Beijing forum explores contemporary literati aesthetics

In The Study of Chinese Literati Painting, a book painter and critic Chen Sizeng (1876-1923) co-authored with Japanese art historian Omura Seigai, he argued that moral quality, scholarship, literary talent, and emotion were the four essential components of literati painting.

Lan also discussed the New Literati Painting Movement from the 1980s and '90s, where artists drew inspiration from classic literature and popular novels while incorporating techniques from traditional Chinese painting, especially the literati style.

He praised Shen's literary sensibilities as evident in his memoir. "His writing resonates with readers, not solely for its storytelling but for its conciseness and poetic quality," he noted.

Lan pointed out that two aspects of Shen's oil paintings—subject matter and color choice—hark back to the age-old wenrenhua tradition.

Shen has chosen to depict subjects such as apples, houseplants, and bamboo groves, which are all ordinary yet robust. This is akin to the recurring motifs found in traditional Chinese ink-and-wash painting, specifically the Four Noble Ones: the plum blossom, the orchid, the bamboo, and the chrysanthemum.

Lan noted, "When portraying these common subjects, the artist did not aim to impress the viewer but to express his true feelings and inclinations".

He also argued that Shen's use of colors, particularly the mineral green and mineral blue in the backgrounds of his large-scale paintings, evokes Chinese landscape painting.