Appreciation of Chen Zifen Narcissus Paintings

Among the various techniques of Chinese painting, the training of line drawing is the most laborious and boring, and it is also the most difficult to produce results. Therefore, some people say that the line drawing training of Chinese painting is a bit like the "childlike innocence" of a dramatic actor, which is the basis for determining the success of art. Chen Zifen is an outstanding painter who is famous for his skill in painting flowers. At the same time, he is also a profound epitaph. His seal cutting began with ancient seal cutting, which combined the strengths of Huizhou School and Zhejiang School. His style is simple, pale and light. Xu Beihong liked Chen Zifen's seal cutting technique very much and asked Chen Zifen to seal more than 80 squares for him. Therefore, there is a strong stone flavor in Chen Zifen's sketches. Chen Zifen's sketch strengthens lines, abandons coloring, and integrates the beauty of stone calligraphy with lines. Although it is a flower, the smell of stone and the power of calligraphy overflow on the paper, which is quite rare and commendable.

This painting of daffodils is a masterpiece of its maturity. The brushwork in the painting is skillful and steady, refreshing and free and easy. The subtle changes in details make the work look comfortable, elegant and leisurely. The same is the outline of the line, the pedicel is tall and hard, but the petals are moist and light. His creative feature is to smudge the lines behind the tick marks with light ink, which makes the flowers more three-dimensional. This work is more elegant and chic after being smudged with light ink.

Yu Jianhua once commented on Chen Zifen's sketches of flowers. He said: "His lines are neither Gu Kaizhi's nor Li Longmian's, but they are unique with Gu Kaizhi and Li Longmian, making them the so-called flower of Chen Zifen's sketch." Since the late Qing Dynasty, epigraphy has sprung up, and many painters have integrated the brushwork of epigraphy calligraphy into freehand brushwork. Like Zhao, Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi and Pan Tianshou, they all lead their own way. Chen Zifen's sudden creation is unique, combining the brushwork of stone with meticulous line drawing, which can be described as "I am striving for perfection in difficulties".

In this picture, a thin, leaky, wrinkled and transparent Taihu stone is outlined with thick ink and then rubbed with light ink. The tall and straight figure is simple and steady, which contrasts with the clear daffodils. There are two lines of inscriptions on the top of the painting: "Chen Zifen and Song people sketch flowers." This sentence can be the best interpretation of "inheriting tradition and going deep into life".