Created at the time of political and social turmoil that accompanied the disintegration of the Mongol Yuan and the establishment of the native Ming dynasty, this painting reflects a common theme found in scholar paintings of the day: the yearning for a safe haven.
Bamboo Grove portrays "this gentleman"—bamboo—as the reclusive companion of rocks and water. While earlier painters depicted bamboo as a tactile object and a moral symbol, Shen's portrayal suggests bamboo's ability to create a mood of tranquility through its delicate shadows and gentle movement and the soft rustling sounds of its leaves. Growing wild or in a garden, it evokes thoughts of purity and freedom.
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[ David L. Elliott , West Palm Beach, FL, 1981; sold to MMA]
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Peach Blossom Spring," November 21, 1983–June 3, 1984.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Text and Image: The Interaction of Painting, Poetry, and Calligraphy," January 23–August 16, 1999.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The World of Scholars' Rocks: Gardens, Studios, and Paintings," February 1–August 20, 2000.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Painting, Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection," August 28, 2004–February 20, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Four Seasons," January 28–August 13, 2006.
Paris. Galeries nationales du Grand Palais. "Une image peut en cacher une autre. Arcimboldo, Dalí, Raetz," April 6, 2009–July 6, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Yuan Revolution: Art and Dynastic Change," August 21, 2010–January 9, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Chinese Painting from the Metropolitan Collection (Rotation Two)," May 7–October 11, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Streams and Mountains without End: Landscape Traditions of China," August 26, 2017–January 6, 2019.
Fong, Wen C. Summer Mountains: The Timeless Landscape. Exh. cat. [New York]: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975, n. p., cat. no. 39, figs. 40–41.
Suzuki Kei 鈴木敬, ed. Chûgoku kaiga sogo zuroku: Daiikan, Amerika-Kanada Hen 中國繪畫總合圖錄: 第一卷 アメリカ - カナダ 編 (Comprehensive illustrated catalog of Chinese paintings: vol. 1 American and Canadian collections) Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1982, pp. 160–61, cat. no. A17-110.
Fong, Wen C. Beyond Representation: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 8th–14th Century. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992, pp. 464–65, pl. 109.
Hearn, Maxwell K. How to Read Chinese Paintings. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008, pp. 106–109, cat. no. 24.
Martin, Jean-Hubert, and Galeries nationales du Grand Palais. Une image peut en cacher une autre : Arcimboldo, Dali, Raetz. Exh. cat. Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2009, p. 162, cat. no. 121.
He Muwen 何慕文 (Hearn, Maxwell K.). Ruhe du Zhongguo hua: Daduhui Yishu Bowuguan cang Zhongguo shuhua jingpin daolan 如何读中国画 : 大都会艺术博物馆藏中国书画精品导览 (How to read Chinese paintings) Translated by Shi Jing 石静. Beijing: Beijing daxue chubanshe, 2015, pp. 106–109, cat. no. 24.
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