Two album leaves from a landscape album by Li Liufang

Two album leaves from a landscape album 1621

ink-on-paper

toned paper

water colours

leaf

ink-on-paper

personal sketchbook

ink drawing experimentation

ink colored

china

sketchbook drawing

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

sketchbook art

watercolor

This pair of album leaves, created in 1621 by Li Liufang, depicts a landscape scene with stylized mountains and trees. The artist, known for his masterful ink brushwork, captures the essence of the natural world using delicate lines and subtle washes of ink. The inscription on the left leaf, written in Chinese calligraphy, complements the visual imagery, adding a literary dimension to the work. This piece showcases Li Liufang's signature style within the broader tradition of Chinese landscape painting, reflecting the artist's deep appreciation for nature and his skillful command of ink and brush.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Li Liufang was a painter of the late Ming dynasty. He painted mostly in small formats, playing with ink and trying to channel the creative essence of certain old painting masters rather than copying their formal patterns. Most of his works look like improvised sketches, executed with fresh spontaneity. This album contains examples of Li’s early style—spare, linear compositions, in which he used less ink for thinner, fainter lines—as well as his later style, with its rich, inky brushwork.