Flower and fruit

Artist Bio
Though born to a prominent family in Jiangsu province, Yun Shouping, original name Ge, also called Nantian, abstained from entering the civil service in his early years and instead devoted himself to painting, travelling extensively and becoming acquainted with the artists Wang Hui and Zha Shibiao. He switched to bird-and-flower paintings in his middle age, when he adopted Xu Xi’s mogu (boneless) method. Emphasising painting from life in order to capture the inner spirit of the subject, he was regarded as the most eminent flower-and-bird painter and one of the Six Masters of the Qing dynasty.
Description
Yun frequently sought stimulation from the past, as can be seen in this album leaf: according to the inscription, the ink peony was inspired by the lofty style of the Yuan masters, a tradition that was continued by the Ming artists Shen Zhou and Chen Chun. Yun employed the “boneless” technique without form-defining outlines, a method that originated with the eleventh century master Xu Xi. The leaves and stem are dabbed with diluted ink wash, while the flower, depicted in sketchy strokes, expresses the upright mood of the peony, a unique trait of the artist. By imbuing fresh life and beauty into the genre of flower painting, Yun’s art represented a new mode in the more spontaneous style that attracted a popular following throughout the Qing dynasty.
—Xubaizhai Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art
More information
Hong Kong Museum of Art