Fisherman's Joy
1572
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1572
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Fisherman's Joy is a 1572 unspecified by Qian Gu, a Ming Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting shows two small boats with fishermen using a traditional method. This method is interesting because it involves a cormorant bird. The bird is sent into the water and directed by a man using a bamboo pole. Look up the technique of chiaroscuro to learn more about how artists like Qian Gu used light and dark to create depth in their paintings.
This painting has a scene showing two small crafts, each manned by two fishermen, practicing a traditional fishing method. In one of them, a man uses a bamboo pole to direct the movements of a cormorant bird sent into the water. Cormorant fishing, witnessed in some areas of the lower Yangzi River, appears in Zhe school paintings. Qian Gu may have borrowed these narrative figure scenes from Zhe school paintings, while his vantage point, brushwork, and soft tones align with the Wu school style. Scenes of fishermen appealed to urban and educated audiences who idealized the self-sufficient…
Read the full account in the museum source.
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