User:HuangdiOfSongChina/Zhao Mengjian

Zhao Mengjian (趙孟堅; 1199–1264), art name Yizhai (彝齋居士), was a thirteenth-century Chinese painter from Haiyan, Zhejiang. He was a member of Song Imperial Family and was from the same generation as Zhao Mengfu and Zhao Mengqi. He was also a descendant of Emperor Taizu.

Life
He was a member of the Song dynasty who attained high rank at court as a Mandarin. He was known for his depictions of daffodils, plum blossom, orchids and bamboo.

Arts
According to the National Palace Museum who said he was an excellent artist, "Zhao Mengjian, a member of the Song imperial family, excelled at painting flowers in monochrome ink. His handscroll paintings of narcissi survive in several extant versions with scholarly opinion on their authenticity divided. Most, however, feature fine brushwork and complex compositions, the leaves rendered in delicate outlines filled with washes of gradated ink. The method of painting is a continuation of the technique for rendering plum blossoms in monochrome ink, the washes expressing a variety of poses to the flowers. This form of flower painting can be considered a new development of ink play in the Southern Song period." The National Palace Museum also says, "In terms of visual effect, Zhao Mengjian emphasized the expressiveness of ink on the painting surface to create a rich and varied appearance. In the early Yuan dynasty, many scholars highly praised Zhao's ink flower painting. Although the inscriptions by Yuan figures at the end of this scroll are copies, they nonetheless testify to this phenomenon."

Death
He died in the same year of Emperor Lizong.

He may also lived for very long and died in 1295 after retiring when the dynasty fell but this may be a lie.