A Branch of Bamboo

Ni Zan was one of the most influential artists of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). Known primarily for his landscapes, he was also an important painter of bamboo. This album leaf, signed by the artist at lower right, is a typical example of Ni's quick, spare style and illustrates the compositional structure he often favored for this subject: one or two branches silhouetted against a plain background. Ni Zan probably painted this leaf toward the end of his life, during the early years of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), when his eyesight was failing and the crisp brushwork of his youth had begun to diminish. A few years later, the poet Qian Weishan (active 1341-ca. 1379) added a few brief lines at upper left to honor his then-deceased friend:
My old friend knew how to sketch bamboo,
And patterned his approach upon Wen Tong.
Calmly he looked out the western window,
And the cool wind filled his page with fall.
(Translation by Stephen D. Allee)

To learn more about this and similar objects, visit http://www.asia.si.edu/SongYuan/default.asp Song and Yuan Dynasty Painting and Calligraphy.