Chen Chun's Inheritance Of "Mijia Landscape" And Its Significance

In the early Ming Dynasty,the majority of paintings were painted in past styles.During this trend,many painters attempted to replicate the “Mijia Landscape”,but most failed to achieve its intrinsic style.Among these painters,Chen Chun was the most outstanding.Not only because he was famous for his bird-and-flower paintings,but also because his work on mountain-water paintings was comparable to the Mijia.Chen had a long history of studying “Mijia Mountain-water.” His family background provided him with an artistic influence since his childhood and he further improved his skills through studying under famous artists such as Shen Zhou and Wen Zhengming.Chen led a typical life but developed an outstanding art style.In the process of learning “Mijia Mountain-water,” he also integrated “Yunshan” pictures drawn by other predecessors.His interpretation of “Mijia Mountain-water” enhanced the original style by incorporating the spirit of “Moxi.” Chen's style excels in expressing the inner monologue of the artist.As Chen became more versatile in utilizing the hybrid style,his work often adopted Chinese ink painting techniques from “Moxi ” which he used in mountain-water paintings as well as bird-and-flower paintings.His unique understanding and incorporations of various styles had led to many outstanding pieces.Chen's work is often appraised to have “a clear cut Mijia style” as his paintings both inherited the mountain-water painting style of “Mijia Landscape” and further advanced its “Moxi” spirit.