Bamboo in Snow
Medium
hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
painting only: 164.5 × 87.6 cm · 166 × 89 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2023.161
Tags
male
About this artwork
Hong Fan’s bamboo stalks amidst rocky boulders bend gently forward. Light washes of ink suggest a misty, wintry atmosphere. Fan was inspired in style and concept by the poet, calligrapher and painter, Su Shi (1037-1101) who considered bamboo an ideal subject to express the calligraphic qualities of brushwork. Bamboo that bends, but does not break under the heavy snow, was also an image for the upright scholar who withstands adverse times.