Chen Mei was a court painter of the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty, and his paintings were not widely circulated but very delicate and delicate, which shows the high level of his painting skills. He was recorded in books such as the Catalogue of Paintings of the National Dynasty, the Records of paintings of the National Dynasty, the Catalogue of Reading Paintings, and the Paintings of the National Dynasty.
"Picture Catalogue of the National Dynasty Courtyard" Online Pictures
Chen Mei co-painted the eight volumes of "Shou Intention" with a number of court painters (twelve paintings in each volume and ten paintings in the fourth volume, a total of ninety-four paintings, each page length 32.3 cm, width 29.6 cm), which was recorded in the "Shiqu Baodi ・ Preliminary Compilation", and appeared in the auction market a few years ago. However, when this album appeared, it was no longer complete, and only twelve paintings were pieced together from each volume, of which there was no painting of Chen Mei's signature.
Qing Chen Mei "Landscape pavilion map" volume (five of the twelve pages) silk color Each page length 31 cm width 25.3 cm Collection of the Palace Museum
Many of Chen Ming's works in the collection of the Palace Museum are not included in the "Shiqu Baodi", such as the "Landscape and Water Pavilion Map" volume, which is a color painting for silk, a total of twelve pages, each 31 cm in length and 25.3 cm in width.
The painting style is extremely delicate and meticulous, and the colors are gorgeous and vivid, which belongs to the meticulous work of the painter, and it is indeed eye-consuming to paint in such a small format.
The author has also seen two works in the Chen Ming paintings that have been used, one was painted in the court in his early years, and the other was painted in his later years after leaving the court, but the conception of the two paintings has some connection, but there is a world of difference in style. They are described separately below.
The scroll of the "Wanfulai Dynasty" collected by the Palace Museum is a color painting on silk, and it is not included in the "Shiqu Baodi", which is 139.2 centimeters in length and 64 centimeters in width, and is written as follows: "Wanfulai Dynasty, Yongzheng 4th October 30th, Chen Minggong Painting".
Qing Chen Mei "Evening Crow Returns to the Forest" Axis Ink on Paper Light Color Length 134 cm Width 62 cm Private collection
In the painting, a group of bats fly from far and near, and a close look at the dense flying bats, some black, some red, some blue, some orange, seems to have become a five-color auspicious cloud. On one side are high cliffs, and below is the rough sea.
Part of "WanfuLai Dynasty Map" Bats densely packed in the sky
The "Fourth Year of Yongzheng" is 1726, and "October" is the month of the Yongzheng Emperor's birthday, and it is clear that this work is a birthday painting painted to celebrate the emperor's birthday. Everything in the painting has a clear purpose, the mountains, the sea, the pine trees, the bats, forming a picture of praise and praise. The picture is neat and rich, which typically reflects the style of court art.
Qing Chen Ming "Wan Fu Lai Chao Tu" axis
"Evening Crow Returning to the Forest" axis, ink on paper light color painting, 134 cm in length, 62 cm in width, style works: "Qianlong Nongzhi, Zhiwo Toutuo Painting", plutonium print "Ming Yin" (Bai Wen Fang Yin), "Zai Dong Shi" (Zhu Wen Fang Yin). It is now in a private collection. It depicts a flock of crows returning to the forest at dusk, black pressing down on the sky. The painting is dominated by ink colors, lightly assigned to other colors, shrouded in a desolate and desolate atmosphere, and the mood is quite low. The extensive brush and ink also reflect a certain style and mood of literati painting. The "Qianlong Renji" is the seventh year of Qianlong (1742), at this time Chen Mei has already returned to his hometown from the Jingshi Palace for two years.
The content is compiled from: Nie Chongzheng,"The Life of the Court Painter Chen Ming and His Works", Forbidden City, February 2011 issue, thanks to the author and the magazine for providing information, if there is any question private message contact