The Poet Li Bai Strolling

Here a literary man is painted with ink lines and shading, his eyes narrowed, looking slightly upward with his lips parted just a bit. While the ink lines seem to be painted almost casually, they actually contain the carefully laid plans of the Southern Song dynasty’s court painter, Liang Kai. For example, the clothing which fills much of the painting is painted in softly flowing curved lines, while the lines at the man’s feet are straight and sharply bent. This contrast allows the viewer to feel the relaxed movement of the legs as they move forward. The rounded sleeve is painted in ink of varying shades, layered together to show the texture of cloth, as it’s blown by the wind.

Moving to the lines on his chest, ink has been lightly blended out away from the figure at the edge. This emphasizes the white color and bright tone of the cloth, and it also suggests a darkness surrounding the figure. Perhaps he is strolling beneath the moonlight, maybe even composing a poem as he goes. This image calls to mind the poet Li Bai of China’s Tang Dynasty, who loved the moon and wrote: “I raise my head and look to the moon and the mountains.” While the piece is simple, Liang Kai’s carefully calculated use of brushwork masterfully creates a world filled with poetry.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.