Description

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Handscroll; Ink and wash on paper; 1294cm(width)*22cm(height)

From right to left, thirteen different species of plants are depicted in this painting, beginning with the peony, followed by the pomegranate flower and lotus, then a tall Chinese parasol tree that occupies a space equal in size to that covered by the previous three flowers combined. This is followed by the chrysanthemum, pumpkin, lentil, and crepe myrtle clustered together as a transition to grapes and plantain, which form the core of the painting and take up one third of the space, pushing the momentum of the scroll to its climax. It concludes with light ink depicting the outline of plum blossoms, daffodils, and bamboo.

Xu painted with a type of ink that was a specialty of Anhui Province, employing freestyle brushstrokes with great improvization to create a symphonic grandeur and magnificence. Xie Zhiliu praised Xu Wei as “next to no other painter in the world.”

About the Author

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Xu Wei (1521–1593), from Shanyin (present day Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province), was also known by the aliases Wenqing, Wenchang, the Daoist Monk, and Tianchi Shanren. A painter, calligrapher, dramatist, and man of letters of the Ming Dynasty, he was excellent at running script, ink paintings of flowers and bamboo, fish and other aquatic creatures, landscapes, and human figures. There is great liberty and ingenuity in his strokes. He and Chen Daofu were known together as Qingteng and Baiyang.