Art Work Analysis Bamboo Paintings In The Ming Dynasty

Bamboo Paintings in the Ming Dynasty
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Bamboo Paintings in the Ming Dynasty
The paintings Bamboo and Poem by Zhu Lu (1553-1632) and Bamboo in a Spring Thunderstorm by Tang Yin (1470-1524) are both from the Ming Dynasty (1368- 1644). Bamboo in a Spring Thunderstorm was painted in the early 16th century and Bamboo and Poem in the early 17th century. The medium for both paintings is a Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; in on gold-flecked paper. The two paintings are roughly the same size with dimensions of Bamboo in a Spring Thunderstorm 1 17.3 x 49.8 cm and Bamboo and Poem 16.8 x 52.4 cm (MET, 2018).
The characteristic feature in both paintings is the bamboo and an accompanying poem. In Bamboo in a Spring Thunderstorm, the bamboo is the dominant image occupying most space in the painting, and the poem is written on the right side of taking approximately a fifth of the area. The painting is an aerial view of the upper part of a bamboo tree consisting of several branches with some close to the viewer. The picture reveals the Tang’s close-up observation and focuses on the bamboo. In Bamboo and the poem, the poem takes nearly half the space and the bamboo a fraction of the remaining space and is a tip of a branch. None of the paintings features the background (MET, 2018).
Bamboo painting is a recognized subgenre of East Asian painting. Skilled artists and calligraphers paint a bamboo stalk or groups of stalks with leaves. To demonstrate mastery with an inkpot and brush, an artist contrasts between the varying textures of the leaves and stalks, and between the foreground and background. In most cases, a poem often accompanies the painting to emphasize the motif. The poem is usually a fraction of the whole work. This gives the audience a chance to compare both the calligraphy of the poem and the painting as both are inscribed with the same brush and reflect a similar mood and state of awareness.
Bamboo was a favorite subject among scholar-artists at the time. It was admired for its supple strength, it bends without breaking and symbolized a principled man. Each bamboo in a painting is unique and in no way does it represent a bamboo at a specific place, viewed from a specific angle. Rather it is an artistic impression of the real essence of the bamboo, a symbol of, the qualities of a real Chinese gentleman (MET, 2018).
Tang Yin in Bamboo in a Spring Thunderstorm painted a variety of bamboo c...