“We can only hope that all our friends and families can live long lives, looking at the moon together, across a thousand miles.”
SU DONGPO
‘There is a saying in Chinese art history that “ink has five colours”,’ says Zhou. ‘Ink has all that you need to depict the external world and to express yourself and whatever your artistic impulses have to say. Wood and Rock is a true embodiment of the artist’s state of mind at the time, which you can see so palpably in the painting.’
https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/su-dongpo-the-chinese-renaissance-man
Su Shi (1037-1101), literary name Su Dongpo, was more than your average Renaissance man. Hailed as one of the most revered, prodigious figures in Chinese culture, he was an artist, writer, philosopher, scientist and hugely influential politician. He executed vast civil engineering projects, championed economic reforms, withstood constant slander and persecution for his steadfast stance against the powerful New Policy Group, and was sentenced to two decades of exile in the lush Hubei province. There, undeterred by cruel fate, he composed some of the most scintillating verses in Chinese literary history, and adopted the name “Dongpo,” meaning “eastern slope.” He was also a famed gastronome, noted for penning the authoritative formula for (not sushi, sorry) a mean braised pork belly, Dongpo Pork (recipe here).
https://chinatripedia.com/su-shi-one-of-the-most-prominent-chinese-poet-during-the-song-dynasty/
Su Shi (苏轼) (1037-1101), also known as Su Dongpo (苏东坡), was one of the most prominent poets and cultural figures of the Song dynasty in China. He was a versatile scholar, poet, artist, calligrapher, and statesman, whose literary works and artistic achievements are still widely celebrated and studied today. Su Shi lived during a time of political turmoil and cultural change, and his life and works reflect the complexities and contradictions of his era.
May we get to look at the moon together across a thousand miles, a few miles or that hundreds that often separate us as we go through our lives. TLR
