Flowering Pines

Xiang Shengmo is a painter active in the late Ming and early Qing dynasty, courtesy name Yi, pseudonym Yian, also known as Song Tao Xian Ren. He was born in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. His grandfather Xiang Yuanbian is a famous painter and collector in the late Ming dynasty. So Xiang starts to learn about calligraphy and painting at an early age. He is good at both landscapes, portraits, and flowers and birds. His paintings always present a bright and clear view, filled with a sense of literati style, while his calligraphic works are decent and prudent, thus outstandingly vigorous. He is also an excellent poet, writing plenty of dignified and meaningful pieces. In his later years, he becomes poor because of the war and the political change. However, he never surrenders to the rich, but only makes a living on selling his works. Xiang is so expert in painting trees, especially pine trees, that his pine tree becomes an archetype in Chinese art history. Reading this scroll, you’ll find it filled with light green. As for the flowering pine, the meaning originates from the Taoist philosophy in Wei and Jin dynasties, implying longevity. Xiang uses thin brushes to delineate two pine trees in the late winter, lush and bloomy, with mountain stones around, covered by grass and lichen. According to the passage he writes beside, we can tell that he also write three poems to celebrate the pine tree bloom. This is a particularly classic work that sings the praise of pine trees, as well as combines poets together with painting.