Courtesy Name: Zhong Zhao
Pseudonyms: Yu Feng, Zizai JuShi ‘The Free Patriarch’
Born 1388 in Kunshan, he entered the academy and studied to become an official. He was then transferred to a position in Beijing and became the Bureau of Evaluations in the Ministry of Personnel. He then became a prefect in Jiangxi province and was then recalled to Beijing and appointed Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He then retired in 1457 and died in 1470.
Xia Chang lived mainly as a government official and painted mainly bamboo. His style of the bamboo painting showed variations of expression. Along with that were the pieces of literature and literary elements. This led his style of bamboo painting to be famous through the different Asian countries like Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.
Bamboo in wind (Hanging scroll, ink on paper)
Xia Cheng created a sole painting of a bamboo plant along with a poem to pair and relate his poetic expression. Xia Cheng was able to create this sort of life and form of bamboos, his control of the tonality and ink purity. He created the life-like animation and artistic expression of the content and idea he wished his reader had as they read his poem.
In a summary and lose translation of the poem, Xia Cheng writes about the ponderings and worries of wanting to convey something. The journey as one wishes to send a message, even though tiring he embarks. One meets a few people on his journey as he embarks he feels and experiences different sights and emotions. One of which was the breeze of wind that carried bamboo.
Thus accommodating this story he has written, Xia Cheng pairs along with the visuals of bamboo being blown by the wind. Its form and likeliness captured the emotion he wished to express through his poetry.
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