清 任薰 海棠小鳥 扇面|Bird on a Rock by a Flowering Branch

Ren Xun

dated 1879 · Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on alum paper · Asian Art

Ren Xun painted this delicate fan in Suzhou, where he spent a good part of his artistic career before going to Shanghai. This work draws upon the highly representational style of the Southern Song (1127–1279) Imperial Painting Academy, merging exquisite drawing in fine contour lines with meticulously graded colored washes in a highly naturalistic image of great charm. The painting reflects Ren's keen observation of nature: a tiny bird, perched on one foot on an ornamental garden rock, bends its head to meet its uplifted foot, using wings and tail to maintain balance. Compared to his Song academic predecessors, Ren Xun brings his image closer to the viewer, cropping the bird's tail and the tree trunk, giving his picture immediacy and impact.

Artist

Ren Xun

Date

dated 1879

Medium

Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on alum paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

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