The Four Gentlemen, also called the Four Noble Ones, in Chinese art refers to four plants: the orchid, the bamboo, the chrysanthemum, and the plum blossom. The term compares the four plants to Confucianist junzi, or "gentlemen". They are most typically depicted in traditional ink and wash painting and they belong to the category of bird-and-flower painting in Chinese art.
The Four Gentlemen have been used in Chinese painting since the time of the Chinese Song Dynasty (960–1279) because of their refined beauty, and were later adopted by artists in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. As they represent the four different seasons (the orchid for spring, the bamboo for summer, the chrysanthemum for autumn, and the plum blossom for winter), the four are used to depict the unfolding of the seasons through the year.
The Four Gentlemen are an important subject matter in learning to paint in the aforementioned Asian traditions, as they embody all the basic brush styles. They are also depicted in Mahjong tiles.
In Korea the Four Gentlemen were also known as the Four Gracious Plants. Rules differed from the Chinese in certain ways. In particular, the orchid needed to imitate the shape of the eye of a bird or the legs of a mantis. One can find the hidden figure of mantis legs and the eyes of an eagle in the flower.
Related to the Four Gentlemen are the Flowers of the Four Seasons, which consist of the orchid (spring), the lotus (summer), the chrysanthemum (autumn) and the plum blossom (winter). They contain three of the elements of the Four Gentlemen.[1][2][3][4]
[edit] Gallery
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Orchids and Bamboo by Zheng Xie, c. 1740
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Bamboo at Qingbige Pavillion by Ke Jiusi, c. 1338
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Chrysanthemums from the Xian'e Changchun Album by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766)
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Plum Blossoms by Sun Long and Chen Lu, early Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ People's Daily Online -- Plum blossom, peony proposed to be national flowers. (Retrieved on March 25, 2009)
- ^ Chinese Symbols and Chinese Art Motifs. (Retrieved on March 25, 2009)
- ^ article on Chinese painting with the 4 flowers and their symbolism (Retrieved 3-28-2009)
- ^ Google Booksearch scan of Description of Chinese Pottery and Porcelain by Yen Chu, Yan Zhu, Stephen Wootton Bushell, François Xavier Dentrecolles. Translated by Stephen Wootton Bushell. The Clarendon Press, 1910 (retrieved 3-28-2009)
[edit] External Links
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