Hu Zhengyan

Artist

Hu Zhengyan

Hu Zhengyan (c. 1582 – c. 1674) was a traditional Chinese painter, calligrapher, seal carver, and publisher active during the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty. He experimented with a variety of woodblock and embossed designs. His Shizhuzhai school pioneered new techniques in multicolor woodblock printing and is best known for his art textbook, Shizhuzhai Shuhuapu, which explains the process.

Hu Zhengyan Biography

• Born around 1582 in Xiuning County, Anhui Province, China .
• Learn calligraphy, painting, and seal carving
• Moved to Nanjing at the end of the Ming Dynasty
• Established Tochikusai and started publishing business
• Died in Nanjing around 1674

Representative works

• The Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Painting and Calligraphy
• "Jitokusai's Writings"

Hu Zhengyan's painting style and achievements

Hu Zhengyan contributed to the innovation of multicolor woodblock printing, and his works are characterized by delicate colors and detailed depictions. He expressed the beauty of traditional Chinese paintings using new techniques , using subjects such as flower and bird paintings and landscape paintings .

His "Jitsukusai Shuhuafu" (The Book of Calligraphy and Painting by the Ju-Chikusai) is an art textbook that explains the techniques of painting, calligraphy, and seal carving, and had a great influence on artists of the time. He also published "Jitsukusai Senpu" (The Book of Letter Papers by the Ju-Chikusai), a collection of beautifully designed letter paper that was popular among literati.

Hu Zhengyan is an artist who has inherited traditional Chinese art while incorporating new techniques and contributing to its development. His works convey the beauty and depth of Chinese art to us in the modern era .