Cassia Blossom from a Flower Album of Ten Leaves 1656
xiangshengmo
minneapolisinstituteofart
ink, color-on-paper
photo of handprinted image
natural world styling
water colours
pastel soft colours
leaf
culinary art
ink
color-on-paper
organic styling
china
watercolour bleed
watercolour illustration
botanical art
watercolor
"Cassia Blossom from a Flower Album of Ten Leaves" is a delicate ink and color painting by Xiang Shengmo, a prominent Chinese artist of the 17th century. This artwork showcases the artist's meticulous attention to detail, capturing the graceful form and delicate beauty of the cassia blossom with a light touch. This painting is part of a series of ten, each depicting a different flower, and exemplifies the tradition of floral painting prevalent in Chinese art, reflecting the artist's sensitivity towards the natural world and the cultural significance of flowers in Chinese society. The painting is now housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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Xiang Shengmo was born into one of the most prestigious families in Jiaxing, a city in northeastern China. When the Manchu invasion reached Jiaxing, in 1645, many of Xiang’s friends and relatives died in a vain attempt to save their city. His homestead was destroyed and his family’s art collections lost. Following this upheaval, Xiang’s painting changed from an amateur, literati pursuit, becoming a source of income. Xiang was at the height of his technical and expressive powers when he created this album, featuring a wide range of flowers including wintersweet, cockscomb, apricot, pear, daylily, and cassia. He worked here in pure color without ink outlines and in shaded brushstrokes, which give the impression of three-dimensional modeling.
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