Various Subjects

Title

Various Subjects

Creator

Bian Shoumin

Year/Period

Late 17th-mid 18th centuries

Region

China

Object Type

albums (books), ink wash paintings

Material

Chinese ink, colour (pigment), paper (fiber product)

Technique

ink wash (technique), painting (image-making)

Dimension

Object size: Object: H32.2 x W36.1 x D3.0 cm,
Image size: Image: H27.4 x W14.4 cm,
Image size: Page: H64 x W35.8 cm

Accession No.

2001-02746

Collection of

Asian Civilisations Museum

Credit Line

From the Xiang Xue Zhuang Collection in memory of Dr Tan Tsze Chor

Bian’s original name was Bian Weiqi. He was a native of Huai-an, modern day Shanyang, Jiangsu Province. As a professional painter, he lived in Yangzhou and was known as one of the ‘Eight Eccentrics’. In this album, Bian’s proficiency in painting flowers and objects taken from daily life is evident. His brushwork ranged from wet strokes used to delineate peony petals and crabs, to fine, dry strokes simulating Western shading seen on the custard apple in this album. Although Bian’s strokes are decisive and purposeful, one cannot help but detect a sense of melancholy and vulnerability in the images he paints.