Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

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Modern Chinese Paintings: The Reyes Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

A catalogue of Chinese paintings from the Reyes Collection by Shelagh Vainker (published Oxford, 1996).

Modern Chinese Paintings: The Reyes Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford by Shelagh Vainker

Publications online: 141 objects

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The poet Su Dongpo

  • Literature notes

    Su Dongpo, also known as Su Shi, was one of the greatest calligraphers and poets of the Northern Song (960-1127) dynasty. Ren Zhenhan here depicts him in the image of his own poem - carrying a stick, dressed in hermit's clothes - and in the specific brushwork style termed by Su Shi when describing the calligraphy of his contemporary Huang Tingjian (1045-1105) as "snake hanging from a tree". The painting is dated 1989, the year of the snake. Ren favoured literary subjects for his figure paintings; this scroll may be compared with Shanghai School of figures of the 19th century.
  • Description

    Su Dongpo (1037-1101), also known as Su Shi, was one of the greatest calligraphers and poets of the Northern Song dynasty. Ren Zhenhan depicts him as a character from one of his own poems, carrying a stick, dressed in hermit’s clothes. He also uses a specific brushwork style, noted by Su Dongpo when describing the calligraphy of his contemporary Huang Tingjian (1045-1105), of a ‘snake hanging from a tree’. The work was in fact painted in the year of the snake. Ren favoured literary subjects for his figure paintings, and this work may be compared with other Shanghai School figures of the 19th century.

  • Details

    Associated place
    AsiaChina Hong Kong (place of creation)
    Date
    1989
    Artist/maker
    Ren Zhenhan (1907 - 1991) (artist)
    Associated people
    Su Shi (1037 - 1101) (subject)
    Material and technique
    ink and colour on paper
    Dimensions
    95 x 50 cm (height x width)
    Material index
    Technique index
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Presented in honour of the forthcoming 70th birthdays of Jose Mauricio and Angelita Trinidad Reyes, 1995.
    Accession no.
    EA1995.238
  • Further reading

    Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 24 September-1 December 1996, Modern Chinese Paintings: The Reyes Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Vainker, Shelagh (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 1996), no. 74 on p. 59, p. 9, illus. p. 58 fig. 74

    Vainker, Shelagh, ‘Modern Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum’, Oriental Art, 42/3, (Autumn 1996), p. 9, illus. p. 8 fig. 14

Past Exhibition

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Location

    • currently in research collection

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Publications online

  • Modern Chinese Paintings: The Reyes Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford by Shelagh Vainker

    Modern Chinese Paintings: The Reyes Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

    Su Dongpo, also known as Su Shi, was one of the greatest calligraphers and poets of the Northern Song (960-1127) dynasty. Ren Zhenhan here depicts him in the image of his own poem - carrying a stick, dressed in hermit's clothes - and in the specific brushwork style termed by Su Shi when describing the calligraphy of his contemporary Huang Tingjian (1045-1105) as "snake hanging from a tree". The painting is dated 1989, the year of the snake. Ren favoured literary subjects for his figure paintings; this scroll may be compared with Shanghai School of figures of the 19th century.
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