Chen Hongshou (1598 Zhuji, Zhejiang province –1652), formerly romanized as Ch'en Hung-shou, was a Chinese painter of the late

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

Life

Chen was born in Zhuji,

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

province in 1598, during the

. His

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

was Zhanghou (章侯), and his pseudonyms were Laolian (老莲), Fuchi (弗迟), Yunmenseng (云门僧), Huichi (悔迟), Chiheshang (迟和尚) and Huiseng (悔僧).Cihai: Page 431. He once trained under Lan Ying, and was skilled in painting peculiar human figures, landscapes, flower-and-bird. He utilized plump, profound brushwork and precise color, creating a unique style. He always painted illustrations and made tapestry portraits. His two masterpieces, ''Shui Hu Ye Zi'' (水浒叶子) and ''Bo Gu Ye Zi'', were the rare examples among the Ming and the Qing dynasties. He was very famous at that time, called "Chen in South and Cui in North", together with Cui Zizhong. He also was skilled in calligraphy,

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

and

prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...

Biography

At the age of 9, Chen's father died, but his uncle bred and ensured his education. In 1645, he passed the government examinations, receiving official status, only to flee from the advancing Manchus. In 1646, he became a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

monk; although he struggled in the sometimes conflicting ideals of Buddhist retirement or hermitage and Confucian government service.

Works

His works are kept in museums and galleries all over the world including these in the United States: *''Returning Home''

Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. It has one of the largest single co ...

*''Flowers & Bird (Xi Shang Mei Shao)''

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

*''Immortals Celebrating a Birthday'' Indianapolis Museum of Art *'' Lady Xuanwen Giving Instructions on the Classics'' Cleveland Museum of Art *''Master

Laozi Laozi (), also romanized as Lao Tzu #Name, among other ways, was a semi-legendary Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosopher and author of the ''Tao Te Ching'' (''Laozi''), one of the foundational texts of Taoism alongside the ''Zhuangzi (book) ...

on the Back of Ox'' Cleveland Museum of Art *''The Mountain of the Five Cataracts'' Cleveland Museum of Art *''The Dragon King Revering the Buddha'' Freer Gallery of Art

Gallery

File:Chen Hongshou, Appreciating Plums, detail.jpg, ''Appreciating Plums'', Guangdong Museum File:ChenhungshoGANODERMA.jpg, '' Tao Yuanming'' holding Lingzhi File:An Elegant Gathering, by Chen Hongshou.jpg, ''An Elegant Gathering'', Shanghai Museum File:Chen Hongshou, Drinking Wine in the Garden.jpg, ''Drinking Wine in the Garden'', Shanghai Museum File:Landscape of pine valley by Chen Hongshou.jpg, ''Landscape of Pine Valley'', Shanghai Museum File:Ch'en Hung-shou 002.jpg, '' Tao Yuanming'',

File:明-清陳洪綬準提佛母法像圖軸-Bodhisattva Guanyin in the Form of the Buddha Mother MET DP317447.jpg, ''Bodhisattva Guanyin in the Form of the Buddha-Mother''. Dated 1620, Ming dynasty.

References

* Cihai bianji weiyuanhui (辞海编辑委员会). ''Cihai'' (辞海). Shanghai: Shanghai cishu chubanshe (上海辞书出版社), 1979. *

External links

Chen Hongshou and his Painting Gallery
at China Online Museum {{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Hongshou 1598 births 1652 deaths 17th-century Chinese painters Painters from Zhejiang Ming dynasty painters People from Zhuji Chinese portrait painters Artists from Shaoxing Buddhist artists