Qian Xuan


Qian Xuan courtesy name Shun Ju, pseudonyms Yu Tan, Xi Lan Weng, and Zha Chuan Weng was a Chinese painter from Hu Zhou during the late Song dynasty and early Yuan dynasty.

Biography

Qian Xuan started as an aspiring scholar-official during the rule of the Southern Song. However, he had difficulty climbing the ranks of officialdom. When the Mongol-founded Yuan Dynasty took over the southern regions of China in 1276, he effectively gave up on the idea of a civil administration career. In 1286 his friend Zhao Mengfu found and accepted a position, and so for a time it seemed he could as well. However, he refused on patriotic grounds, while he citing old age in order to avoid difficulties. He nevertheless was considered a Song loyalist.
Qian Xuan's life after 1276 was devoted to painting, and he became noted as a "fur and feathers" painter. He was also adept at bird-and-flower painting, character painting, and landscape painting. He is known for landscapes that hinted at a longing for a return of native Chinese rule, such as in the work Home Again. He mixed Song realism with an archaic Tang style.

Works