Study On The Painting Style Of Chen Hongshou

Chen Hongshou, an artist in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, has produced a far-reaching influence at that time, the modern time and even overseas. He experienced a turbulent period of late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, and this special historical period inevitably produced idiosyncratic artist. His painting art shows a unique style, and his works in general shows "crazy out of crazy", "ugliness as beauty", "Buddhist mood", and "meticulous charm" and a series of other style characteristics. His paintings have distinctive expressive forms, of which the most important principle is deformation and exaggeration. Figures are shaped of big head and small body which is out of proportion, revealing strange visions. This kind of "craziness" and "ugliness" is showed in his depiction of the image’s appearance, with a deep understanding of life that is ugliness as beautiful" and "the beauty of manner making people forget its ugly appearance". Chen Hongshou’s paintings have many themes; besides figures, flowers and birds, landscape, he is also well at creation of Taoism painting. In these works, you can feel the picture’s "Buddhist mood" and it is not only showed in the subject matter, but also reflected in the picture’s "lightness" and "farness" artistic conception. Chen Hong’s paintings are very exquisite in drawing lines, and the lines are clean, with strong decorativeness. Although his paintings don’t pursue likeness, in the use of lines, it is just like meticulous painting, with an inherent "meticulous charm.In Chinese painting history, Chen Hongshou’s painting style is unique, influencing many artists, and even affecting the creation of colorful porcelain in China during Kangxi period. His art suits both refined and popular tastes, are dashing and bursting with vitality, embodying a unique "ugly" beauty, "Crazy" beauty, "Zen", and "charm" beauty.