Wild Duck by a River

Chen Lin (style name Zhongmei), a native of Hangzhou in Zhejiang, was a close associate of Zhao Mengfu and, like him, a famous painter from the late Song into the Yuan dynasty. This small hanging scroll depicts a mallard standing on a riverbank below some hibiscus. Based on the contents of Qiu Yuan's (1247-1326) colophon on the inscription paper mounted above the work, we learn that Chen Lin painted on the spur of the moment when visiting the Songxue Studio of Zhao Mengfu during autumn. Zhao even added a few strokes to the painting as well. The brushwork for depicting the duck is delicate but not overly refined or with any stiffness. The ripples of the water and lines for the hibiscus, however, are bolder and livelier, bearing a strongly rustic and untrammeled manner. This painting featuring the brushwork of two Yuan masters is indeed rare. Moreover, the use of brush and ink conveys the idea of injecting calligraphic brushwork into painting advocated by Zhao Mengfu, the brush turns and ink gradations bringing about a completely new feeling.