八大山人 - Bada Shanren
About one and a half year ago I was in Japan and brought home quite a few book about traditional Chinese and Japanese painting. In the books I especially noticed some expressive, simple and immensely beautiful works that were all made by the same man: Zhu Da with the pen-name Bada Shanren (ca. 1626—1705). Bada Shanren was one of the so called eccentrics of Chinese painting, hinting at the daring and personal, expressive style that did not adhere to the general rules of the time.
Bada Sharen is mostly known for his many depictions of animals. With a strangely modern cartoonish linework he captures the appearance of fish and birds and cats, but often with a human like quality to them. Look at the fish below :)
As with most Chinese artists, the sources of their lives are intermingled with almost mythological anecdotes. It is said that Bada Shanren screamed while painting and that he at a certain point choose not to say a word for the lrest of his life. One day he put a note on his door where he proclaimed that he would not speak any more, and from then on only wrote on his arm when communicating. The underlying reason for these tales of eccentricity could be that he was born a Ming-dynasty prince caught in the violent transition to the qing-dynasty. Historian has speculated that the weird behaviour actually was a way to survive the sceptic new manchu-rulers tendency to kill everybody that could threaten their legitimacy to the throne. By playing mad he might have shown himself as not dangerous. Actually it reminds me of the story of prince Amled of Denmark - a story that later made the basis for Shakespear's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
the Bada Shanren name is a pen name meaning "mountain man of the eight." When writing his signature over one of his equally eccentric seals, the four signs of his name resembled two other signs: the signs for laugh (笑) and cry (哭)
