Three Ducks 1938

Xu Beihong made this watercolor painting of three ducks with ink on paper, and it's the kind of piece that makes you appreciate the beauty in simplicity. I love the texture, the way the brushstrokes are so visible, it’s like you can feel the artist’s hand moving across the paper. Look how he defines the ducks' feathers with loose flicks of gray wash, creating a sense of depth without being overly detailed. The translucent quality of the paint gives the whole scene an ethereal, dreamlike quality. And the reed-like grass is so simple, yet conveys so much. There’s a playful energy in the painting, it reminds me of some of Matisse’s more spontaneous works. But, ultimately it’s uniquely Beihong’s, a celebration of the everyday, rendered with a delicate touch. It's a great reminder that art can be about embracing ambiguity and finding beauty in the unexpected.