초록 열기/닫기 버튼

The Neo-Confucian School of Mind, which was widely spread along with political corruption at the time, significantly influenced the painting style of Chen Hongshou, who was an adherent of Ming Dynasty. However, for Chen Hongshou, painting was rather a means for living, not an expression of ideal life. Moreover, when he painted Shuihuyezi extravagant spending trend from Jiangnan formed the cultural consumption market of the time. Shuihuyezi, in which Chen Hongshou’s ideal and reality remain intact, was painted during the rearrangement of desire: from madness-like intense emotion to general enjoyment. Nevertheless, Chen Hongshou’s fairly retro style paintings are connected to aesthetic, philosophical recognition, which is unaccountable simply with expression of anger or pleasure. Especially, the narrative aspects of Chen’s paintings stimulate man’s five senses while letting four seasons coexist on one canvas, and these aspects become an important clue that enables communication with today’s contemporary people. Lively spirit from the characters in Shuihuyezi is still vivid together with those who were playing Jiupai then and who appreciate the painting now.