signed, dated and inscribed with two seals of the artist on upper left, one seal of the artist on lower right
ink and colour on paper
67.5 x 45 cm, 92.5 x 63 cm (framed)
Lot location
Singapore. On display at Art Agenda Singapore.
The Contentment of Zhong Kui in an Age of Peace
In this work by Guangdong painter Cai Jingxiang, the Taoist folk deity Zhong Kui is depicted in a jovial, relaxed slumber leaning over a vessel for alcohol. His cheeks are rendered with a subtle flush, suggesting at his inebriation. The inscribed poem on the upper left reads:
白日家家蒲酒香，
終南進士又壺觴，
太平時節無妖癘，
任爾闲遊到睡鄉。
In daylight, every household is fragrant with calamus wine;
The Graduate of Zhongnan once again raises his wine flask and cups.
In an age of peace, there are no demons or pestilences;
So you may wander at leisure wherever you please—even into the land of sleep.
The epithet ‘Graduate of Zhongnan’ refers to Zhong Kui’s background as a failed imperial examination candidate who heralded from the Zhongnan mountains. In most tellings of his origins, despite attaining the top score in the examinations, he is wrongfully denied his academic title by the emperor on account of his terrifying visage.
This contrast between this mythic character’s reputation for striking fear into those who lay eyes upon him and the relaxed contentment he exudes in this image exemplifies the serenity during peacetime conveyed by the poem. The figure of Zhong Kui is also rendered without a background, and this expanse of negative space accentuates the sense of ascending into a state of somnolence above worldly concerns and distractions.
Cai Jingxiang (1906–2007) was a Guangdong painter from Chaozhou and an important figure in modern Chinese art in the region. Trained in drawing and oil painting, he later focused on Chinese ink painting, integrating traditional brushwork with Western ideas of perspective, light and colour. He is particularly known for his lively depictions of birds, animals and flowers.
