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Troubled artist retains influence
By Zhao Dan |
August 16, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BA Da Shan Ren (1626-1705), originally named Zhu Da, was a leading artist in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Being a descendant of a royal Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) family, he had to flee to a southern city after the Man minority ruled China in 1644.
His life was subsequently dominated by loss of family and suppression, and he lived in sadness, fear and indifference, eventually suffering from mental disorder.
In ordinary people's eyes, Ba Da Shan Ren was an eccentric person. He converted to Buddhism as a monk, but he was also a Taoist priest. His signature of "Ba Da Shan Ren" was written in a way that either looks like "laugh" or "cry," and in this way he expressed his cynical and indifferent attitude toward life and his empathy for the Qing era.
He also expressed his loneliness and pride by painting solitary objects and animals with their eyes up, turning a cold look to the world.
"Two Birds with a Rock" is one of his famous works that is featured in Shanghai Museum. The rock in the picture stands alone and unsteady conveying unsettled feelings. The two birds, one standing on the rock and another below it, look like they are confronting each other with feathers ruffled, instead of communicating.
Though the bird below the rock looks frightened, intended to depict the mood of a Ming prince, it doesn't show any inclination to join in.
It is a hallmark of Ba Da Shan Ren's unique style to paint things vividly but in a very simple way, intending to evoke the spirit of objects. His works still have a huge influence on Chinese paintings, and he is considered one of the most famous artists in Chinese history.
His life was subsequently dominated by loss of family and suppression, and he lived in sadness, fear and indifference, eventually suffering from mental disorder.
In ordinary people's eyes, Ba Da Shan Ren was an eccentric person. He converted to Buddhism as a monk, but he was also a Taoist priest. His signature of "Ba Da Shan Ren" was written in a way that either looks like "laugh" or "cry," and in this way he expressed his cynical and indifferent attitude toward life and his empathy for the Qing era.
He also expressed his loneliness and pride by painting solitary objects and animals with their eyes up, turning a cold look to the world.
"Two Birds with a Rock" is one of his famous works that is featured in Shanghai Museum. The rock in the picture stands alone and unsteady conveying unsettled feelings. The two birds, one standing on the rock and another below it, look like they are confronting each other with feathers ruffled, instead of communicating.
Though the bird below the rock looks frightened, intended to depict the mood of a Ming prince, it doesn't show any inclination to join in.
It is a hallmark of Ba Da Shan Ren's unique style to paint things vividly but in a very simple way, intending to evoke the spirit of objects. His works still have a huge influence on Chinese paintings, and he is considered one of the most famous artists in Chinese history.
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