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Goddess of the Xiang River
Fu Baoshi Chinese
Not on view
Fu Baoshi made ingenious use of the curved surface of the fan format to enhance the sensuous appeal of the Xiang River Goddess, a deity eulogized in Qu Yuan’s Nine Songs. Her downcast gaze points naturally toward the autumnal imagery in the lower left of the composition, while the hem of her flowing robe parallels the fan’s bottom edge. Qu Yuan’s text, partially transcribed here by Fu, reads:
The Child of God, descending the northern bank,
Turns on me her eyes that are dark with longing.
Gently the wind of autumn whispers;
On the waves of Dongting Lake the leaves are falling.
—Trans. David Hawkes
Fu dedicated this work to Lai Shaoqi (1915–2000), an artist known for his social-realist prints advocating nationalistic causes.
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