Blossoming Plum

Li Ruiqing Chinese

Not on view

In spite of Li Ruiqing's advocacy of Western technique in the practice and study of art, his own paintings were deeply rooted in the past, particularly in archaic forms of Chinese calligraphy preserved on ancient bronzes and stone steles. The fundamental importance of calligraphy to Li's paintings is explicit in his inscription on Blossoming Plum:

Though a new branch in full bloom,The old tree remains gnarled and twisted;This is a scroll of bell-and-tripod seal-script writing,Please do not treat it as a painting.

Blossoming Plum, Li Ruiqing (Chinese, 1867–1920), Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, China

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.