Huang Shen's Sketchbook of Landscape Poems and Calligraphy

Author: None
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Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Huang Shen (1687-1766) was a famous painter of the Qing Dynasty, known by the courtesy name Gongmao. Later, he changed his name to Gongshou and Juzhuang, styled himself Yingpiao, and was also called Donghai Bùyī. He was from Ninghua, Fujian. He grew up in poverty and later lived in Yangzhou for a long time, making a living by selling paintings. He often studied under the long-lasting candles of ancient temples and Buddhist halls. Initially, he learned from Shangguan Zhou, mastering fine-line figures and landscapes. Later, he transformed his style into bold, sweeping brushwork, using simplicity to control complexity, creating majestic and powerful compositions with unrestrained brushwork. His figures, apart from historical stories and divine Buddha images, were mostly inspired by folk life, often depicting the images of the working class. He specialized in painting beggars, boatmen, and fishermen, often using just a few strokes to capture both form and spirit. His landscapes, flowers, birds, insects, and fish were equally exquisite. He was one of the "Eight of Yangzhou." He excelled in cursive calligraphy, learning from the "Two Wangs" (Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi) with divine and miraculous skill, creating the effect of crumbling cliffs and falling rocks, as well as the momentum of a phoenix dancing and a snake being startled. He skillfully used broken and bald brushes, combining freedom with rigor. He once wrote a couplet: "Do not open a world in poetry, but always reach the clouds beyond the ordinary." His poetry was also excellent, earning him the reputation of the "Three Perfections" (poetry, calligraphy, and painting). His representative works include: "The Gathering of the Eight Immortals," "The Peeling Pomegranate and Playing with Infants," "The Four Elders of Shangshan," "The Wind and Snow on the Pass," "The Fisherman on the Turbulent Waves," "The Banquet on Dongshan," "The Heavenly Inkstone," "The Old Man Striking," and "Listening to Music in the Mountains." He also wrote "The Poems of Jiaohu."