Famous Chinese Flower Painting of Peony

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Famous Chinese Flower Painting of Peony

About the painter:
Zhao Zhiqian was a native of Kuaiji (today's Shaoxing in Jiangsu province). Around the age of thirty sui (in 1859), he passed the civil service examination at the provincial level. Mastering calligraphy, painting, and seal carving, Zhao migrated to Shanghai in his late years supporting himself by selling his calligraphy and paintings. Zhao Zhiqian's botanical paintings are characterized by generous application of ink and beautiful colors. He carried on the styles of Xu Wei (1521-1593) and Chen Daofu (1483-1544) of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) while adding inscriptions to his paintings based on epigraphic studies, creating a new style in late Qing dynasty.

 About the painting:
 Beside a garden rock, peonies vigorously flower ostentatiously announcing "riches and honor". A well-known painter of the "Shanghai school", Zhao was proficient in painting flowers. In his early years, he modeled his works after Yun Shouping (1633-1690), and incorporated the forcefulness of calligraphic brushwork and stone inscriptions into the painting to form a magnificent style of his own. This work typifies Zhao's flower paintings. He employed the boneless (mogu) and double-outline (shuanggou) techniques to depict the peonies. The lines, freely and vivaciously rendered, are invested with a calligraphic appeal.  Brightly colored, the painting boasts harmonious intermingling of water, ink and color pigments. With an almost tactile texture, the rocks are delineated with thick ink. The bright coloration and free brushwork add to the splendor as well as boldness of the painting. In a sharp contrast, the dense composition in the upper half and sparse composition in the lower half jointly form a complete picture.

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