Spring Colors of Jiangnan

Born in Guangzhou, Chen Shuren is considered one of the three founding masters of the influential Lingnan school, along with the brothers Gao Jianfu (1879–1951) and Gao Qifeng (1889–1933). The Lingnan painters combined traditional Chinese subjects with innovative techniques learned in Japan to forge a style characterized by translucent color washes, soft-focus atmosphere effects, and overtones of Western realism.

Like his teacher Ju Lian (1828–1904), Chen Shuren favored the traditional genre of bird-and-flower painting. But Chen’s handling of the subject in this painting is fairly loose, perhaps as a result of his lengthy period of studying in Japan (1906–1917) and working in Canada (1917–1922). The inscription describes the painting as a remembrance of the Jiangnan region’s rural splendor when he was on a trip to Lake Tai in 1929. In spite of his busy career in politics at the time, Chen found opportunities to paint at a high level, excelling at the subjects of birds and flowers and seasonal scenes of poplar and willow trees.