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Lot Essay
Wu Wei (1459-1508) was one of the leading professional painters of the Ming dynasty. Born in 1459, he was briefly appointed as a court painter, before giving up his official post to pursue a more carefree and occasionally drunken existence. Sixteenth century connoisseur He Liangjun (1506-1573) ranked Wu Wei as one of the most important professional painters of the Ming period. He’s Discourse on Painting from the Four Friends Studio describes Wu as second only to Dai Jin (1388-1462), the putative founder of the Zhe school.
Wu drew extensively on the works of Southern Song court painters, as seen in the present painting. The angular texture strokes in the rocks parallel the brushwork of Ma Yuan (ca.1160-1225) and Xia Gui (fl.1195-1224). Meanwhile, Wu’s fishermen echo the figural works of Liang Kai (act. 13th c.). Wu has carefully considered the position of each fisherman’s body, capturing a sense of their movement in rapid, expressive brushwork. Sharp, angular strokes quickly render the fall of each figures' clothes, and describe the position of each limb on the shifting boat upon the water. This level of representational detail is reminiscent of Liang’s masterpiece The Sixth Patriarch Chopping Bamboo, in the collection of the National Museum in Tokyo (TA143).
Depictions of joyful fishermen were typical of Wu’s oeuvre, which recorded the vernacular life of fifteenth century China with a unique vitality. Wu Wei’s paintings were highly valued across East Asia in the subsequent centuries.
Wu drew extensively on the works of Southern Song court painters, as seen in the present painting. The angular texture strokes in the rocks parallel the brushwork of Ma Yuan (ca.1160-1225) and Xia Gui (fl.1195-1224). Meanwhile, Wu’s fishermen echo the figural works of Liang Kai (act. 13th c.). Wu has carefully considered the position of each fisherman’s body, capturing a sense of their movement in rapid, expressive brushwork. Sharp, angular strokes quickly render the fall of each figures' clothes, and describe the position of each limb on the shifting boat upon the water. This level of representational detail is reminiscent of Liang’s masterpiece The Sixth Patriarch Chopping Bamboo, in the collection of the National Museum in Tokyo (TA143).
Depictions of joyful fishermen were typical of Wu’s oeuvre, which recorded the vernacular life of fifteenth century China with a unique vitality. Wu Wei’s paintings were highly valued across East Asia in the subsequent centuries.