Bamboo in Monochrome Ink

Wen Tong (style name Yuke) was gifted at poetry and prose as well as calligraphy, being also credited with inventing the genre of ink bamboo painting. He was praised by later generations as founder of the Huzhou School in this subject matter. This painting depicts bamboo extending into the composition from the upper left, probably growing from a cliff left unseen. The stalk is twisting and strong like a dragon with the knots left blank, the strokes suggesting connection between the forms. Rendered with centered brushwork, the tip of the brush turns and flies. Complemented by the light and dark tones of ink, the painting appears to have been done at one go, completely and dynamically expressing the turning leaves and branches. The motifs, lively and realistic, testify to the period trend in Northern Song painting of grasping the underlying principles of objects. Although unsigned, this work is rare for its exceptional quality, and the two seals of Wen Tong impressed on it undoubtedly point to him as the artist, making this a representative example of Northern Song literati ink painting.