Jin Nong ***1687-1763***, a calligrapher and painter of the Qing Dynasty, was the first of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. The names were Shoumen, Sinong, Jijin, Mr. Dongxin, Jiliu Shanmin, Qujiang Waishi, Xiye Jushi, etc. He was a native of Qiantang, now Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and lived in commoner life. The following is what I compiled for you, I hope you like it!
Brief introduction to Jin Nong's life
Jin Nong, whose courtesy name is Shoumen and whose name is Dongxin. In addition to this title, there are also many titles such as Jiliu Mountain People and Qujiang Foreign History. Jin Nong was born in 1686 in Qiantang, which is now Hangzhou, Zhejiang. According to Jin Nong's self-report, his home is on the bank of the Qiantang River, facing the river with mountains at his back. There are several acres of land in his home, so he should belong to a well-off family.
Jin Nong has been very smart since he was a child. He studied at He Zhuo's house when he was a child, and was a neighbor of Ding Jing, one of the "Eight Families of Xiling". They were also in the same period as Wu Xilin, so these three people were called the "Three High Scholars in Western Zhejiang". Jin Nong has been interacting with them to make himself more knowledgeable and talented. However, Jin Nong did not follow the rules, so he failed in many imperial examinations, which also led to his failure to have any relationship with officialdom in his life.
After the 50th year of Jinnong, he was depressed and frustrated, so he made up his mind to travel around. During his travels, he was deeply fascinated by the scenery of great rivers and mountains, gained insights from it, and began to learn painting, eventually becoming the first of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou". Jin Nong's circle of friends is also very wide. There are friends of Jin Nong among noble officials, wealthy businessmen, and even ordinary people living in poverty.
Among Jinnong’s many friends, the one with whom he has the best relationship is probably Zheng Banqiao. The two of them often get together to drink and chat. Zheng Banqiao even said: "Only Jinnong is good in Hangzhou." This shows how good the relationship between the two is. Jin Nong didn't start learning painting until he was over fifty, but it was not easy to achieve such an achievement. However, this was mainly due to Jin Nong's good calligraphy skills, his own profound knowledge, his collection of many famous works, and his own unique insights into painting, and he finally became a famous artist.
What dynasty did Jin Nong come from?
Jin Nong is a famous painter in our country, so what dynasty did Jin Nong come from? We all know that Jin Nong is one of the "Eight Eighth Painters of Yangzhou". The "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou" refers to the general name of eight famous painters with similar painting styles who were active in Yangzhou in the mid-Qing Dynasty of our country. They are also called the Yangzhou School of Painting, so we can know that Jinnong is a painter of the Qing Dynasty of our country. calligrapher and painter.
In the early Qing Dynasty, with the recovery and development of social economy, Yangzhou, as a gathering place for wealthy people, began to pursue cultural development. So in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, a large number of professional painters began to gather in Yangzhou to make a living selling paintings. This situation lasted until the end of Qianlong, which lasted for several decades. Among this group of painters, the eight most famous are Jin Nong, Zheng Xie, Huang Shen, Li Wei, Li Fangying, Wang Shishen, Luo Pin and Gao Xiang.
This group of people are called the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou" by the world because they do not follow common sense and are a little weird, whether in their own lives or in their creations. Jin Nong is one of them. The boss of this group of people. But in fact, the number "eight" is not "eight" in the true sense, because there are many people with similar styles to them, and these eight people are just outstanding representatives among them.
Jin Nong’s life is very legendary. He is unkempt, but he is also a very romantic person. He knows how to use market rules to make money, but he doesn't know how to manage money. Jin Nong once made a lot of money in the market when he was young, but in his old age, he was so poor that he didn't even have the money to buy a coffin after his death. This is simply because Jin Nong has no sense of financial management. He always "gets a lot of gold at the age of 10 and then throws it away easily", which makes life in his later years so difficult.
Works of Jin Nong
Among the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou", Jin Nong is the one who has been selling paintings in Yangzhou for the longest time. In terms of artistic creation, he is also among the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou". In the first place, these can be reflected in Jin Nong's works. Jin Nong's paintings and calligraphy works are all very personal. Jin Nong did not say which type of painting he is particularly good at. He is very good at plum and bamboo, figures, landscapes, Buddhist statues, etc.
The paintings made by Jin Nong are quite unique in shape. He is better at using light ink and dry brush to make some flower portraits. Jin Nong mainly painted bamboo at first, and then began to paint horses, Buddha statues, and plum blossoms, which was even more original.
Although Jin Nong only started to learn painting when he was 50 years old, due to his rich knowledge and cultivation, he was able to draw extraordinary strokes when he first started painting. People often say that he "has been involved in painting since ancient times and has escaped from the painter's habits", such as "Spring Scenery in a Jade Pot" created when he was 75 years old.
"Jade Pot Spring Scenery" mainly cuts out a part of the trunk of a plum branch. The whole layout is strange and different from our common composition methods of broken branches of flowers or whole columns of trees. The plum blossoms he painted were randomly distributed in thick and light ink, but very appropriate, showing a cold and distant artistic conception. In addition to his high attainments in painting plum blossoms, Jin Nong is also very good at painting bamboos. He began to learn to paint bamboo when he was in his 60s. The bamboos he painted may not look very vivid at first glance, but if you look closely, you will find that these bamboos are simple, childish and full of fun.
Among Jin Nong's many works, the more famous ones include "Landscape Figures", "Moonlight Picture", "Ink Bamboo Picture", etc. These works are still circulated in the world. In 2009, Jin Nong's "Album of Flowers and Fruits" was sold for 39.76 million yuan, which was a very high transaction amount at the time.