"The Golden Era of Chinese Painting" Sung Dynasty (960-1179)

The Sung Dynasty artists continued the traditions passed down from the Five Dynasties Period, and in both the landscape art of the north – rugged, steep and precipitous – and in the south – alluring, misty and elegant – scenes were created in which one could travel, gaze, wander and dwell. In paintings of the Sung Dynasty, one could find animals, birds, flowers and humans that were not only accurately depicted in shape and manner, their internal substance, emotions, ideas, and aspiration were also captured by the artists.

Bamboo by Wen Tong

Wen Tong ( 文同 ) loved painting bamboos. He planted bamboos around his house and observed how they grew in different seasons. Whenever he gained new understandings and insights, he would get the paper and ink ready to paint bamboos. Before he started painting, the images, temperament, and spiritual consonance of the bamboos were already created in his mind. Hence the famous Chinese saying "胸中有成竹 (literally having had the images of the bamboos ready in one's bosom)" which means having had ready plans or designs in one's mind before commencing a new task so that its success is guaranteed.

He cast a strong influence on Lee Kan ( 李衎 ), another famous bamboo painter in the Yuan Dynasty.