Cranes, Pine Tree, and Lichen
Cranes, fungus, and pine are emblems of long life, but the artistic ambition of this imposing picture, all angles and fitted parts, goes beyond that of the traditional auspicious birthday picture. The complex pictorial structure, formed by interlocking triangles, seems to draw on the relationship of figure and ground at the heart of seal carving, an art greatly appreciated in the nineteenth century. Ren also may have been inspired by the strong overlapping silhouettes on a shallow ground seen in Japanese art, particularly screens.
Artwork Details
- 清 任頤 松鶴圖 軸
- Title: Cranes, Pine Tree, and Lichen
- Artist: Ren Yi (Ren Bonian) (Chinese, 1840–1896)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: dated 1885
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 57 3/4 x 14 3/4 in. (146.7 x 37.5 cm)
Overall with mounting: 95 1/4 x 21 5/8 in. (241.9 x 54.9 cm)
Overall with knobs: 95 1/4 x 23 3/4 in. (241.9 x 60.3 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1988
- Object Number: 1988.324.1
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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