Zhao Shao’ang was a native of Guangzhou, Guangdong province. In his early years he studied painting under Gao Qifeng (1889-1933), one of the Lingnan School masters. In 1937, he served as the head of the Department of Chinese Painting at the Guangzhou Municipal College of Fine Arts, where he worked with other Lingnan masters, such as Li Yanshan (1898-1961) and Deng Fen (1894-1964) whose works are also included in this exhibition.
Zhao produced many flower paintings in this vivid style, and often mixed his seal paste to match the colours of the blooms. The kapok flower, the subject of this painting, is a common plant in the Lingnan region.
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. 120 on p. 88, p. 12, illus. p. 88 fig. 120
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