Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Zheng Xie. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The support is paper, allowing fluid brushwork that defines the bamboo stalks and leaves with economical, expressive strokes.
The work is a hanging scroll executed in ink on paper, a medium typical of Zheng Xie’s literati practice. The support is paper, allowing fluid brushwork that defines the bamboo stalks and leaves with economical, expressive strokes. As a landscape genre piece depicting Bambusoideae, the composition emphasizes verticality and the spontaneous, calligraphic quality of monochrome ink wash, reflecting the scholar‑artist’s emphasis on personal expression over detailed description.
The scroll’s dimensions (approximately 170.5 cm high by 45.6 cm wide) suit its intended display in a traditional Chinese interior setting.
History & Provenance
This hanging scroll, executed in ink on paper, was created by Zheng Xie in 1802. Produced in China, the work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held. The painting, a landscape depiction of bamboo, was made as a hanging scroll measuring 170.5 by 45.6 centimeters.
The 1802 hanging scroll Untitled by Zheng Xie is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. While the work is documented as part of the museum's holdings, the provided records do not specify a particular accession or inventory number. Furthermore, although the piece is established as being located within the institution, no specific details regarding its past or current exhibition history are available in the current documentation.
Overview
Zheng Xie's Untitled is an ink-on-paper hanging scroll from 1802. This painting features a single bamboo stalk, rendered with characteristic calligraphic brushwork. The composition emphasizes the plant's natural elegance and vitality, a common subject in traditional Chinese art.
It exemplifies the artist's minimalist approach to landscape, where empty space plays a crucial role in the overall design.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork centers on a tall bamboo stalk, gently bending as if swayed by wind. In Chinese cultural tradition, bamboo holds significant symbolic weight, particularly among scholars. It is revered for its resilience and adaptability, representing qualities such as strength, flexibility, and integrity.
Zheng Xie's depiction likely evokes these virtues, inviting contemplation on the plant's enduring spirit within a seemingly simple natural scene.
Artist & collection
