Artist: Lu Xiaoman 陆小曼 (7 November 1903 - 3 April 1965)
Female Beauty in Tropical Garden
Ink and color on paper, Ersebiao mount, Vertical axis hanging scroll
Painting (Sight): Length: 106 cm, Width: 46 cm
Dated: In the Third month of Bing Zi year (1936)
Signed/Seal(s): Signed, with Two Artist seals

PROVENANCE:

Nien Cheng 念鄭 or Zheng Nian 鄭念 (January 28, 1915 - November 2, 2009) was the pen name of Yao Nien-Yuan (姚念媛). She was a Chinese author known for recounting her experiences during the Cultural Revolution in her memoir Life and Death in Shanghai.

ARTIST BIO: Lu Xiaoman 陆小曼(7 November 1903 - 3 April 1965) was a beloved cultural figure in 20th century Chinese history. She was given the name of Mei (eyebrow, a metaphor for feminine beauty in Chinese), but later changed her name to Xiaoman. Although she was well known for her very passionate and public relationship with Xu Zhimo, she was a celebrated painter, writer, singer, and actor. She studied under painters such as Liu Haisu, Chen Banding, and He Tianjian. As an artist, she specialized in flowers, birds, and light ink landscapes (danmo shanshui) on long Chinese scrolls. She was also known to write poetry, prose, and fiction, but her writings were never published. Nevertheless, her appreciation for poetry inspired her to create a series of ink paintings in honor of the Tang poet Du Fu, which are displayed at his commemorative historical site. Lu Xiaoman was also a singer, and she debuted on stage after receiving training in the renowned Peking Opera (Jingju). She quickly gained attention from bachelors of wealthy, famous families after her first performance, which led to her rise in fame. In the 1950s and 60's, she worked as a paid artist at the Shanghai Academy of Chinese Painting, but only to produce works for the academy. Even so, she was able to create and successfully sell paintings at Duoyun Zhai apart from her obligations to the academy.

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