Flowers of the Four Seasons 1427 - 1509

Shen Zhou created "Flowers of the Four Seasons" on paper in the late fifteenth century, a period when the Ming Dynasty was re-establishing native Han Chinese rule after decades of Mongol control. Shen Zhou was a member of the literati, a class of scholar-officials who prized calligraphy, poetry, and painting as expressions of personal cultivation, distinct from the more academic and professional styles of the court. The flowers symbolize the seasons and evoke themes of renewal, harmony, and the cyclical nature of time. They reflect the cultural values of the Ming Dynasty, emphasizing a return to traditional Chinese aesthetics and Confucian ideals. The literati used art to signal their virtue and social status, and their art became a vehicle for critiquing the institutions of power. A deeper appreciation of this work requires an understanding of Ming Dynasty social structures and the literati movement, which can be found in period writings and biographies of leading figures such as Shen Zhou. The artwork reminds us that taste is always rooted in its own time.