Object Details
Artist
Wen Zhengming
Date
1532
Medium
Hanging scroll: ink and colors on paper
Dimensions
Image: 31 11/16 x 10 9/16 inches (80.5 x 26.9 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired through the generosity of Judith Stoikov, Class of 1963
Object
Number
99.008.001
Student of Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming came from one of the venerable literati families of Suzhou. Afte(…)
Student of Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming came from one of the venerable literati families of Suzhou. After ten unsuccessful attempts to pass the second-degree civil service examinations, he was exempted and appointed to the Hanlin Academy in Beijing. But, after two years of service, Wen returned to Suzhou to pursue his painting and calligraphy. He lived a long and productive life and is hailed as one of China’s greatest artists. A central theme in Wu school painting is that of the scholar’s gathering, representing the ideal life of the scholar-official who practiced painting and calligraphy for the enjoyment of an intimate circle of literati. Here, the occasion is a lunar New Year gathering in the garden of Yuan Pao, a close friend of the artist, for the purpose of viewing plum blossoms. According to the poetic inscription, the weather was poor and the flowers had not yet opened, but Wen Zhengming reminds the viewer that gardens can exist anywhere, even in the mind.
