Geese on a Bank in AutumnLü Chi (act. ca. 1439-1505)Ming Dynasty Lü Chi (style name T’ing-chen, sobriquet Yao-yü) was a native of Ning-po, Chekiang province. During the Hung-chih period (1488-1505), he served in the Jen-chih Hall and held the rank of commander in the Imperial Bodyguard, a military unit that also provided sinecures for court painters. In bird-and-flower painting, he initially studied the works of Pien Wen-chin and later emulated the paintings of famous T’ang (618-907) and Sung (960-1279) dynasty artists. The original title of this painting was Geese among Reeds and Hibiscus. In this painting, four geese gather into a group to sleep. A gander standing on the bank stretches his neck toward the moon and cries out an alarm. The pair of wagtails perched on a branch represent an interesting, additional decorative element in the composition. The artist has succeeded in portraying a misty scene evocative of a peaceful autumn night. The combination of meticulous brushwork (kung-pi) with expressive ideas (hsieh-i) and the use of outlining techniques with the “boneless” method (mo-ku) are traits of Lü Chi which greatly influenced artists of later generations.
Geese on an Autumn IsletLü Chi (fl. ca. 1477-1497)Ming Dynasty Lü Chi, style name T’ing-chen, sobriquet Yao-yü was a native of Yin County, Chekiang. In the genre of flower and bird painting, Lü initially studied the works of the early Ming dynasty painter, Pien Wen-chin. He later emulated the works of the T’ang (618-907) and Sung (960-1279) masters. He eventually became one of the greatest painters of birds and flowers of the Ming dynasty. During the Hung-chih era (1488-1505), he was summoned to serve in the Hall of Benevolent Wisdom (Jen-chih Tien) in the imperial court. Lü served as a commander in the Imperial Bodyguard, a military unit that also provided sinecures for court painters. A flock of wild geese sleeps on a small islet along a river. One keeps watch, calling to the moon. Above them, among the intertwined reeds and hibiscus, perches a pair of wagtails. The desolate chill of the autumn night enveloped in drifting bands of mists is sensitively communicated through the artist’s masterful use of washes.