Watercolor Painting by Modern Chinese Master Artist P'u Ru (1896-1963)
Painting measures 131 cm X 67 cm.
當代大畫家溥儒(溥心畬)(1896-1963) 水彩畫
P'u Ru (1896-1963)
He was borned in a royal imperial Manchu family in Beijing in 1896 as a grandson of Emperor Tao-kuang (1821 - 1851). He was more popularly known by his style name P'u Hsin-yu. Originally, he was called Aixinjueluo, P'u Ru in which Aixinjueluo is the imperial Manchu family name. However, after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, he gave up his imperial Manchu family name and called himself P'u Ru in which P'u became his family name. He also used the style name P'u Hsin-yu. In 1908, he was selected as one of the candidates to succeed the dying Emperor Kuang Hsu (1875-1909) but he lost to his cousin P'u Yi (1909 - 1911) who was then the last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He received his undergraduate education in a Beijing University. After graduation, in 1914, he went to continue his study at the Berlin University of Germany. In 1922, he was awarded a doctorate degree in biology and astronomy from the university. He then went back to China and lived in the Chien Tai Monastery at Hsi-shan (western mountain) of Beijing where he started his career in painting, calligraphy and poetry. He named his studio as Hsi-shan I-shih which means "Hermit of Hsi-shan". He did not have formal training in Chinese painting and calligraphy but he learned a lot of skill from the art collections of the imperial Manchu family. His works were highly honored by the people and he became one of the most respected contemporary masters in Chinese painting and calligraphy. He was also recognized as an accomplished poet. He was once recognized as the leading painter in Northern China while Zhang Dai-qian (1898-1983) was recognized as the leader in the South. His works are collected in most of the museums on contemporary Chinese arts. In 1949, he moved with the Republic of China government to Taiwan. He taught at Provincial Normal College (now National Taiwan Normal University). He also taught students privately. He traveled extensively around Asia and gave a lot of lectures in Chinese paintings during his trips. In 1954, he received an award in art from the Education Department of ROC for his book on Chinese painting. In 1955, he was awarded an honorary doctor degree in art from Seoul National University. He passed away in 1963 in Taipei at the age of 68.
溥儒(1896一1963)
現代書畫大家。字心畬，號西 山逸士，以字行。本皇姓愛新覺羅，滿清皇朝倒台後改姓溥。遼寧人，滿族，清宗室，恭親王次孫。自幼好學，經史子集，無所不窺。北京法政大學畢業後，留學柏林大學，並獲得天文和生物學博士學位。辛亥革命后曾先後隱居北京西山戒臺寺，前后十二年。旋遷居頤和園，專事繪畫，宗法宋元，山水畫以澹雅見長，較少烘染，較注重線條臨摹，饒有雅秀俊逸之致。溥儒的水墨畫淺淡而不繁複，工筆中略帶舒放。比起大筆揮灑的南派大師張大千，風格完全迥異。兩人在畫壇上素有「南張北溥」之稱，橫掃水墨畫壇幾近半世紀。傳世作品有《溪舟弄笛圖》軸、《秋山樓閣圖》軸，均藏上海博物館。《抱琴訪友圖》軸，圖錄于《中國現代名畫匯刊》。若有《四書經義集証》、《寒玉堂論畫》。
溥儒自幼飽學，稍長專心研究文學藝術，他也精通經史和書畫，回國後先住清河二旗村，後隱居戒台寺十二年，專事繪畫，以賣書畫自食其力。溥儒的畫風並無師承，全由擬悟古人法書名畫以及書香詩文蘊育而成，加以他出身皇室，因此大內許多珍藏，自然多有觀摹體悟的機會。溥心畬善山水、人物、花鳥、走獸。山水以「北宗」為基，筆法以「南宗」為法。注重線條鉤摹，較少烘染。書法習柳公權，裴休出，略近成親王而風骨過之。行草學二王、米芾，飄灑暢酣，他主張樹立骨力，善於取勢，主張書小字必先習大字，心經筆法，意存體勢，這樣才無輕率之病，書法剛健遒美，秀逸有致。溥儒不僅書畫好，而且從小即通詞詩，詩詞典籍，他晚年在臺灣對弟子說，如果有人稱他為畫家，不如稱他為書家，如果稱他為書家，不如稱他為詩人，這恐怕不是自負，而是畫家更看重自己的詩心，同時也更說明藝術自來是詩、書、畫、印密不可分的。
溥儒是清皇室的貴裔，對他而言，那更是一個家國充滿苦難的時代，因此這樣特殊的出身背景，不免給予他一生有決定性的影響。溥氏自幼即受到傳統嚴謹的禮教薰陶，他的個性又內向好學，因而打下了深厚的學養基礎，也使他背負了傳承文化道統及國家情感的重大壓力與使命感。由於溥心畬的天資穎悟，用功又勤，因此雖然在比常人更多不利因素的壓力下，他仍有極高的文采與藝術成就展現。
溥儒年表
1896 丙申 一歲 農曆七月二十四日生於北京恭王府，是恭親王弈訢之次孫。
1901 辛丑 六歲 開始跟隨宛平名士陳應策讀四書五經，習詩論文。
1905 乙巳 十歲 曾隨父母去西山戒臺寺居住。此時開始學騎馬、習滿文、英文、數學等。 並到頤和園叩見慈禧太后。
1908 戊申 十三歲 受命入宮甄選皇帝，未中選。
1909 己酉 十四歲 其父載瀅去世。
1910 庚戌 十五歲 入讀北京滿清貴冑法政學堂。
1911 辛亥 十六歲 辛亥革命。恭王府抵押給某銀行，奉母項太夫人及弟溥德遷出恭王府。移居清河二 旗村。後遷西山戒臺寺。
1912 壬子 十七歲 清帝遜位，滿清皇朝宣告終結。隨滿清貴冑法政學堂併入北京法政大學學習。
1913 癸丑 十八歲 畢業於法政大學。在兄溥偉的作主下，與宗社黨大將升允的女兒羅清媛結婚。入讀德國人辦的禮賢書院學德文。
1914 甲寅 十九歲 因德國亨利親王之介紹而到德國遊歷，並考入柏林大學就讀。
1917 丁巳 廿二歲 畢業於柏林大學。回國省親。五月與羅清媛女士完婚。六月回北京西山戒臺 寺居住。
1918 戊午 廿三歲 女韜華出生，八月再度赴德國。入柏林大學研究院深造。
1922 壬戌 廿七歲 獲德國柏林大學頒天文、生物博士學位。奉母命赴北京西山戒臺寺居住讀書。
1924 甲子 廿九歲 長子毓岦(即溥孝華)出生。是年遷回故居恭王府萃錦園居住。
1925 乙丑 三十歲 次子毓岑出生。 出版《西山集》百冊，與滿族畫家組織「松風畫社」。
1926 丙寅 卅一歲 其兄溥偉將恭王府賣給輔仁 大學。
1927 丁卯 卅二歲 春，在北平邀張大千會面。
1928 戊辰 卅三歲 應聘日本京都帝國大學教授，不久返國，任教北平國立藝專。
1930 庚午 卅五歲 在北平中山公園水榭與夫人羅清媛首次辦畫展。出版《上方山志》十卷。
1931 辛末 卅六歲 九一八事變。
1932 壬申 卅七歲 日本策動「滿洲國」獨立，請宣統皇帝溥儀當皇帝。溥心畬的兄弟都投奔滿洲國去了，唯有他拒絕擔任日偽滿州國官職，並寫了一篇「臣篇」以表心志。
1933 癸西 卅八歲 在柏林中德美術展覽會上展出《寒巖積雪圖》，獲很高評價。
1934 甲戌 卅九歲 任教於北平國立藝術專科學校。
1937 丁亥 四十二歲 其母項太夫人逝世。
1939 己卯 四十四歲 遷居北京頤和園介壽堂。
1946 丙戌 五十一歲 在南京舉辦《溥心畬、齊白石聯合展覽》。
1947 丁亥 五十二歲 定居杭州並至藝專講學。元配羅羅清媛夫人病逝北平。
1949 己丑 五十四歲 中華人民共和國成立。與李墨雲夫人搭機到臺灣，應聘師大藝術系。
1950 壬辰 五十五歲 在臺灣省立師範學院及東海大學任教。
1954 甲午 五十九歲 以《寒玉堂畫論》一書獲得教育部第一屆美術獎。
1955 乙末 六十歲 應邀赴韓國講學。受贈韓國漢城大學榮譽博士。後轉赴日本。
1956 丙申 六十一歲 由日本返回臺灣。
1958 戊戍 六十三歲 《寒玉堂畫論》由世界書局印行。十一月經香港赴泰國曼谷辦畫展。12月返香港大學演講並舉行畫展。
1959 己亥 六十四歲 元月在香港新亞書院講述書畫。臺灣國立歷史博物館為他舉辦個展，出作品三百八十幅。
1962 壬寅 六十七歲 九月再到香港舉行畫展，並在新亞書院藝術系講學三個月。
1963 癸卯 六十八歲 三月患咽喉癌，十一月十八日逝世。安葬於臺灣陽明山。