Dynasty, Zheng Xiao’s painting, paper book, ink pen, 96.3 cm vertically and 48.2 cm horizontally
The title above the picture reads: “On the 25th of December, Qianlong Guiyou, wrote an orchid for Taoist friend Zhang Zixi. Zheng Xie, a resident of Banqiao.” The seal is “Zheng Xie’s small seal” and “Yangzhou Xinghua people”. On the lower left, there is another question: “The pure heart orchid and the red heart orchid always look at the heart and the guest. Is it the spring breeze that can brew it? It was once very cold with frost and snow. There is another question on the Banqiao.” The seal “partridge” Zhu Wenyin. Guiyou was the 18th year of Qianlong (1753)
Zheng Xie is good at painting orchids, inheriting the tradition and innovating. He commented on Shi Tao’s painting of orchids and said: “Monk Shi Tao has been in Yangzhou for decades, and he has seen that his paintings of orchids are extremely numerous and wonderful. He has learned half of them and left half of them, but he has not learned all of them. If he does not want all of them, he cannot do all of them, and he does not need all of them…” He got inspiration from calligraphy and advocated that “the key of the book should be used to penetrate into the painting”, while the painting of orchids “the leaves of orchids should be waved in scorched ink, and the method of vertical long and left in cursive script should be used”. Therefore, the orchids he painted not only incorporate the masculine beauty of official script, but also absorb the natural charm of cursive script
In this picture, there are three clusters of orchids, and the thick ink is written with orchid leaves; Painting orchids in light ink, the flower heart wakes up with thick ink, revealing the fragrance and vitality of orchids. In the composition, the three clusters of orchids are well arranged, and the orchid leaves echo each other to enhance the overall sense of the painting. The arrangement of the two inscriptions and postscripts breaks the normal triangular and stable composition of Hua Lan, which is unique.