Plum, Pine, and Bamboo

This painting presents the overlapping branches of pine, plum, and bamboo trees—three species traditionally asso-ciated with integrity because of their enduring nature. Xugu, originally named Zhu Huairen, was a military officer who gave up his career to become a Chan Buddhist monk during the Taiping Rebellion (1850–64). After wander-ing the cities to sell his paintings, he settled in Shanghai and became a prominent member of the art world there. Xugu excelled at capturing lively impressions of plants and animals, such as bamboo, wisteria, squirrels, and fish.