Fish, Flowers, and Rocks

Bird-and-flower paintings, named after their subject, arose in China in the late tenth century and were often made by scholar-artists. Here, artist Zhu Da riffs on the traditional subject, depicting fish and flowers rather than the typical birds and tree. In addition, he utilized a more abstract style rather than the realistic way the subject was often depicted. The style in which monochrome ink was spontaneously applied by brush is called xieyi, “sketching ideas.” Xieyi features expressionistic brushstrokes that were appreciated by the elite since they believed such brushstrokes could express artists’ true personalities and original ideas over form. The xieyi style of painting originated in Chinese Chan painting of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) and spread with Chan Buddhism to Japan. There, it significantly influenced Japanese ink art, as seen in an example on view nearby. - Chi-Lynn Lin, "Echoing Overseas" label text, Fall 2022