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Born in 1687 in 
Jin Nong also made money as a writer and general entrepreneur. He was known to travel with a number of disciple-servants who assisted in the production of ink stones and lanterns to which he would add a personal artistic touch. It was through the sale of these items that Jin achieved financial independence; his single, failed attempt to compete for office was in the year 1736. He became widely known for his writings, but when his health began to fail, painting became his principal source of income and he in fact acknowledged the use of ghost-painters as a way to increase production. One such understudy, Luo Ping (whose name is sometimes rendered "Lo Ping"), also edited some compilations of his works. He continued to write throughout this time and was a critic as well as a dealer of paintings. There is some confusion about Jin's year of death, but it was most likely 1763 or 1764.
He also had a reputation as a calligrapher creating a style he called "
China CultureWorks in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York
1687 births 1760s deaths Qing dynasty painters Artists from Hangzhou Painters from Zhejiang Buddhist artists {{China-painter-stub
Born in 1687 in Hangzhou
Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...
, Jin Nong (金農) became popular as a painter and calligrapher while living as a childless widower in Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou, Jiangsu, ...
in his sixties. His paintings of '' mei'' blossoms were in particular demand there. Heralded as one of The Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, Jin favored the amateur scholar style. A nonconformist, he generally painted more traditional images laden with symbolism (such as orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...
s, bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
, chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...
s, and mei blossoms) and preserved his independence by selling works in an open market, rather than adopting an individual patron. Later styles included Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
imagery. However, Jin was the first artist in the Chinese tradition to paint a large number of self-portraits and did earn money through the patronage of wealthy individuals in Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou, Jiangsu, ...
who, in addition to buying works, were possible publishers for his numerous writings. Jin probably understood these contradictions as he argued that living off of painting should not be considered dishonorable.
Jin Nong also made money as a writer and general entrepreneur. He was known to travel with a number of disciple-servants who assisted in the production of ink stones and lanterns to which he would add a personal artistic touch. It was through the sale of these items that Jin achieved financial independence; his single, failed attempt to compete for office was in the year 1736. He became widely known for his writings, but when his health began to fail, painting became his principal source of income and he in fact acknowledged the use of ghost-painters as a way to increase production. One such understudy, Luo Ping (whose name is sometimes rendered "Lo Ping"), also edited some compilations of his works. He continued to write throughout this time and was a critic as well as a dealer of paintings. There is some confusion about Jin's year of death, but it was most likely 1763 or 1764.
He also had a reputation as a calligrapher creating a style he called "lacquer
Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity.
Asian lacquerware, which may be c ...
calligraphy
Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...
."
Sources
*''Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford'' (76-77)Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
* Cahill, James. The painter's practice. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994.
External links
China Culture
1687 births 1760s deaths Qing dynasty painters Artists from Hangzhou Painters from Zhejiang Buddhist artists {{China-painter-stub