Lot Essay
Pu Ru, also known as Pu Xinyu, descendant of the Daoguang Emperor (1821-1850), was educated in the classics, poetry, calligraphy and painting at a special Beijing school for the children of the Imperial family. He only started painting in 1923 and held his first exhibition with great success in 1926 in Beijing. According to his autobiography, he first studied the Four Wangs and later on concentrated on Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, Liu Songnian, Ma Yuan and Xia Gui. By 1934 he was already the most important exponent of traditional painting in Beijing. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, he moved to the Summer Palace area, where he lived like a hermit. In 1949 Pu moved to Taiwan, where he taught at the Art Department of the Taiwan Normal University until his death in 1963.
Although he painted many different subjects, he primarily was a landscape painter, very well versed in traditional theories, poetry, calligraphy and classical studies.
Although he painted many different subjects, he primarily was a landscape painter, very well versed in traditional theories, poetry, calligraphy and classical studies.