Chrysanthemums (One of Twelve Album Leaves) 1859

Editor: Here we have Zhang Xiong's "Chrysanthemums," one of twelve album leaves. I’m really drawn to the delicate brushwork and the way the artist captured the texture of the petals. What can you tell me about the making of this work? Curator: Notice how the artist's process uses the very materiality of ink and paper to not just depict, but embody, the chrysanthemum. Consider the labor involved in preparing the inks and pigments, and the sourcing of the paper itself. How does the social context of that labor influence our understanding of the image? Editor: That's fascinating. I never thought about the labor behind something that seems so effortless. Curator: Precisely! It encourages us to question the divide between artistic vision and the material conditions that enable it. Editor: I'll definitely consider that in my future interpretations. Thanks for the insight.