Chen Lu
Master of elegant Ming ink plum blossoms
Chen Lu(陳錄) (birth and death dates unknown), courtesy name Xianzhang(憲章), also known as Jingzhai(靜齋) and Ruyin Jushi(如隱居士), was from Kuaiji (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang) and was a painter during the Ming Dynasty. Chen Xianzhang was good at painting subjects like ink plum blossoms, pine trees, bamboo, and orchids. His brushwork was elegant and refined, placing him on par with Wang Qian, though critics believed his brush strength even surpassed Wang Qian. Chen Xianzhang's surviving works include 'Ten Thousand Jade', 'Jade Trees in the Mist', 'Plum Blossom', 'Rabbits Competing for the Moon', and 'Spring Sentiments in the Canopy', with 'Rabbits Competing for the Moon' done in color on silk. 'Ink Plum Blossoms' was unearthed from the joint tomb of Wang Zhen and his wife in Zhakou Village, Huaian District, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. It measures 24.5 cm × 58 cm and is now housed in the Chuzhou Museum in Huai'an. His work 'Spring Sentiments in the Canopy' continues the Yuan Dynasty tradition of ink plum blossoms, with strong, upright plum branches and flowers in various forms. According to the 'Kuaiji County Gazetteer,' Chen Xianzhang was once active in Beijing and painted for people like He Cheng and Jing Rong. In the 11th year of the Zhengtong era (1446), he created an ink plum painting.