Zhao Zhiqian (1829-1884) Flowers of the Four SeasonsPROPERTY FROM THE REVEREND RICHARD FABIAN COLLECTIONZhao Zhiqian (1829-1884)Flowers of the Four SeasonsSet of four hanging scrolls, ink and color on paper, signed by the artist Huishu and Zhao Zhiqian, with a dedication to Jubo, and six artist's seals reading Zhao Zhiqian yin, liaoyi ziyu, tiemian tietou tieruyi.52 x 12¾in (132 x 32.5cm) each (4)趙之謙　奇石花卉圖　設色紙本　立軸四屏款識：（一）撝叔作。（二）撝叔作。（三）撝叔寫意。（四）巨伯一兄大人正畫，弟趙之謙。鈐印：趙之謙印（四鈐）、聊以自娛、鐵面鐵頭鐵如意Provenance: Far East Fine Arts, San Francisco, California, 15 May 1996Published:Tsao Jung Ying, The Paintings of Xugu and Qi Baishi University of Washington, 1993, p. 44 fig 23. Andrews, Julia Frances, Michael Knight, and Pauline Yao. Between the Thunder and the Rain: Chinese Paintings from the Opium War Through the Cultural Revolution, 1840-1979. San Francisco: Echo Rock Ventures, in association with the Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, 2000, p. 89Little, Stephen, and J. May Lee Barrett. New Songs on Ancient Tunes: 19th-20th Century Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy from the Richard Fabian Collection, Honolulu: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2007, pp. 218-219Toda, Teisuke and Hiromitsu Ogawa comp. Comprehensive Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Paintings, Third Series, Volume 1: American and Canadian Collections, University of Tokyo Press, 2013, A50-261, p. 224Exhibited: Between the Thunder and the Rain, Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, San Francisco, CA, October 25, 2000-January 14, 2001.New Songs on Ancient Tunes, Honolulu Art Academy, Honolulu, HI, August 30-October 28, 2007.來源：1996年5月15日購自美國加州舊金山遠東藝術中心出版：曹仲英，《虛谷和齊白石的繪畫》，華盛頓大學出版社，美國，1993年，頁44 Andrews, Julia Frances, Michael Knight, Pauline Yao,《風雲際會：從鴉片戰爭到「文革」（1840-1979）的中國繪畫》，亞洲藝術博物館，李鐘文亞洲藝術文化中心，舊金山，加州，2000年，頁89Little, Stephen, J. May Lee Barrett,《古調新歌：費立哲牧師珍藏十九及二十世紀中國書畫》，檀香山藝術博物館，夏威夷，2007年，頁218-219戶田禎佑、小川裕充，《中國繪畫總合圖錄》三編，第一卷，東京大學出版社，東京，2013年，A50-261，頁224展覽：《風雲際會：從鴉片戰爭到「文革」（1840-1979）的中國繪畫》，亞洲藝術博物館，舊金山，加州，2000年10月25日至2001年1月14日《古調新歌：費立哲牧師珍藏十九及二十世紀中國書畫》，檀香山藝術博物館，夏威夷，2007年8月30日至10月28日Zhao Zhiqian is often considered a pioneer of the Shanghai school of painting, and aesthetically his paintings are closely linked with the bright, colorful style that was popular among the cultured elite in late Qing and early Republic period Shanghai. However, Zhao Zhiqian only visited the city occasionally, and in Yang Yi's Haishang Molin (1928), an early biographical account of Shanghai school artists, Zhao Zhiqian is listed as one of the many 'sojourners', who came for short periods, but never actually resided in the city. This set of Flowers of the Four Seasons is a celebration of the artist's innovative style with generous applications of color and bold brushwork, complimented by his inky calligraphy. The composition is saturated with activity, with abundant leaves and blossoms breaching the margins. Many of the brush techniques the artist uses are derived from his study of epigraphy and early calligraphic script forms from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), although the close-up composition and spontaneity of execution recalls the painterly traditions of Xu Wei (1521-1593), Shitao (1642-c. 1707) and Li Shan (1686-1756/62). Prior to this set joining the Fabian Collection, the four panels were in the collection of Jung Ying Tsao (1929-2011), where they proudly hung in the reception room of his San Francisco gallery Far East Fine Arts for many years.