Cat Prowling on the Rock 1968

Ding Yanyong made this black ink painting of a cat perched on a rock with bamboo, and I can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the paper! Just imagine Ding, brush loaded with ink, poised, making each stroke count. You know, that one confident sweep that defines the rock's edge, or the quick dabs that give the cat its watchful eyes. The ink, so fluid, creates depth and shadow with what seems like the simplest gesture. I wonder if Ding had a cat of his own? I bet it sat for him for hours! It reminds me of some drawings by Utamaro, who was around a couple hundred years earlier, so Ding probably knew his work. Anyway, all these artists have a certain way of capturing animals with such personality, such feeling, such movement. It’s just amazing! And it's not just about cats. It's about how painters, across cultures and generations, are in this continuous conversation, riffing off each other, finding new ways to see and feel the world.