Windblown bamboo 1686

Editor: Here we have "Windblown Bamboo" created in 1686 by Yang Han, currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The medium is ink and tempera on what looks like paper or silk. There’s a real sense of dynamic movement, almost violence, in the way the bamboo is rendered. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: I immediately consider the social implications of ink production. How would the sourcing and preparation of these materials—the grinding of the inkstone, the making of the tempera, even the weaving of the silk itself—have impacted the artistic choices and the accessibility of artmaking for different social classes? Editor: That’s interesting; I hadn’t thought about it like that. Were these materials readily available? Curator: No, these were commodities. Think about the labor invested in creating these materials; it speaks to the elite status associated with art production at that time. The mastery we see isn't just artistic skill, but also reflects command over resources and human labor. Editor: So, the very act of creating this "Windblown Bamboo" speaks to larger economic and social structures of the 17th century? Curator: Precisely. And consider the act of consumption as well: who was able to acquire such art? It's easy to romanticize the art of the past, but we need to look critically at the material realities that underpin its creation and circulation. Editor: That’s a perspective I hadn’t really considered before. It really changes how I view the work. I see the final product, but now I also see the production behind it, and the power structures that influence that. Curator: Exactly! Examining art through the lens of its material production helps us deconstruct assumptions about value and creativity.