Landscapes and Flowers 1600 - 1649

Chen Hongshou painted this fan, Landscapes and Flowers, using ink and color on paper, during the late Ming dynasty. The fan’s subtle, warm tonality comes from the paper itself. As a ground for painting, paper offers a receptive surface, allowing the ink to bleed and blend, creating soft gradations of tone, which can be seen in the rocks and garments of the figures. The application of ink and color required expert control to bring out the beauty of the landscape and flowers. The structure of the fan, with its radiating ribs, also has an impact on the composition, guiding the viewer's eye and adding a sense of movement. Fans like this would have been produced within a well-established system of workshops, and they speak to the circulation of images and ideas in 17th-century China. The social context of this fan is important; it was made for use and display, reflecting the artistic and cultural values of the time. Considering its materials, making, and context gives us a fuller appreciation of the artwork's meaning, moving beyond traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.