Sparrow on Bamboo in the Rain c. 15th century

Curator: Here we have "Sparrow on Bamboo in the Rain," a hanging scroll in ink on paper, likely dating from the 15th century. It is now part of the collection here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and is traditionally attributed to the artist Muqi Fachang. What's your first take on this one? Editor: My immediate feeling is...melancholy. That little sparrow looks quite exposed. And the washes of ink give a real sense of a damp, chilly day. It also looks deceptively simple at first glance. Curator: Indeed. There's a real sense of Zen emptiness. I almost feel like the aged paper IS the painting, the drawing merely accents this aged canvas, bringing forth nature. I also notice the beautiful floral details along the edges. That looks to be brocade of some kind? Editor: Yes, and consider the paper itself, its production, and likely preciousness at the time. The level of skill required to paint with such intentionality and precision using those raw materials is really incredible. There's a great emphasis on labor there, wouldn’t you say? It speaks to me of trade, skill, preciousness. Not the preciousness of subject matter, but of material. Curator: And there's also that very East Asian artistic convention that an artist is creating an ideal; representing perfection rather than photographic reality. It feels as though it has been captured during a stolen, private moment. As though we've seen something intimate. That is something the artist's touch, their labor has done. Editor: Perhaps it is not so simple as mere labor, either. What's often missed is the socio-political contexts in which works such as this are made. I mean, were we to dig into it, I wonder about the status of the painter, who was commissioning, consuming these sorts of works? To fully analyze its creation, you really can't remove it from systems of power. What were the workshops like where artists were trained in these precise painting techniques? Curator: Ah, yes, absolutely essential questions. Though for me, in a gallery space, in a quiet moment... all that fades into this singular image, this delicate little sparrow in the rain. It reminds me to stay open to both the pain and beauty around me. Editor: And for me, it makes me contemplate the supply chains that lead to that brush touching the paper. Interesting how one little bird can make us go on completely separate tangents!