The Four Gentlemen

Plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, bamboo. In East Asian ink painting these four are called the Four Gentlemen — 사군자 — and they have been painted together for eight hundred years. One for each season, and one for each virtue a scholar was meant to hold.

Plum flowers on bare wood while the snow is still down — resilience. Orchid keeps its scent where no one is looking — integrity. Chrysanthemum opens after everything else has closed — endurance. Bamboo bends to the storm and does not break — uprightness.

Hung as a row of four they read as one piece. A dining room wall takes them well; so does a long hallway. Four 12×18 in prints with 5 cm between them span about 145 cm.

Drawn as line studies, printed to order on 180 gsm archival matte. See the sizing guide before you choose a size.