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Paintings after Ancient Masters: Portrait of Tao Yuanming

Chen Hongshou

1625

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Chinese Orthodox School Renaissance Baroque Portrait

Dominant colour

Paintings after Ancient Masters: Portrait of Tao Yuanming is a 1625 unspecified by Chen Hongshou, a Chinese Orthodox School work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Chen Hongshou
When & what style?: 1625 · Chinese Orthodox School
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see an old Chinese poet leaning on a wooden staff, a single chrysanthemum tucked behind his ear. This isn’t a photo of the real poet—Tao Yuanming lived over a thousand years before the artist. Chen Hongshou painted him as a quiet rebel, someone who walked away from power to grow flowers and write. The artist lived through war and dynasty change, so the calm face feels like a wish. Look up more paintings of china, ming dynasty (1368–1644) to see how artists pictured their heroes.

The story of this work

Overview

Poet Tao Yuanming (365–427 CE) turned down a career as an official in politically turbulent times to return to his home estate, northwest of Mount Lu, to write poetry and enjoy his garden and wine. Having an ailing foot, he was carried in a basket or walked with a staff. As he grew chrysanthemums, Tao is associated with this flower. The artist Chen Hongshou, active in Zhejiang province, suffered through the violent transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty around 1644. By portraying the poet who lived a millennium earlier during similarly fraught times, Chen intentionally chose an…