Lucidity in a Prosperous Era: Guangdong Paintings of the Qing Dynasty

Bird-and-Flower Painting

Lingnan Charm: Bird-and-Flower Painting

Guangdong Province’s abundant flora and fauna provided painters with an endless supply of subjects for bird-and-flower painting. Characterised by lively brushwork, depictions of flowers, birds, grasses, and insects became the dominant theme in Qing-period Guangdong bird-and-flower painting. In fact, the early styles were strongly influenced by Ming dynasty bird-and-flower painting masters Xu Wei and Chen Chun, also known as Qingteng and Baiyang.

Artists such as Yang Changwen, Wu Ruilong, Monk Dashan and Zhang Mu – Ming loyalists who refused to accept Qing dynasty rule – created works that complemented to those crafted by mainstream painters like Shitao and Bada Shanren.

In the mid-to-late Qing dynasty period, however, the tradition absorbed the ink-bamboo and bird-and-flower styles of Su Shi, Wang Mian, Wu Zhen, Zheng Xie, and Hua Yan. Painters in this vein included Guo Shi, Zhang Jinfang, Zhao Ziyong, Wen Rusui, Bao Jun, and He Chong.

During the late Qing dynasty, bird-and-flower painters like Ju Chao and Ju Lian drew inspiration from Yun Shouping of the ‘Changzhou School’, developing the ‘mogu’ (boneless) technique into water-infusion and powder-infusion methods. They attracted many followers and became a dominant force in the Lingnan School, securing a significant position in the mainstream art world. The founders of the modern Lingnan School, Gao Jianfu and Chen Shuren, emerged from this lineage. The unique local environment contributed to a striking regional style, in which fresh, graceful colours and elegant composition held the primary position, with ink-wash and xieyi (freehand) approaches in the secondary role.