Ducks in an Autumn Scene, Shen Quan

Exhibition Label:
Asian Gallery, Summer 2003, Youmi Efurd (Didactic panel)
Flora & Fauna
Chinese bird-and-flower painting, fostered by imperial patronage, flourished during the Song dynasty (960-1297). The Song emperor Huizong (r. 1101-1126) himself was a painter of flower and bird subjects of considerable renown, and under his patronage the Court Academy fostered the tradition as never before, or indeed since. Huizong’s preference was for the most literal renderings of the details of nature.
The notion of the Court Academy, which had been established by Huizong in the Song, was restored in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The early Ming Academy of painters reinvigorated the genre of flower and bird painting-adopting the Song style of rendering images in meticulous detail-which continued into the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
In Chinese tradition, the meaning of the flower and bird symbolism is multi-layered. It could be aesthetic, philosophical, religious, and even political, according to the context. The motifs of plants and birds could be used to express an endless range of meanings and sentiments.
Chinese bird-and-flower painting was transmitted to Japan by Chinese visitors during the Edo period (1615-1868). As so often happened in Japanese cultural history, native artists made new combinations of traditions that had been kept distinct in China. Academic and literati influences from China were often mixed together with the Japanese preference for dramatic asymmetrical compositions and evocative brushwork. This led to a new form of bird and flower painting that owed much to China and yet was fully expressive of the Japanese spirit.

Exhibition Label:
Asian Gallery, Summer 2003, Youmi Efurd
During the early eighteenth century, China’s trade with Japan flourished, resulting in increased cultural exchange. A few painters traveled to Japan, earning great praise in that country. Shen Quan, a native of Wuxing in Jiangsu province, was one of these artists. He was invited to Japan in 1731 by the Emperor and taught in the city of Nagasaki for about two years before returning to China. Although he spent a relatively brief period in Japan, he sparked an entire school of painting there.

Though Shen Quan’s painting derived from the Ming academic style, he may also have been influenced by Western techniques introduced to China by Jesuit missionary artists. Shen achieved a sense of volume when painting rocks and trees by shading the forms on the edges while leaving their centers light. He also depicted birds and flowers with almost scientific accuracy.

Archive Label 2003 (version 2):
Shen Quan, a native of Zhejiang province, received an official invitation to come to Japan, where he introduced a decorative and "realistic" style of bird-and-flower painting. Although Shen's style had roots in the academic painting of the Ming dynasty, he may also have been influenced by Western techniques introduced to China by Jesuit missionary artists. Shen achieved a sense of volume when painting rocks and trees by shading the forms on the edges while leaving their centers light; he also depicted birds and flowers with almost scientific accuracy. Japanese viewers were fascinated with the fresh, lifelike quality of Shen's subjects and his style had a strong influence upon artists of various schools.