Crab-apple Blossom from a Flower Album of Ten Leaves 1656
painting, paper, watercolor, ink
organic
painting
asian-art
leaf
paper
watercolor
ink
line
botanical art
Xiang Shengmo painted this crab-apple blossom in China during the late Ming dynasty, using ink and color on paper. The delicate painting captures the literati culture which was then in its final phase. The plum blossom had long been a subject in Chinese art, associated with themes of renewal and beauty. But the tradition was deeply rooted in social class. Painting, calligraphy, poetry, and collecting art objects were the domain of the educated elite. They had the resources and leisure time to engage in such activities. These arts were a way of signaling one's status and refinement. However, as the Ming dynasty began to weaken, this social structure also began to come under pressure. Later historians can use works like this, alongside written records and social histories, to understand the complex relationship between art, culture, and class in a changing world. Art is never made in a vacuum.
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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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