Flower and Bird Painting in Yuan Dynasty
4 min readFlower-and-bird paintings in Yuan dynasty were mainly featured by literati water ink freestyle. They were simple and clean, plain and neat. Painters attached more importance to expression of interest and sentiment rather than the exact resemblance of images. The style was pure, easy and free. Subject matters such as dead tree, bamboo and stones, plum and orchid flower from Song dynasty continued to be favored by painters in Yuan dynasty because they represented the nobleness, lofty and proud, which was in accordance with the painters subjective thought and affection. Painters used them to express their personal sentiment and passion. Ni Zan was the most representative one. Other than water ink freestyle bamboo and stones, there were another kind of bamboo and stone painting with precise configuration and refines way of depiction in Yuan dynasty. Representative painters included Gu An, Li Kan etc. Important painters of flower-and-bird painting in Yuan dynasty were as follows.
Qian Xuan, with Shunju as his courtesy name and Yutan as his title, was from Huzhou(in Zhejiang today). He started a new style of flower-and-bird painting in Yuan dynasty. The flower and bird in his depiction were popular for their great charm rather than the pursuit of delicacy in depiction and floweriness of color using. The style was rough yet with beauty, simple yet with elegance. Representative works were Eight Kinds of Flowers and Flower and Bird.
Wang Yuan, with Ruoshui as his courtesy name and Danxuan as his title, was from Qiantang (Hangzhou in Zhejiang today). He was a professional painter excelled in flower and bird painting. Zhao Mengfu once gave instruction to him. He also learnedfrom various other painters. His flower-and-bird painting combined the refined and beautiful style of Huang Quan in Southern Tang of the Five Dynasties and the water ink freestyle of literati painting in Song dynasty. He created a new style of painting which was a blend of refined style and freestyle. His paintings were with accurate shape, precise rules, and also demonstrated the advantage of using ink strokes as in literati painting. The painting was full of changes with heavy or light color, dry or moist ink, pure and simple charm and sleek elegance. His representative works were Mountain Peach and Pheasant, Bamboo Stones and Gathered Birds.
Ren Renfa(1254-1327), courtesy name Zi Ming, pseudonym “Taoist on the Moon Mountain”, was from Songjiang(in Shanghai today). He was a famous expert of irrigation works. After retirement he became a painter who was good at painting horses, figures, flowers and birds, especially famous for his horse painting. His horse painting followed Li Gonglin’s style with accurate shape, simple lines and balanced bright color. His flower and bird painting followed the paintings of Huang Quan, which demonstrated elegance and beauty in a delicate and meticulous way. His works left to us today include Two Horses, Chu Yu Tu (A Painting of Leading Horsesout of Stable) and Water Birds in Autumn. The previous painting depicts a fat horseand a slim horse. The fat one was plump with muscles and dignified expressions. The slim one was lean and bony and lack of strength. The painter compared fat horse to a malfeasant and the slim horse to a scholar-bureaucrat who was determined in preserving his moral integrity, rectitude yet could not achieve his ambition. The painting was really meaningful.
Wang Mian(1287-1359), with Yuanzhang as his courtesy name and Stone-boiling Mountain Villa Master of Plum House as his pseudonyms, was born in a poor family in Kuaiji (Shaoxing in Zhejiang today). He was a vaquero in his childhood and couldonly read under the forever lamp in the temple at night. He worked very hard yet failed many times in the imperial examination. So he gave up the idea of becoming an official and traveled all over the country. In his senior years, he returned to his hometown and made a living in selling calligraphy and paintings. Wang Mian was good at painting plum blossoms. He had learned painting skills from Monk Zhongren and Yang Wujiu in Song dynasty. He had Chart of Plum Blossoms, Water Ink Plum Flower and Southern Branches in Early Spring left to the world. The first painting only depicts one twig of plum flower, which was straight and upward with strength. Several plum blossoms were dotted by light ink color and their pistils were ticked off with heav ink color. The purity and nobleness was really the portraiture of his personality.
Besides, Zheng Sixiao, Gong Kai, Gu An, Li Kan, Chen Lin, Wu Zhen, Ke Jiusi and Zhang Zhong were other important painters of flower-and-bird painting and horse painting in Yuan dynasty.
