“Huang Shangu”

Soga Shōhaku

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Artist Name: Soga Shōhaku
Title: “Huang Shangu”
Dimensions: painting：119.8×57.2cm
full length：175.5×65.9cm
Medium: ink on silk
Description: From the depiction of the reclusive scholar and the orchid placed behind him, this work can be identified as portraying Huang Tingjian, the Northern Song poet also known as Huang Shangu. This theme, known as Huang Shangu’s Love of Orchids, forms part of the celebrated “Four Loves” subjects—together with Tao Yuanming’s love of chrysanthemums, Zhou Maoshu’s love of lotuses, and Lin Hejing’s love of plum blossoms—which have long been favored motifs in East Asian painting.

Huang Tingjian (1045–1105) was a native of Fenning in Hongzhou (present-day Jiangxi Province). Because he styled himself “Shangu Daoren,” he came to be known as Huang Shangu. Along with his teacher Su Shi, he is counted among the Four Great Masters of the Song dynasty. He is also associated in later tradition with the paragons of filial piety.

In this painting, the drapery lines of the robes are rendered in a rough and highly distinctive manner, while in contrast Huang Shangu’s facial expression appears calm and composed. The tension between vigorous brushwork and serene demeanor is characteristic of the artist’s approach.

Soga Shōhaku (1730–1781) was a mid-Edo period painter born into a Kyoto merchant family known as Tanbaya or Tango-ya. His family name was Miura, and his given name was Teruo. In addition to Shōhaku, he used several art names, including Dasokken, Kodō, and Kishinsai. He is said to have studied under Takada Keisuke of the Kyoto Kanō lineage. Around the ages of twenty-nine to thirty and again in his mid-thirties, he traveled in the Ise region, where many of his works remain today.

Claiming descent from the Soga school, Shōhaku frequently depicted traditional subjects such as Chinese historical and literary figures. While influenced by Keisuke’s bold and unconventional style, he transformed it into a highly personal expression. His works are distinguished by their eccentricity and by a powerful emphasis on subjectivity and individuality.