Ding Baoshu

CHINA, Jiangsu, Wuxi

Ding Baoshu was a painter who was also known as Yunxuan or Huan Daoren. Enthusiastic about painting since a young age, he copied the floral paintings of famous masters and created works that were strikingly similar to the originals. He later studied under Gao Yanwu and refined his talents. Between 1894 and 1901, he painted copies of over 200 famous works by various artists including Chen Chun and Xu Wei. In 1906, he served as the art editor for the Wen Ming Bookstore in Shanghai and painted several more copies of master works; these copies were collected in Model Examples of Ancient and Modern Chinese Paintings.
Ding’s paintings from nature were colorful and elegant with vivid appearances, and exhibited his seasoned skills and unique style. He also produced several written works including Explanation of the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, In-Depth Understanding of the Meanings of Characters by Beixi, Best Paintings of Yunxuan, and Collection of Ding Yunxuan’s Paintings and Poems.