Category: Theme 3

Lotuses have the ability to rise from the mud and bloom into beautiful flowers. For this reason, they often represent purity, beauty, and resilience in Chinese artwork. The combination of Chen Jialing’s Lotus painting with Li Bai’s poem The Lotus creates a complementary pairing of images and words.

Born in 1937, Chinese painter Chen Jialing is known for his modern, experimental, and abstract style of painting. His work often integrates a dreamlike world with a simplistic innocence to convey themes of elegance and virtue. The beauty of the lotus illustrated in Chen’s painting is further enhanced by Li Bai’s poem. This well-known Tang-dynasty (618–907) poet spent many years of his life wandering and living a somewhat nomadic lifestyle. Li’s work addresses topics such as voyages, detachment from society, nature, and solitude. Like Chen, Li often experimented with stylistic choices in his poetry.

Chen portrays the flower’s beauty using light washes and fine lines, whereas Li describes the lotus’s radiance and fragrance. This poem-painting interaction evokes a sense of fluidity through the lifelike quality of the lotus leaf and the conversation of the changing seasons in the poem. Additionally, this pairing contrasts the lotus’ strength with its fragility.

Poem selection and label by Beatrice Hesselbart ’20

Known as one of the “Four Gentlemen” in Confucian philosophy, the chrysanthemum became the iconic flower for autumn. Chrysanthemums are the last flowers to bloom in the year, and their presence bracing the cold weather portrays their resilient and aloof personalities. In Tao Yuanming’s poem, On Drinking Wine, No. 5, “plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge, from afar I catch sight of the southern mountain” becomes the most quoted line. While the act may be commonplace in the leisure of rustic life, Tao’s detachment from society gave the flower its representation of the hermit ‘gentleman.’

This new representation of the flower inspired many other poets and artists. Gao Fenghan’s Chrysanthemums by a Rock pays homage to the drunken Master of the Five Willows (a.k.a Tao Yuanming) in the inscriptions. At the age of fifty-four, Gao lost the use of his right hand. His unorthodox style and preference for individualism became heightened by the naive awkwardness of his left-handed brushwork. The vigorous wet brushwork in the painting creates a drunken flow that connects the contrasting lush flowers to the barren rock in harmony.

Poem selection and label by Diana Chen ’17, Beatrice Hesselbart ‘20, and Francesca Harrison ‘19

Pine trees stand tall and sturdy, as they are able to remain green and lively during even the harshest of winters. Thus, the pine tree has become a symbol of longevity and endurance in Chinese culture. In Liu Haisu’s The Pine Tree, he explores this symbolism by making the pine the focal point of his painting. The void background of this painting could be anything. It depicts the strength of the tree to withstand whatever conditions it exists within. This sense of endurance is enhanced by the inscription. It is from Liu Haisu to his friend, stating “Evergreen for thousands of years,” commenting on the lasting nature of their friendship, as well as longevity in both friendship and the pine in nature. The theme is applicable to Liu Haisu himself as he lived through the end of the Qing Dynasty, the rise of the People’s Republic of China, the Cultural Revolution, and many other events that could have greatly shifted his life, yet he remained himself despite changing times.

Poet Song Zhiwen in the Tang Dynasty wrote the poem On Old Zhang’s Pine Tree, which goes in depth about shifting times more literally with mentions of ending the year, a sun setting, and a cooling desolate environment. These factors all add a strong emphasis on the changing outside environment that impact the pine. Thus upon mentioning the large pine, it hints at its extreme endurance. 

Poem Selection and label by Francesca Harrison ’19

As a symbol of perseverance, honorability, and adaptability, bamboo is considered a ‘gentleman’ plant. Both Zheng Xie’s painting, Bamboo and Rocks, and Bai Juyi’s poem, “The Bamboo By Li Ch’e Yun’s Window,” explore the symbolic relationships between bamboo and its surroundings. Zheng Xie lived in the Qing-Dynasty (1644-1912) and Bai Juyi in the Tang-Dynasty (618-907). Both progressed through examination systems to become officials, yet remained in touch with their art.

The painting celebrates the stark yet gentle features of bamboo. Straight and light strokes reveal the bamboo’s clear strength. Despite the cleancut sturdiness of bamboo, it still holds a soft essence, as its symbolic title, ‘gentleman,’ suggests. The rocks blend with the bamboo, yet the bamboo seems more prominent, emphasizing its individuality while maintaining harmony with its surroundings. The inscription suggests the bamboo’s ability to withstand the seasons. The poem highlights the uniqueness of the bamboo’s individual beauty and adaptability, while offering uses for the bamboo as a practical tool. It advises that the most important aspect is its grace and ability to enhance its surroundings. The poem ends, “it will be beautiful under the falling snow flakes,” showcasing the bamboo’s harmonious relationship with its environment.

Poem selection and label by Francesca Harrison ‘19, Diana Chen ‘17, and Beatrice Hesselbart ‘20

Unlike Western art, which focuses on originality, Chinese artists view the ability to capture and master another artist’s style as a talent. It is also a form of flattery and respect for the original artist. In Landscape, Zhang Daqian emulates the styles of two iconic landscape painters, Dong Yuan (934–962) and Mei Qing (1623–1697). The moist and elegant brushwork in the detailed illustrations of the budded branches and the rough crevices of the stones create a lively, yet serene spring landscape as two scholars enjoy their journey in seclusion.

The Tang-dynasty (618–907) poet, Wang Wei, known for his Fields and Gardens poetry, creates a personal and domestic scene of nature in Jin Bamboo Ridge. Devoted to Buddhism, Wang and Zhang often explored their journey toward enlightenment within their work. In the poem, Wang “enter[s] unseen on the Shang Mountain road,” where “even the woodsmen do not know,” implying a divide between the commoners and those who seek enlightenment and self-cultivation. Landscape, too, creates this contrast. The two scholars are on a journey, yet the destination is unknown—the viewers cannot see beyond the boundary of the work. The serene water, characterized by the white space, does not carry the reflection of surrounding lush vegetation. But like the water of the “deserted bend” at Jin Bamboo Ridge, it is so clear and empty that it “shines,” reflecting how emptiness is a state of mind.

Poem selection and label by Diana Chen ’17