Magician with Small Warrior and Bat 1922

Kuang Xü made "Magician with Small Warrior and Bat" with ink on paper. Can you imagine the artist, maybe in a contemplative mood, carefully applying these rich, red lines? There is an elegant simplicity in the work, but don’t think that means it was easy! It must have taken so much trial and error to achieve this balance, this composition. I can see echoes of other ink painters here, but Kuang Xü brings his own sensibility to the fore. And look at that bat! It is like he is in conversation with other artists across time, borrowing and inventing new images. Ultimately, it is an expression of something deeply felt and embodied. The ambiguity and uncertainty are precisely where its power lies.