Walking on a Cold Morning
Series TitleWonderful Conceptions of the Bitter Melon 苦瓜妙諦
Artist
Shitao 石濤
(Chinese, 1641 - 1707)
Date1703
MediumAlbum leaf; ink on paper
DimensionsOverall: 22 3/4 × 14 inches (57.79 × 35.56 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the Hall Family Foundation
Object numberF83-50/8
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionWinding river in a mountain pass; figure walking near shore.Gallery LabelA descendant of the Ming imperial line, Shitao feared persecution from the newly established Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) and took refuge in the Buddhist monastic order for much of his life. These two leaves reveal his broad stylistic range and his intensely poetic sensibility: Walking on a Cold Morning exudes a naïve, childlike quality. The figure walking along the path is undoubtedly the artist himself, whom he describes in his inscription as the Venerable Blind Man,” possibly a reference to his deteriorating eyesight in his old age.
“The rhythm of the waterfall from the autumn brook over the rock is light;
Cold arrives over morning peaks and misty trees.
There is painting in the poetry among the light, frosty red leaves,
To be seen at will by your cold eyes.
The Venerable Blind Man”
“The rhythm of the waterfall from the autumn brook over the rock is light;
Cold arrives over morning peaks and misty trees.
There is painting in the poetry among the light, frosty red leaves,
To be seen at will by your cold eyes.
The Venerable Blind Man”
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