Li Shen

Author: Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: Li Shen (1686-1762), styled Zongyang, styled Fuchang, alias Aodaoren. He was a native of Xinghua County under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture. One of the "Eight (Unconventional Geniuses) of Yangzhou," Li Shen was born in the 25th year of the Kangxi reign (1686) and died around the 27th year of the Qianlong reign (1762). He was skilled in poetry and calligraphy, excelled in freehand flower-and-bird painting, and was also proficient in landscape painting. His style was unique, highly creative, and achieved remarkable accomplishments. His art had a profound influence on the later generations of painters. He was praised by many artists. Li Shen was already renowned far and wide in his youth and served as an imperial painter for several years, a privilege that was truly rare among the "Eight." His "Four Seasons Flowers Scroll" was included in the Qing imperial collection "Shiqu Baoji," a testament to his high reputation at the time. Li Shen passed the provincial examination in the 50th year of the Kangxi reign (1711) at the age of 25. In the 52nd year of the Kangxi reign (1713), he traveled to the capital and presented poems to the emperor, who was impressed and appointed him to the Southern Study in the imperial palace. This was a highly prestigious position, one that many scholars yearned for but could not attain. In art, Li Shen received true transmission from Jiang Tingsxi and also learned from the finger painter Gao Qipei. His artistic achievements are primarily reflected in the following two aspects: First, he greatly expanded the expressive domain of freehand flower-and-bird painting. He incorporated various elements of nature—flowers, trees, everyday utensils, and even humble rural items like mulberry, silkworms, and broken banana fans—into his works, far surpassing his predecessors in the breadth and diversity of his subjects. Second, in the techniques of freehand flower-and-bird painting, he made new breakthroughs. He diligently studied Shitao's method of breaking brushes and splashing ink, creating works that were bold, unrestrained, dynamic, and full of the author's creative passion. At the same time, he absorbed the techniques of unboned flower painting, which were meticulous, rigorous, and featured subtle, varied colors and ink tones, with forms rich in three-dimensionality. When painting, he often combined both methods, achieving a natural and harmonious fusion, flexibility, and strong artistic expressiveness.