Ink Lotus after Bada Shanren 1727

Editor: Here we have Gao Fenghan’s "Ink Lotus after Bada Shanren," created around 1727. It’s an ink on paper hanging scroll, and immediately strikes me as a very deliberate study in form, with so much blank space around the lotus plants. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It is a fascinating work when we consider the materiality and process of its creation. Think about the paper itself – where did it come from? Who made it? How did the availability and quality of paper influence artistic production during the Qing Dynasty? Editor: That’s interesting; I hadn't really thought about the paper itself. So, it’s not just about the artist's skill, but also about the entire system of production that allows the art to exist? Curator: Precisely! And consider the ink: How was it manufactured? Was it locally sourced, or imported? The very act of grinding ink transforms raw materials, engaging the artist in a process connected to wider economic and social networks. Even the brushstrokes – rapid and expressive, but made possible by tools crafted through specialized labor. How does that affect the feel of the artwork? Editor: That shifts my perception a lot! The empty spaces now feel less like deliberate artistic choices, and more like inherent features in art limited by material realities and social contexts. I guess even the imitation is a reference to other works of art in the marketplace... Curator: Exactly! We’re considering production. We must ask how traditional methods continue to inform, or even limit, artists’ creative choices today. Editor: This makes me want to study more deeply into how the economic conditions impact what an artist produces! Curator: Agreed! Thinking through production allows a richer appreciation of Gao Fenghan's creation, acknowledging art not as isolated genius, but also art tied to larger realities.