Biography of Zheng Xian

Author: Wang Tongshu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-12-01
Features: This book provides a detailed account of the family background, life, and artistic achievements in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving of the renowned artist Zheng Xie from the early Qing Dynasty. It places Zheng Xie within the framework of a "thinker" and examines his life beliefs of "never agreeing with others in anger" and "never being too clear-headed," his naturalist concepts of equality among all things and between nature and self, the budding modern humanistic thought of "the people are my brothers," his social philosophy of following the way of heaven, his awareness of respecting merchants and artisans, the mutual benefit between commerce and art, and his continuous discovery and summary of dialectical artistic creation principles. It also explores the profound and widespread influence of his unique artistic personality and the idea that "beauty is hard to find again." The insights are novel, the arguments are dialectical and vivid, and the book is engaging.