Windblown bamboo
Backed by a waterfall and a cliff, stalks of bamboo shake in a violent wind. This powerful image was painted by Yang Han, an obscure artist from Shandong Province who was active during the early Qing dynasty. Images of windswept bamboo were often associated with “loyalist” (yimin) painters—those who refused to serve the non-Chinese rulers of the newly established Qing dynasty. In bamboo, whose flexibility allowed it to bend without breaking, loyalists saw a powerful symbol of quiet resistance.
Artwork Details
- 清 楊涵 風竹圖 軸
- Title: Windblown bamboo
- Artist: Yang Han (Chinese, active late 17th century)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: 1686
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 10 ft. 7 3/16 in. × 48 1/8 in. (323 × 122.3 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Matthew J. Edlund, 2018
- Object Number: 2018.850
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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