Artwork
明 丁雲鵬 潯陽送客圖 軸|Song of the Lute
明 丁雲鵬 潯陽送客圖 軸|Song of the Lute is an ink painting by the Ming dynasty painting artist Ding Yunpeng. It dates from 1585 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The landscape is defined by misty mountains rising in the background and trees that appear to bend in the wind, creating a sense of atmospheric movement.
Ding Yunpeng's 'Song of the Lute' (1585) is a hanging scroll executed in ink and color on paper, depicting a literary scene set along the Yangtze River. The composition centers on a figure seated on a riverbank playing a lute, while two companions listen attentively from a small boat nearby. The landscape is defined by misty mountains rising in the background and trees that appear to bend in the wind, creating a sense of atmospheric movement.
Ding employs a distinctive technique of tiny, crisscrossing strokes, known as cross-hatching, to model the forms and build shadow, lending texture to the rocks and foliage. Created during the late Ming dynasty, this work exemplifies Ding Yunpeng's mature style, which often blended traditional literati themes with intricate, almost graphic line work. The painting illustrates a moment of musical communion and parting, a common motif in Chinese poetry and painting, reflecting the artist's engagement with classical narratives.
As a significant example of late 16th-century Chinese landscape painting, it demonstrates the period's continued reverence for poetic subjects rendered with technical precision and expressive detail.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a man seated on a riverbank, playing a lute, while two companions attentively listen from a boat anchored nearby. The backdrop features misty mountains receding into the distance and trees that appear to bend with the wind. This arrangement conveys a sense of peaceful interaction between music, companionship, and the natural world.
Technique & Style
Ding Yunpeng utilized a precise method of tiny, intersecting ink strokes, known as cross-hatching, to build shadows and texture within the rocky formations and the figures' drapery. This intricate application maintains the vibrancy of the ink lines, despite the scroll being centuries old, and imbues the scene with a palpable sense of movement and life.
Artist & collection
