Calligraphy

Liao Zhongkai

(b. 1877, San Francisco, United States; d. 1925, Guangzhou, China)

c. 1920s

Ink on paper

Text:

Has the heroic spirit of Yuan Long ever waned? Seasonal rains and spring winds have long fallen into silence. Fragrant grasses flourish, while you remain in seclusion. It is not fitting still to play that bittersweet Wu flute's song. Instructed by Xiao Tangmei, Zhongkai.

Seals:

Liao Zhongkai yin (intaglio), Yibai (relief)

*The courtesy name for Chen Deng, a general from the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) who was known for his bold and forthright character.

 

书法

廖仲恺

(1877年生于三藩市，美国；1925年逝于广州，中国）

约1920年代

水墨纸本

释文：

元龙豪气可曾销 ，时雨春风久寂寥。芳草自饶人自隐，未应犹复弄吴萧。小唐妹倩属，仲恺。

钤印：

廖仲恺印 (白文) 、夷白 (朱文)

*元龙，三国（220–280）时陈登，字元龙，以性格豪放著称。

A Sprig of Plum Blossoms Heralds the Spring in Longtou

1929

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

A sprig of plum blossom heralds spring from the distant frontier with elegance and unparalleled beauty.  Ask not the hermit of Solitary Hill, Master Lin, where he has been. Perhaps his former self was an emerald-feathered bird of Luofu's dream. Inscribed as instructed by Madam Xiangning. Yazi.

Seals:

Xiangning sishi hou zuo (intaglio; Painted by Xiangning after the age of forty), Liu Yazi (intaglio)

When painting plum blossoms, He Xiangning preferred to begin by rendering the aged trunk in dense ink with deliberate, weighty strokes. She would then extend new branches that sprouted upwards or downwards in lighter ink, before adding blossoms to the tips of the branches. This technique of pairing old trunks with new growth runs through He Xiangning's plum blossoms work throughout her life. The inscribed poem was written by Liu Yazi, with the poetry and painting complementing each other. Their collaboration was praised as “He’s painting with Liu’s inscription.”

*Liu Yazi (1887–1958), courtesy name Anru and sobriquet Yazi,  was a democratic revolutionary and a patriotic poet. In 1923, he met Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning in Shanghai through the activities of the suihanshe. For more than twenty years thereafter, He would paint and Liu would inscribe. That became their regular mode of collaboration, reflecting the deep friendship between Liu and He.

 

一枝梅讯陇头春

1929年

设色纸本

款题：

一枝梅讯陇头春，点缀风华迥绝尘。莫问孤山林处士，罗浮翠羽倘前身。香凝先生命题。亚子。

钤印：

香凝四十后作 (白文) 、柳亚子印 (白文)

何香凝画梅，喜先以浓墨重笔写出老干，然后以淡墨或上或下抽出新枝，最后以花朵点染枝头。这种老干新枝的画法，贯穿在何香凝一生的梅画创作之中。画中的题诗由柳亚子所书写，诗画互映，二人的合作模式有“何画柳题”之誉。

*柳亚子（1887–1958），字安如，号亚子。民主革命者、爱国诗人。1923年，柳亚子在上海因 “岁寒社” 活动结识廖仲恺、何香凝夫妇。此后的二十余年间， “何画柳题” 成为两人习见的合作模式，也彰显了两人深厚的友谊。

 

Pine, Bamboo and Plum Blossoms

He Xiangning

Jing Hengyi 

(b. 1877, Shaoxing, China; d. 1938, Shanghai, China)

Chen Shuren 

(b. 1884, Guangzhou, China; d. 1948, Guangzhou, China)

Yu Youren 

(b. 1879, Shanxi, China; d. 1964, China)

Pine, Bamboo and Plum Blossoms

1928

Ink on paper

Inscription:

The tomb of Sun Yat-sen is at Zijin Mountain; when the time comes for tomb sweeping, the season is already cold. All things dormant are awakened by thunder, and this painting is created for posterity. The pine stands strange, the plum austere, the bamboo free in spirit. Jing raised a cup, Chen composed his verses and  He Xiangning cried for Liao Zhongkai. With an idle moment at hand, I embellished the landscape with my brush to capture our present mood. In January, the 17th year [of the Republic], a joint work by Yiyuan, Xiangning and Shuren in the New Capital. Inscribed by Yu Youren. Xiangning. Yiyuan painted the bamboo. Chen Shuren painted the pine.

Seal:

Xiangning shuhua (intaglio; Xiangning’s calligraphy and painting)

*Yiyuan was the courtesy name for Jing Hengyi 经亨颐 (1877–1938), an educator and artist from Shangyu in Zhejiang. In the late 1920s, he initiated the Friends of Winter Society in Shanghai. He and He Xiangning were close friends who often gathered to paint together, and their families were later connected through marriage.

**Yu Youren (1879–1964), educator, politician and calligrapher, who established Shanghai University in 1922.

 

松•竹•梅

何香凝

经亨颐

(1877年生于绍兴，中国；1938年逝于上海，中国）

陈树人
(1884年生于广州，中国；1948年逝于广州，中国）

于右任
(1879年生于陕西，中国；1964年逝于中国）

松•竹•梅

1928年

水墨纸本

款题：

紫金山上中山墓，扫墓来时岁已寒。万物昭苏雷启蛰，画图留作后人看。松奇梅古竹潇洒，经酒陈诗廖哭声。润色江山一枝笔，无聊来写此时情。十七年一月与颐渊、香凝、树人同在新都合作。于右任题。香凝 。颐渊写竹 。陈树人写松。

钤印：

香凝书画 (白文)

*经亨颐 (1877–1938) ，字子渊，号颐渊，浙江上虞人。近代教育家、书画家。1920年代末在上海发起成立 “寒之友社” 。经亨颐为何香凝好友，时二人常雅集合作，后更结儿女之亲。

**于右任 (生于1879年中国；逝于1964年中国)，教育家，政治家及书法家。于1922年创立上海大学。

 

Maple

1929

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

Years of drifting left the painting studio empty. The setting sun casts a red glow across the evening sky. With half a spoonful of cinnabar mixed with tears, I let ink drip onto the cloud-patterned paper, inscribing the autumn’s fallen maple leaves.  A work composed in the 18th year [of the Republic] before leaving the country.  Madam Xiangning’s poem, recorded by Yazi. Xiangning.

Seals:

He Xiangning (intaglio), Xiangning sishi hou zuo (intaglio; Painted by Xiangning after the age of forty)

*Liu Yazi (1887–1958), courtesy name Anru and sobriquet Yazi, was a democratic revolutionary and a patriotic poet. In 1923, he met Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning in Shanghai through the activities of the Suihanshe. For more than twenty years thereafter, He would paint and Liu would inscribe. That became their regular mode of collaboration, reflecting the deep friendship between Liu and He.   

 

枫

1929年

设色纸本

款题：

几载飘零画阁空，夕阳西下晚霞红。半匙丹粉和双泪，滴染云笺写落枫。十八年去国前作。香凝夫人诗，亚子录。香凝。

钤印：

何香凝 （白文）、香凝四十后作 (白文)

*柳亚子（1887–1958），字安如，号亚子。民主革命者、爱国诗人。1923年，柳亚子在上海因 “岁寒社” 活动结识廖仲恺、何香凝夫妇。此后的二十余年间， “何画柳题” 成为两人习见的合作模式，也彰显了两人深厚的友谊。

 

Pine, Hawk and Bees

He Xiangning

Zhang Yuguang

(b. 1885, Shaoxing, China; d. 1968, Shanghai, China)

c. 1930s

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

Beating its wings beside the tall pine,
the bird arrives with a bold and spirited presence.
It seems to sense that the bee carries poison;
even tiny creatures circle one another with caution. Pine painted by Madam Xiangning; eagle and bees by Yuguang; inscribed by Yazi.

Seals:

Liu Yazi yin (relief), He Xiangning (relief)

*Zhang Yuguang (1885–1968) was a Chinese painter, an arts educator and one of the earliest modern stage designers who revolutionised the staging of Peking opera. He later became an art teacher. While living in Shanghai, He Xiangning collaborated many times with Zhang.

**Liu Yazi (1887–1958), courtesy name Anru and sobriquet Yazi, was a democratic revolutionary and a patriotic poet. In 1923, he met Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning in Shanghai through the activities of the Suihanshe. For more than twenty years thereafter, He would paint and Liu would inscribe. That became their regular mode of collaboration, reflecting the deep friendship between Liu and He.

 

松•鹰•蜂

何香凝

张聿光

(1885年生于绍兴，中国；1968年逝于上海，中国）

约1930年代

设色纸本

款题：

振羽长松畔，英姿飒爽来。似闻蜂有毒，微物漫相猜。香凝夫人画松，聿光先生鹰蜂，亚子题。

钤印：

柳亚子印(朱文) 、何香凝 (朱文)

*张聿光（1885–1968），画家、美术教育家。早期投身舞台美术设计，作出了许多创新性贡献，后从事美术教育工作。何香凝寓居上海期间与张聿光合作甚多。

**柳亚子（1887–1958），字安如，号亚子。民主革命者、爱国诗人。1923年，柳亚子在上海因 “岁寒社” 活动结识廖仲恺、何香凝夫妇。此后的二十余年间， “何画柳题” 成为两人习见的合作模式，也彰显了两人深厚的友谊。

 

Waterfall in the Verdant Hills

He Xiangning 

Wang Yiting 

(b. 1867, Shanghai, China; d. 1938, Shanghai, China)

1934

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

Helping the verdant mountain is not to be confined by it. What is the intention in leaving the mountain? A voice flows outward, spreading across the land. Yiting painted the figure and the pines. Xiangning painted the waterfall and the mountains. In 1934, Shanghai. Inscription by Yu Youren. 

Seals:

Youren (relief), He Xiangning (relief), Shuangqinglou zhu (relief;  Master of Shuangqing Studio)

*Wang Yiting (1867–1938), commonly known as Zhen and known by the sobriquet Bailong Shanren, was from Wuxing in Zhejiang. He was influential in Shanghai’s commercial, religious and artistic circles in the modern period, and was skilled in calligraphy and painting, particularly in bird-and-flower subjects, figures and Buddhist images. During He Xiangning’s time in Shanghai, he was a strong supporter of the social relief activities she organised.

 

青山瀑布

何香凝

王一亭 

(1867年生于上海，中国；1938年逝于上海，中国）

1934年

设色纸本

款题：

能为青山助，不是界青山。出山有何意，声流大地间。一亭写人物、松，香凝写瀑布、山，于右任为记。 香凝写瀑布。一九三四年于上海。 

钤印：

右任 (朱文)、 何香凝 (朱文)、 双清楼主 (朱文)

*王一亭（1867–1938），名震，号白龙山人，浙江吴兴人。在近代上海商业界、宗教界、艺术界都颇具影响，工书画，花鸟、人物、佛像。王一亭是何香凝在上海期间主办社会救济活动的有力支持者。

 

Landscape

1929

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

A lady stands alone by the reed-lined waters; the vast expanse of autumn hues shift between pale and deep. Clouds part suddenly over flaming trees and verdant hills; a desolate chill guards the tall pines. He Xiangning is about to travel far to a foreign land. Passing through Shanghai, she brought me this painting as a farewell gift. It recalled a spring outing when Madam He, Shuren, Ruowen and others visited the Baima Lake. We had arranged to meet again in autumn at my new home, Tall Pine Cottage, among red-leafed trees and green hills. Since that meeting can no longer come to pass, she has painted the flaming trees and verdant hills, the lake and my cottage in a single painting. Amid the pleasure of looking at it, I feel deeply how gatherings and separations are impermanent and of the enduring bond formed through painting and calligraphy. Inscribed by Yiyuan in Shanghai.

Daoist Master Yiyuan reviewed and appreciated this work that was painted by Xiangning, autumn of the 18^th year [of the Republic] at 

Guling, Jiangxi.

Seals:

He Xiangning (intaglio), Yiyuan (intaglio)

*Yiyuan was the courtesy name for Jing Hengyi 经亨颐 (1877–1938), an educator and artist from Shangyu in Zhejiang. In the late 1920s, he initiated the Friends of Winter Society in Shanghai. He and He Xiangning were close friends who often gathered to paint together, and their families were later connected through marriage.

 

山水

1929年

设色纸本

款题：

伊人葭水渺孤蓬，秋色苍茫淡复浓。红树青山云乍散，萧然寒意护长松。廖夫人香凝将远适异国，过沪以此画赠别。忆春闲与夫人、树人、若文等同游白马湖，有待到红树青山还来新居长松山房之约。今不可得，而以红树青山白马湖与长松山房绘为一图。展玩之余，深感聚散无常，书画缘永。颐渊识于海庐。颐渊道长鉴正，十八年秋香凝写于江西牯岭。

钤印：

何香凝 (白文) 、颐渊 (白文)

*经亨颐 (1877–1938)，字子渊，号颐渊，浙江上虞人。近代教育家、书画家。1920年代末在上海发起成立“寒之友社”。经亨颐为何香凝好友，时二人常雅集合作，后更结儿女之亲。

 

Calligraphy

1958

Ink on paper

Text:

The carts are lurching; the winds are howling; so many of our youths drift overseas. Marching forward, what is there to fear? We fear neither the raging waves nor the hidden reefs. Boats travel thousands of miles around the world, and airplanes soar high into the clouds. Nowhere in the Central Plains is free of turmoil, and the Gan River Bridge is stained with the blood of compatriots. The Three Principles of the People are no longer what they once were, and the people are extremely resentful of corrupt officials. How can the harm caused by imperialist aggression be dispelled? Debts have piled up like mountains for many years. Money has been spent until it has become the ash of artillery shells, and thorns grow in once-fertile fields. Nine out of ten houses stand empty, and the poor are penniless, suffering from hunger and cold. With no means of livelihood, many are driven to join the army, willing to serve under a commander. One blast from a merciless bomb sends countless to their deaths. Sacrifices are made for others’ struggles over territorial gains, but blood is shed in vain, leaving no trace. From afar, I pity the young women in their boudoir, sighing as they look upon their sons and missing their husbands. They do not know that their loved ones have already met their ends, and when they meet in dreams, each speaking only sorrow. A message to the younger generation: let our resolve not fade. The talent given to us at birth will always find its use; if life ends today, it is born again tomorrow.  Those who fall are succeeded by those who follow; from now on, countless martyrs will rise without end. Flowers bloom and fall year after year, yet how many times will yellow blossoms open above graves soaked in blood?

Inscription:

After 1927, China entered a period of political darkness. Years of civil war brought devastation and loss of life, and there were occasional reports of young people killed. Repeated arguments with those in power at the time proved futile. In anger, I resigned from all government posts, and in 1928, left the country (*), travelling via the Philippines and Nanyang to France. Witnessing a homeland in extreme turmoil: politics in chaos, threats from within and beyond, the nation in fragments. Those determined to save the nation could find no peace at home, and countless others were driven into exile overseas.

He Xiangning composed this ode in Paris, the French capital, in 1928; calligraphy added at the West Lake in 1958, when she was 81 years old.

Seal: 

He Xiangning (relief)

*He Xiangning left China in 1929; the reference to 1928 is likely a mistaken record

 

书法

1958年

水墨纸本

释文：

车摇摇，风萧萧，多少青年海外飘！长驱直进何所畏? 不怕狂涛与暗礁。舟行世界千万里，飞机直上干云霄。一望中原无净土，同胞血染赣江桥。三民主义今非昔，污吏贪官民怨极。帝国侵凌祸怎消?频年借债如山积。金钱变作炮弹灰，到处肥田生荆棘。可怜十室九家空，民穷财尽饥寒迫。谋生无路去投军，愿为司令当执役。无情毒炮一声鸣，断送生灵千万亿。牺牲为彼争地盘，空流鲜血无遗迹。遥怜少妇泣闺中，望子思夫长叹息。不知已上断头台，梦魂相会各言哀。留言后辈青年者，我等雄心且莫灰。天生我才必有用，今天死了再胚胎。前者牺牲后者继，此后无穷烈士来。花开花落年年在，血塚 黄花几度开。

款题：

一九二七年后中国政治黑暗，连年内战生灵涂炭，青年被害者时有所闻。吾常与其时当局争辩，无效，愤而辞去所任政府各职守，于一九二八年出国 (*) 经小吕宋、南洋而法国，目当时国内政治混乱万分，内忧外患河山破碎，有志救国者不能安居，赴海外逃亡者不知凡几。余对此有所感怀，特咏之。何香凝咏于法京巴黎。一九二八年咏，五八年书于西湖，时年八十有一。

钤印：

何香凝 (朱文)

*何香凝出国的时间为一九二九年，一九二八年当为误记。

 

Pine and Chrysanthemums

1931

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

For forty years of revolution, Sun Yat-sen, Liao [Zhongkai] and He [Xiangning] stood together as comrades of a common cause. Like Chang Hong, whose blood was buried yet whose death remains undying, or Lady Zhou, whose steadfast devotion still endures in memory. In earlier years, many talents emerged in Nanyue (*ancient name for Guangdong); yet I recognised early the ambitions of men not unlike the overbearing General Huan Wen. Tears were shed in Xinting and the wine shared in Heshuo dissipated like clouds after we parted. Too humble to call myself foresighted, I bade farewell to the King of Yue’s palace. Shutting my doors, I later regretted remaining hidden, like an awl left unused in its bag, and in exile, I feared the blade that might be turned against me. Although Wuchang is small, it is still a revered place. One may solemnly watch the clash of contending forces. How pitiful to see weak horses gnawing at fine mounts, while at court, factions opposed one another as irreconcilably as water and fire. Prophecies of Qin’s fall were emptied of meaning by idle talk, and the lament for Ying returned again and again on the turning wind.

Crossing the river, famed men were as numerous as carp, yet only you rose clear above the multitude.  One final cry at Zhaoling cut away all worldly ties; you vowed to leave the motherland and pursue lofty ideals. For three years, you stayed overseas, with your brush rack and tea stove lying at ease. The dream of mending the sky and refining the rocks was but a fantasy; and mixing powder and grinding cinnabar fill you with melancholy.  This incidental skill in painting stands far beyond the ordinary, ashamed to render the outward likeness of common blossoms. Instead, you turned to the late-falling pine and chrysanthemum. How could the cruelty of snow and frost not weigh upon the heart? There is truth in writing and spirit in friendship; you and I share a true, spiritual connection. 

As rivers and mountains fall into decline, a thousand tears are shed; the fates of home and nation rest with people such as us.

Why waste words condemning the ministers of the Qin court?

Why should the modest Three Paths of Tao Qian be scorned for their poverty? Alas! Steadfast character and solitary integrity have grown rare in this world. May you cherish and preserve your resolute heart.

Inscribed in the spring of the 20th year [of the Republic] for He Xiangning’s monumental painting of pine and chrysanthemum, based on a draft by Liu Yazi, written while sojourning in Shanghai. Painted in the French capital by the Master of Shuangqing Studio in the 20th year [of the Republic]. 

Seals:

Yazi (relief), Shuangqingguan (intaglio; Shuangqing Studio),

Xiangning sishi hou zuo (intaglio; Painted by Xiangning after the age of forty)

The dense pine and the lightly rendered chrysanthemums are set in contrast, balancing strength with softness. The pine trunk is rounded and solid, its form shaped by subtle shifts of light and shadow that suggest vitality. Set against the cluster of flowers, the open structure of the tree creates a sense of depth. The brushwork is meticulous and precise, with restrained colour, combining naturalistic depiction with the boneless painting (mogu) technique. The long inscription was written by He Xiangning’s close friend Liu Yazi. Spanning the years from 1911 to 1931, the poem reflects on the people, the nation and revolutionary heroes, earning the title of “Epic Poem.” 

*锥处囊, lit. “An awl cone in the bag” refers to a cone placed inside a sack, the tip of which protrudes. This idiom describes someone whose ability cannot remain concealed; true talent will always reveal itself.

**三户必亡秦, lit. “Three households will defeat the Qin,” expresses the idea that even the smallest forces, united, can defeat the mighty.

***九章哀郢 has sometimes been attributed to the statesman and poet Qu Yuan and is found in the Songs of Chu (Chuci 楚辞), an anthology of poetry from the Warring States Period. 

****Shuangqing Studio refers to the first marital home shared by He Xiangning and her husband, Liao Zhongkai.

 

松•菊

1931年

设色纸本

款题：

卌年革命中山孙，廖何仙俪同及门。苌弘埋血死不朽，周嫠恤纬今犹存。当年南粤盛才人，跋扈早识桓将军。新亭涕泪河朔饮，酒徒一散都如云。微言愧我称先见，慷慨长辞粤王殿。杜门已悔锥处囊，亡命还愁剑刲面。武昌虽小正朔尊，巍然坐看玄黄战。可怜驽马啮騧骢，水火朝端论不同。三户亡秦乖语谶，九章哀郢悲回风。过江名士多于鲫，惟君杰出群流中。一恸昭陵毕万缘，誓言去国凌长空。去国三年居海上，笔床茶灶东西向。补天炼石梦荒唐，滴粉研朱情惘怅。余技丹青迥绝伦，羞为凡葩写形相。后凋松菊入画图，雪虐霜饕岂沮丧。文章有道交有神，唯我与君同性真。江山摇落千行泪，家国兴亡我辈人！秦庭大夫宁足骂，陶家三径岂嫌贫。吁嗟乎！劲质孤芳世已稀，愿君善葆坚贞身。二十年春奉题香凝松菊巨幅，亚子柳弃疾稿，时客海上。

双清楼主，二十年作于法京。

钤印：

亚子 (朱文)、 双清馆 (白文)、 香凝四十后作 (白文)

华茂的苍松与飘逸的幽菊，刚柔并济、相互映衬。松树主干圆劲，形体明暗有度，生机郁郁。树体开阔，与花丛参照，呈现出纵深的透视空间。笔法上，工致细腻，设色典雅，写实与“没骨”并置。画中的长诗为挚友柳亚子所题。诗文叙述了1911至1931年间，民族、国家、革命义士的种种，堪称“史诗”。

 

Reeds and Geese

Wu Qingxia 

(b. 1910, Changzhou, China; d. 2008, Shanghai, China)

1929

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

A line of geese flies across mid-sky, circling above the islet of reed flowers. With a sweep of brush I set down this quiet, unhurried mood, a pleasure surpassing the labour of painting a colourful, exquisite phoenix. 1 February, the 18th year [of the Republic], after the manner of Bian Yigong.  Respectfully presented for the guidance of Madam Xiangning,

Wu Qingxia of Wujin.

Seals:

Qingxia’s □ painting (intaglio), Lady of Longcheng (relief)

Wu Qingxia was a key member of the Chinese Women’s Calligraphy and Painting Association. Born into a family of painters and calligraphers, she worked across landscape, figure and bird-and-flower painting and was particularly known for her depictions of carp and geese among reeds. Her reed-and-goose paintings followed the tradition of the Qing painter Bian Shoumin, characterised by bold ink and a relaxed and exact brush manner. As indicated by the inscription, Reeds and Geese was painted by Wu as a gift to He Xiangning, reflecting the artistic exchange among women painters during the Republican period. 

*Wu Qingxia’s original name De Shu, sobriquets Zhuanxiang Pavilion Master and Lady of Longcheng. She graduated from Changzhou Women’s Normal School and was among the founders of the Chinese Women’s Calligraphy and Painting Association, serving as an executive committee member. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, she was appointed a first-rank painter at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy and later served as a researcher at the Shanghai Research Institute of Culture and History

 

芦雁

陈树人 （朱文）

吴青霞

(1910年生于常州，中国；2008年逝于上海，中国）

1929年

设色纸本

官穗琼女士捐赠

款题：

天半飞来雁一行，芦花洲上好回翔。挥毫为写幽闲意，却胜丹青绘凤皇。十八年二月一日仿边颐公笔。奉香凝先生大方家诲正，武进吴青霞。

钤印： 

青霞□画（白文）、龙城女史（朱文）

吴青霞是中国女子书画会的骨干成员，她出身于书画世家，山水、人物、花鸟兼能，尤善画鲤鱼、芦雁。吴青霞的芦雁师承清代画家边寿民，大笔落墨、洒脱精准。根据款题所示，此《芦雁》为吴青霞赠予何香凝所作，可见民国时期女性画家之间的笔墨交流。

*吴青霞原名德舒，号篆香阁主，龙城女主，毕业于常州女子师范学校，曾发起创建中国女子书画会任常务理事。新中国成立后任上海中国画院一级画师、上海文史馆馆员等职。

 

Landscape

Liu Haisu 

(b. 1896, Changzhou, China; d. 1994, Shanghai, China)

Lu Xiaoman

(b. 1903, Shanghai, China; d. 1965, Shanghai, China)

1944

Ink on paper

Gift of the Estate of the Late Maria Zee

Collection of National Gallery Singapore 

2003-02720

Top Inscription:

Under the slanting breeze in sunset's glow,

green clouds grace brows where golden veils flow.

In Da Liang’s city, it's hailed as rarest hue—

no common household could this flower brew.

From Nine Streams' divine seed, essence descends;

through golden threads to noble halls extends;

though time-worn scripts may fade with moth's decree;

elegant charm still blooms for eyes to see.

Bottom Inscription:

In the hottest day of summer, Jiashen year; Respectfully presented to Mr Yunjie for refined appreciation.

Seals:

Haisu yin (intaglio), Lu Xiaoman (relief)

For the esteemed Mr Yunjie, please correct with your expert judgment. Summer of the Jiashen year, by Xiaoman Lu Mei "Xiaoman Changle" (relief)

 

山水

刘海粟 

(1896年生于常州，中国；1994年逝于上海，中国）

陆小曼 

(1903年生于上海，中国；1965年逝于上海，中国)

1944

水墨纸本

已故Maria Zee遗产捐赠

新加坡国家美术馆馆藏

2003-02720

上款 :

映日底风整复斜

绿玉眉心黄袖遮

大梁城里推罕见

心知不是牛家花

九谿山中萼绿华

黄云承载到羊家

真筌虫蚀诗句断

犹托余情开此花。

下款 :

甲 申大署似云阶仁兄。刘海粟。

雪 階 先生法家正之甲申夏日小曼陆眉

上钤印

海粟之印 （白文）、陆小曼 （朱文）

下钤印

小曼长乐(朱文）

 

Snow, Moon and Pine

c. 1920s

Ink on paper

Inscription:

The meeting of snow and moonlight evokes a scene of brilliance and meaning, enough to inspire one to paint this scene. I still hold the heart to serve as a pillar of the nation yet feel ashamed to play the role of an official Qin’s court. This inscription is dedicated to Madam Xiangning’s brushwork, with a request for her guidance. Liu Yazi from Wujiang. Xiangning. 

Seals:

He Xiangning (intaglio)

Xiangning sishi hou zuo (intaglio; Painted by Xiangning after the age of forty), Liu Yazi yin (relief)

*Liu Yazi (1887–1958), courtesy name Anru and sobriquet Yazi,  was a democratic revolutionary and a patriotic poet. In 1923, he met Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning in Shanghai through the activities of the Suihanshe. For more than twenty years thereafter, He would paint and Liu would inscribe. That became their regular mode of collaboration, reflecting the deep friendship between Liu and He.   

 

雪•月•松

约1920年代

水墨纸本

款题：

雪月交辉意态殊，直教画出岁寒图。栋梁大厦心原在，羞向秦庭作大夫。奉题香凝先生法绘，即请教正，吴江柳亚子。香凝。 

钤印：

何香凝 (白文) 、香凝四十后作 (白文) 、柳亚子印 (朱文)

*柳亚子（1887–1958），字安如，号亚子。民主革命者、爱国诗人。1923年，柳亚子在上海因 “岁寒社” 活动结识廖仲恺、何香凝夫妇。此后的二十余年间， “何画柳题” 成为两人习见的合作模式，也彰显了两人深厚的友谊。

 

Plum Blossoms

1941

Ink on paper

Inscription:

For Mr Feiqi’s review. Painted by He Xiangning.

The Luofu dream still holds; it has not yet faded;

one wanders alone between clouded steps and moonlit ground.

How could Guangping forget the world at large,

when he bore the gift to harmonise the great vessels of state? 

Confucius once wrote of a Turtle Mountain Lament.

The mountain, he explained, stood for the gathering of dark forces that obscure a single, isolated brightness. Thus, the worthy are hemmed in by lesser men, yet their deep attachment to the former country and capital can never be erased.

In Hong Kong, 1941, sharing the same sorrow as Confucious,

I inscribed Madam Liao’s plum blossom painting for my kinsman Feiqi. The work was later destroyed by the Japanese.

In April, 1944, having recovered this painting,

I rewrote these lines.

When the inscription was done,

I set the brush down in quiet regret. At the time, Yazi was staying near Lize Grove, in a rented house on Lijun Road. 

Seals:

He Xiangning (relief), Yangkuang qu zhengze (Qu Yuan feigning madness) (intaglio), Gufen jia Changsha (relief), Liu Yazi (relief), Humbled disciple of Sun Yat-sen (intaglio), Treasured by Feiqi (intaglio)

 

梅

1941年 

水墨纸本 

款题： 

非杞先生正。何香凝画。 

翠羽罗浮梦未颓，云阶月地自徘徊。广平岂复忘天下，负□调和鼎鼐才。孔丘《龟山操》云：我欲□鲁，龟山蔽之，□无斧柯，奈龟山何！盖言群阴作祟，以蔽孤阳，君子为小人所困，而拳拳之意，犹不能无故国故都之感也。一九四一年在香岛，顾与尼山同憾，爰题廖夫人画梅，以贻吾宗非杞。题成奉寄，为□倭所毁。一九四四年四月，重索得此，并重题旧句于上，句奉非杞□子者，盖羿楼之文皆书□矣。题□既竟，掷笔怅然。时亚子之寓□林丽泽□外丽君路上之寓庐也。 

钤印： 

何香凝 （朱文）、 佯狂屈正则 （白文）、 孤愤贾长沙 （朱文）、 柳亚子 （朱文）、 中山门下愧传薪 （白文）、 非杞宝之 （白文） 

 

When the Flowers Do Not Fall in the Winter Chill, and the Ink Is Always Fresh

1958

Ink on paper

Inscription:

Though chilled by frost, the blossoms never fall; and the ink remains ever fresh. Strong and sparse branches carry the truest spirit. Painted at Shuangqing Studio, they were transformed as if with subtle fragrance, like a wish fulfilled. Dong Biwu. Xiangning. Painted by the Master of Shuangqing Studio in Beijing.

Seals:

He Xiangning (relief), He Xiangning yin (relief), Dong Biwu (intaglio)  

*Dong Biwu (1886–1975), from Huang’an in Hubei (today Hong’an), was an early leader of the Chinese Communist Party. After 1949, he served as a member of the Central People’s Government, President of the Supreme People’s Court and Vice Chairman of the State.

**Shuangqing Studio refers to the first marital home shared by He Xiangning and her husband, Liao Zhongkai.

 

花寒不落墨常新

1958年 

水墨纸本 

款题： 

花寒不落墨常新，劲挺疏枝最有神。端的双清楼上作，化身如愿暗香真。董必武。香凝。双清楼主画于北京。  

钤印：  

何香凝 (朱文)、 何香凝印 (朱文)、董必武 (白文) 

*董必武（1886–1975），湖北黄安（今红安）人。中国共产党早期领导人，1949年后曾任中央人民政府委员、最高人民法院院长、国家副主席等职。 

**双清楼: 何香凝与廖仲恺的故居 

 

Plum Blossoms and Chrysanthemums

1951

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

The early bloom already harbours a soaring ambition; 

while the late bloom still retains a heart that scorns the snow. 

Alone, I wander the world in search of a painting's splendour, 

unaware of life’s shifting tides. Recorded an old work from the 18th year [of the Republic] when Xiangning left her job after Chiang Kai-shek’s counter revolution and went abroad.  

Seals:

Shuangqinglou zhu (relief; Master of Shuangqing Studio), He Xiangning (relief)

*Shuangqing Studio refers to the first marital home shared by He Xiangning and her husband, Liao Zhongkai.

 

梅•菊

1951年

设色纸本

款题：

先开早具冲天志，后放犹存傲雪心。独走天涯寻画本，不知人世几升沉。录民国十八年前蒋反革命后香凝弃职出国有感旧作。

钤印：

双清楼主（朱文）、何香凝（朱文）

*双清楼: 何香凝与廖仲恺的故居

 

Travels in Xishan

1956

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

Observe the forms of landscape with your eyes; invoke its spirit with the brush in your hand. Form and spirit must correspond with each other and the landscape will be true to life. Dong Biwu.  Xiangning. 

Seals:

He Xiangning yin (intaglio)

*Dong Biwu (1886–1975), from Huang’an in Hubei (today Hong’an), was an early leader of the Chinese Communist Party. After 1949, he served as a member of the Central People’s Government, President of the Supreme People’s Court and Vice Chairman of the State.

 

奚山行旅

1956年

设色纸本

款题：

眼观山水形，手写山水神。形神皆逼肖，山水若留真。董必武。香凝。

钤印：

何香凝印 （白文）

*董必武（1886–1975），湖北黄安（今红安）人。中国共产党早期领导人，1949年后曾任中央人民政府委员、最高人民法院院长、国家副主席等职。

 

The Tall Pine Stands at the Sea’s Edge

1960

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

Tall pine stands by the edge of the sea, protected by plum blossoms and chrysanthemums. Quiet orchids emerge between them, and clear spring water murmurs through the rocks. Green bamboo stands at ease, tall and unyielding even in winter. In painting trees, one seeks their purity; and in painting flowers, their uniqueness. Only a great master can capture their essence on a single sheet of paper. A painting reflects its maker; its course never strays. As the artistic skill thrives, so too does longevity. May both flourish together. Inscribed with respect in June, 1960, at the request of Elder Xiangning, for her painting of the tall pine. Chen Yi, obediently fulfilling the request. 

Painted by He Xiangning in the capital when she was 82 years old.

Seals:

He Xiangning (relief), Chen Yi (intaglio), Zhong Hong (intaglio) 

“A painting reflects its maker; its course never strays. As the painting endures, so too does longevity. May both flourish together.”  This inscription was written by then China’s Vice-Premier Chen Yi on The Tall Pine Stands at the Sea’s Edge. Other works in this exhibition likewise bear inscriptions by other national leaders, such as Liu Shaoqi on Mountains and Rivers of the Motherland and Shen Junru on Peaceful Realm and Three Friends of Winter. Collectively, these inscriptions attest to the respect and esteem accorded to He Xiangning. In 1960, He Xiangning was elected as the Chairperson of the Chinese Artists Association, becoming the first woman chairperson of the association since the founding of New China, and to this day, she remains the only woman to have held the position.  

*Chen Yi (1901–1972), military commander and Mayor of Shanghai, then Foreign Minister of China.

 

高松立海隅

1960年

设色纸本

款题：

高松立海隅，梅菊为之护。幽兰亦间出，清泉石中漱。绿竹更悠然，岁寒挺如故。画树重高洁，画花喜独步。大师撮其神，一纸皆留住。绘画如其人，方向毫不误。画高寿亦高，但祝两繁富。一九六零年六月香凝老人以所画高松图嘱题，陈毅谨遵命。

何香凝画于首都，时年八十有二。

钤印：

何香凝 （朱文）、 陈毅 （白文）、仲弘 （白文）

“绘画如其人，方向毫不误。画高寿亦高，但祝两繁富。”是陈毅副主席在《高松立海隅》上的跋语。本次展览其他国家领导人题跋的画作，还有刘少奇题《祖国山河》，沈钧儒题《和平之境》《岁寒三友》等，莫不是对何香凝的敬重和褒扬。1960年，何香凝当选为中国美术家协会主席，成为新中国成立以来的首位女性美协主席，也是迄今为止唯一的一位。

 

Maple, Bamboo and Chrysanthemums

He Xiangning 

Pan Tianshou 

(b. 1897, Ninghai, China; d. 1971, Hangzhou, China)

c. 1950s

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

Half a spoonful of cinnabar as red as blood, drips onto the cloud-patterned paper for rendering the fallen maple leaves. Xiangning painted the maple. Shou completed [the work] with ink bamboo and chrysanthemums.

Seal: 

He Xiangning (relief)

 

枫•竹•菊

何香凝

潘天寿

(1897年生于宁海，中国；1971年逝于杭州，中国）

约 1950年代

设色纸本

款题：

半匙丹粉红于血，滴染云笺写落枫。香凝画枫。寿补墨竹菊花。

钤印：

何香凝（朱文）

 

Appreciating the Snow

He Xiangning  

Fu Baoshi  

(b. 1904, Nanchang, China; d. 1965, Nanjing, China) 

1962 

Ink and colour on paper  

Inscription: 

In former days, when I set out, the willows trailed gently. 

Now I return in thought, amidst falling rain and snow. Elder Xiangning painted the willow and requested me to add the figure. While travelling, I lacked my usual painting materials, 

so I rendered the figure using portrait-painting technique, 

and, following the spirit of the Song masters, completed the setting and added these four lines from the Book of Songs for amusement. 

I respectfully ask for her guidance and correction.  

At the end of the Renyin (1962) year, when we were both in Hangzhou. Recorded by Fu Baoshi. 

Seal: 

Baoshi siyin (intaglio; Personal seal of Baoshi) 

Looking back over He Xiangning’s life, from early episodes, such as “Baima Lake pact” and the “tomb sweeping at Purple Mountain” to her later years of close exchange with artists in Beijing and Shanghai, her collaboration with friends, fellow activists and artists never ceased. These sustained partnerships form a well-known and widely admired chapter in the history of modern Chinese art. 

Appreciating the Snow is a figure painting jointly created by He Xiangning and Fu Baoshi. He Xiangning adopts the willow as her motif, setting slender branches diagonally across the composition, while Fu Baoshi deftly renders a lady in red who glances back amid falling snow. A mood of hesitation and parting emerges with clarity. Each artist draws on their strength, resulting in a composition that feels natural and unified. 

 

赏雪图

何香凝

傅抱石

(1904南昌，中国；1965年逝于南京，中国）

1962年

设色纸本

款题：

昔我往矣，杨柳依依。今我来思，雨雪霏霏。香凝老人写柳命画，旅中丹青不备，回用画象法写人物，用宋人意补景并题诗经四句，籍博一粲，谨乞诲政。壬寅岁末，同客杭州。傅抱石并记。 

钤印：

抱石私印 (白文)

回顾何香凝一生，无论是早年“白马湖之约”“紫金扫墓”，还是晚年与京沪地区的艺术家频繁交游，与挚友、志士、艺术家的合作从未间断，堪称艺林佳话。《赏雪图》是何香凝与傅抱石合作的人物画，何香凝以杨柳为“题”，斜出柳干，傅抱石巧绘红衣仕女，雪中回眸，徘徊踌躇的离情跃然纸面。二人各展所长，宛若天成

 

Windy Pines and Flowing Waters

He Xiangning 

Fu Baoshi 

(b. 1904, Nanchang, China; d. 1965, Nanjing, China)

1963

Ink with light crimson on paper

Inscription:

In February, 1963, the Elder of Double Purity showed me her painting of a main peak with cascading waterfall. With respect, I added to it in response, in the hope of following her brush in capturing something of the subtle spirit of pines sounding through countless ravines and waters flowing across countless shoals. Guidance and correction are humbly sought, recorded by Fu Baoshi in Hangzhou. Xiangning. 

Seals:

He Xiangning (relief), Baoshi siyin (intaglio; Personal seal of Baoshi)

*Shuangqing Studio refers to the first marital home shared by He Xiangning and her husband, Liao Zhongkai.

 

松风流水

何香凝

傅抱石 

(1904年生于南昌，中国；1965年逝于南京，中国）

1963年

水墨浅绛纸本

款题：

一九六三年二月双清老人以所写主峰悬瀑见示，敬为补成。盖师万壑松风百滩流水之微意也。伏乞教正，傅抱石杭州记。香凝。 

钤印： 

何香凝（朱文）、抱石私印（白文）

*双清楼: 何香凝与廖仲恺的故居

 

Flaming Trees Amidst Verdant Hills

He Xiangning 

Li Qiujun (b. 1899, Ningbo, China; d. 1973, Shanghai China)

Zhang Yuguang (b. 1885, Shaoxing, China; d. 1968, Shanghai, China)

Li Zuhan (b. 1891, Ningbo, China; d. 1964, Shanghai, China) 

Qian Shoutie (b. 1897, Wuxi, China; d. 1967, Shanghai, China)

He Tianjian (b. 1891, Wuxi, China; d. 1977, Shanghai, China)

1954

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

Twenty years ago, Madam He often gathered with fellow artists in Shanghai to share poetry and painting, always urging us to carry forward the tradition of guohua (Chinese painting). Now she has come from Beijing to Shanghai en route to Rongcheng. During the short time she spent with us, she encouraged our endeavours in guohua, calling upon fellow ink painters to collaborate. We offer this painting to her as a commemorative gift, winter of 1954. Li Qiujun and Madam Xiangning first painted the red maple, and fellow literati Zhang Yuguang, Li Zuhan, Qian Shoutie and He Tianjian completed the work together, with Tianjian adding the inscription.    

Seals:

He Xiangning (relief), Li Qiujun (relief) (verso), Li Zuhan (relief), Qian (relief), Zhang Yuguang (intaglio), Shoutie (intaglio), He Tianjian (intaglio)

 

青山红树

何香凝

李秋君（1899年生于宁波，中国；1973年逝于上海，中国）

张聿光（1885年生于绍兴，中国；1968年逝于上海，中国）

李祖韩（1891年生于宁波，中国；1964年逝于上海，中国） 

钱瘦铁（1897年生于无锡，中国；1967年逝于上海，中国）

贺天健（1891年生于无锡，中国；1977年逝于上海，中国）

1954年 

设色纸本

款题：

二十年前，何先生在沪常与同文诗画欢叙，每以发扬国画相属。今何先生从京来沪寻将去榕，而于短暂之间复以国画相敦勉，召集同文笔墨合作之欢。奉此帧相赠，聊为纪念作，一九五四年冬月。李秋君、香凝先生首作丹枫，同文张聿光、李祖韩、钱瘦铁、贺天健合补成章，天健并识。

钤印：

何香凝(朱文)、 李秋君(朱文)（两方）、李祖韩（朱文）、钱（朱文）、张聿光（白文）、瘦铁（白文）、贺天健（白文）

 

Leaning against a Pine to Read

He Xiangning 

Liao Chengzhi (b. 1908, Tokyo, Japan;d. 1983, Beijing, China)

Xu Beihong (b. 1895, Yixing, China; d. 1953, Beijing, China)

1951

Ink and colour on paper

Inscription:

In this painting, the pine painted by Elder Xiangning is vigorous and majestic, beyond the need for further comment; Chengzhi’s figure exudes a Silla-like charm, revealing a mastery whose skill is truly unfathomable. When Beihong was painting the horse, a tree stood nearby, and with the mountain terrain limiting the space, I worried that the composition would be hard to resolve. Yet once the work was completed, I could not help but to applaud. It was for this reason that I added this inscription and appended a poem. Xia’an.

Leaning on the saddle, the spirit still runs strong;

and the feeling carried by the pines has not faded.

Almost by chance, a scroll comes into one’s hands,

kept and cherished as a memento. 

Ye Gongchuo.

Seals:

Xia’an (relief), 1951 Kang mei yuan chao shuhua laojun jinian (relief; Commemorative Seal for the 1951 Campaign to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea), Liao Chengzhi (relief), He Xiangning yin (intaglio), Ye Gongchuo (intaglio), Xu Beihong (intaglio)

*Ye Gongchuo (1881–1968), from Panyu in Guangdong, first entered politics in his early years and took an active role in developing China’s modern transport sector. A major collector, he was highly accomplished in calligraphy, painting, poetry and prose, as well as the connoisseurship of cultural relics. After 1949, he served as Director of the Beijing Chinese Painting Academy and held other posts.

 

倚松读书图

何香凝

廖承志（1908年生于东京，日本；1983年逝于北京，中国）

徐悲鸿（1895年生于宜兴，中国；1953年逝于北京，中国）

1951年

设色纸本

款题：

此幅香凝老人画松，苍劲轩翥固不待论，承志人物极有新罗韵味，能者固不可测也。悲鸿画马，时木适在侧，山限于地，颇虑其难于设计。及画出，余不禁拊掌，因为题识并附一诗。遐庵。 

倚马情犹壮，哦松意未厌。偶然持一卷，成折花韬钤。叶恭绰。 

钤印：

遐庵（朱文）、

一九五一年抗美援朝书画劳军纪念（朱文）、

廖承志（朱文）、何香凝印（白文）、叶恭绰（白文）、徐悲鸿（白文） 

*叶恭绰（1881–1968），广东番禺人。早年投身政界，积极参与中国新兴交通事业的建设。富收藏，在书法、绘画、诗文、文物鉴藏方面有着极高造诣。1949年后曾任北京中国画院院长等职。