A Brush with Tranquility: The Life and Art of Cheng Zhengkui Cheng Zhengkui, a name resonating with the quietude of misty mountains and the subtle grace of scholar-official life, flourished during the tumultuous transition between the late Ming and early Qing dynasties in China. Born around 1604 in Xiaogan, Hubei province, his existence spanned a period of profound societal upheaval, yet his paintings evoke not chaos but an almost ethereal serenity. He wasn’t merely documenting landscapes; he was crafting escapes—visual poems born from a life steeped in Confucian scholarship and Daoist conte…