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Tasting tea

• Artist

  Chen Hongshou

• Year

  Not dated

• Media

  Hanging scroll, ink and colour on silk

• Dimensions

  86 x 47 cm

• Museum No.

  XB1992.0061

• Artist Bio

  Chen Hong-shou, style name Zhanghou and alias Laolian, was from Zhuji in Zhejiang province. He took the refuge of monastic life when the Ming dynasty fell, but later in years, he made a living by selling paintings in Hangzhou and Shaoxing. A learned man and a drinker, he was famous for his calligraphy and painting. His temperament was said to be close to that of the Jin artists of the third to fifth centuries. He learned painting under Lan Ying, and received informal coaching from Xu Wei. His calligraphy has a lean, gaunt look, while his paintings of flowers, birds and figures show the traits of the ancient artists. Yet his influence on later artists can be seen in the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, Ren Xiong and Ren Yi. His block prints, such as the drinking chips featuring characters from The Water Margin and figures from The Story of the West Chamber are widely available, and provide an important source for research in the history of figure painting in China.

• Description

  Chen’s figure painting style is highly idiosyncratic and shows the brushwork of a professional artist. This painting is a typical example: crisp, angular lines that resemble woodcut, with a deliberate simplicity that harks back to works of earlier artists. The draping of robes and sleeves reminds one of the linear drawing techniques of Gu Kaizhi of Jin and Li Gonglin of Song. The flamboyant air and form suggest the decorative purpose of the work. Flanking the two gentlemen sipping tea are plantain leaves and rockery, which are exquisitely done to enhance the figurative forms, while the few stems of lotus in the vase and the large area of negative space highlight the reclusive mood.

• —Xubaizhai Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art

• More information
  Hong Kong Museum of Art Google Arts & Culture