Flower and Bird

Lu Ju-tao chose a horizontal layout, using a "boneless" freehand brush-style and soft, light colors to depict a sandpiper feeding on a riverbank and fish swimming in the water. The sandpiper stands in the shallows, about to devour a small fish it holds in its upraised beak. Lush green vegetation and red and white flowers in full bloom cover the riverbank, a vivid expression of flourishing life. The foraging bird and flowered-filled riverbank occupy the left half of the picture. By contrast, the right side is virtually empty—light horizontal brushstrokes limn the river's surface, the water seeming to expand endlessly in all directions, creating a sense of vast spaciousness.