Bamboo in the Wind, after Su Shi

Maker(s)
Artist: Wu Zhen 吳鎮 (1280-1354)
Historical period(s)
Yuan dynasty, 1350
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 109 x 32.6 cm (42 15/16 x 12 13/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1953.85
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll

Keywords
bamboo, China, WWII-era provenance, Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Three columns of calligraphy in cursive script complement a single spray of bamboo bending in the wind.  The arc of the bamboo is emphasized by the repetitive, bladelike strokes used to render the leaves.

Wu Zhen, one of the Four Great Masters of the Yuan Dynasty, is particularly renowned for his ink paintings of bamboo.  In his inscription, Wu Zhen states that he painted this work after seeing a stone engraving of a similar painting by the Song dynasty artist and poet Su Shi(1037-1101).


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

Published References
  • The Confucian Persuasion. Stanford, CA. frontispiece.
  • Suzuki Kei. Chugoku kaiga sogo zuroku [Comprehensive Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Painting]. 5 vols., Tokyo, 1982-1983. vol. 1: p. 253.
  • Osvald Siren. Chinese Painting: Leading Masters and Principles. 7 vols., New York and London, 1956-1958. vol. 6: pl. 51.
  • Arthur Mu-sen Kao. The Life and Art of Li K'an. Ann Arbor. fig. 59.
  • Sungmii Lee Han. Wu Chen's "Mo chu p'u": Literati Painter's Manual on Ink Bamboo. Ann Arbor. fig. 64.
  • Hai wai i chen [Chinese Art in Overseas Collections]. Taipei, 1985. vol. 1: cat. 82.
  • Chung kuo ming hua chi / Zhongguo ming hua ji [Famous Chinese Paintings). 40 vols., Shanghai, 1923-1930. cat. 1, pl. 4.
  • Chinese Dynasties. .
  • Ch'en Ch'ing-kuang. Wu Chen: A Painter of the Yuan Dyansty [Yuan tai hua chia Wu Chen]. Taipei. p. 242.
  • Richard Edwards. The Field of Stones: A Study of the Art of Shen Chou (1427-1509). Oriental Studies Series, no. 5 Washington, 1962. pl. 2 A.
  • Dr. John Alexander Pope, Thomas Lawton, Harold P. Stern. The Freer Gallery of Art. 2 vols., Washington and Tokyo, 1971-1972. cat. 62, vol. 1: p. 62.
  • Archibald Gibson Wenley. "A Spray of Bamboo" by Wu Chen. vol. 8 Honolulu, 1954. pp. 7-9.
  • Freer Gallery of Art. Seventh Presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal. Washington, 1983. p. 26, fig. 11.
  • Chiang I-han. Teng-yu: A Late 14th Century Taoist Painter and his "Bamboo and Rock". vol. 7, no. 4 Taipei, Summer 1973. pp. 49-86, pl. 8.
  • Masterpieces of Chinese and Japanese Art: Freer Gallery of Art handbook. Washington, 1976. p. 51.
  • James Cahill. Wu Chen: A Chinese Landscapist and Bamboo Artist of the Fourteenth Century. Ann Arbor. pp. 185-187, pl. 37.
  • George J. Lee. Chinese Art Society of America: A Review. vol. 8 Washington and Zurich. p. 319.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Song and Yuan Dynasty Painting and Calligraphy
Google Cultural Institute
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