清/現代　林紓　詩廬圖　卷|The Poetry Cottage

Lin Shu

dated 1914 · Handscroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

This painting of a cottage hidden among bamboo conveys the longings of the yimin (literally, leftover subjects) of the Qing for another time and place. Lin had a Confucian education, obtaining a juren degree in 1882. His landscape style was based on Wen Zhenming and Daoji. Lin Shu's style was so popular that his studio was called "The Mint." In 1919 he was an outspoken critic of the "new culture" movement which called for use of the vernacular instead of the classical language in literature. At the same time, Lin Shu was among the first to make Western literature available in China. Although he knew no English, he rendered into classical Chinese several Western novels as recounted to him by a French missionary.

Artist

Lin Shu

Date

dated 1914

Medium

Handscroll; ink on paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986