1531
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Flowers of Four Seasons, with Poems is a 1531 unspecified by Wang Guxiang, a Ming Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows flowers arranged by season. The flowers are paired with poems written in calligraphy. The artist chose specific flowers to represent each season, like narcissus for spring and chrysanthemum for autumn. The poems add a layer of meaning, referencing historic figures like the poet Tao Yuanming. Check out the work of artist Wang Guxiang (Chinese, 1501–1568) for more.
In this painting, flowers are loosely arranged by the seasons: narcissus and peony represent early spring; yellow loquat and lotus, summer; chrysanthemum, autumn; and the plum and evergreen bamboo, winter. The artist added to each flower a poetic line of calligraphy associating each plant with a historic or legendary figure. For example, the chrysanthemum, along with the line “The untrammeled joy at the eastern fence,” refers to the poet Tao Yuanming (died AD 427) who enjoyed chrysanthemums at the eastern fence in his garden. The scroll illustrates Wang Guxiang’s mastery of free brushwork,…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Wang Guxiang (Wang Ku-hsiang, traditional: 王谷祥, simplified: 王谷祥); ca. 1501–1568 was a Chinese landscape painter during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Wang was born in Changzhou in the Jiangsu province. His style name was…
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