Frogs 1978

Ding Yanyong animated this unassuming blank canvas with ink and colour, using a brush to give it a life of its own. I imagine him hunched over it, making quick, darting marks with his brush, as if in conversation with the paper itself. Look at the reeds – how they bend and sway with such grace! There's a real fluidity to how they're painted, a kind of dance between the artist's hand and the natural world. I imagine how Ding might have felt painting them, the movement of the brush mirroring the gentle sway of reeds in the breeze. The way he captures the frogs is delightful. Each one is different, with its own little personality shining through. It makes me think about how much we can learn from simple things, from the everyday moments we often overlook. And the way the frogs seem to be engaging with each other, some diving and others climbing through the vegetation. We can be thankful for Ding Yanyong's work and what it taught us about the value of nature. He encourages us to keep questioning, to keep experimenting, and to keep pushing the boundaries of what painting can be.