Artist: Xu Xi (ca. 10^th century)

Date: Five Dynasties (907-960)

Dimensions: Height 151.1 cm, Width 99.2 cm

Material: Ink on silk

• Object Type：
  • PAINTINGS
• Tag：
  • snowy bamboo hanging scroll xu xi five dynasties ink silk

Xu Xi (ca. 10^th century) was a painter of the Southern Tang (937-975) in the Five Dynasties. He was believed to be either a native of Zhongling (nowadays Jinxian, Jiangxi province) or Jinling (nowadays Nanjing, Jiangsu province). Xu was skilled in depicting nature in a realistic style, as shown on this painting of bamboo and rock after snow. The ink washes illustrate the structure and texture of bamboo and rock, whereas the spaces left blank represent the snow. Although there are no seals or signatures, the painting style is consistent with the ink wash technique and the realistic approach of Xu Xi that are known as Xu Xi ye yi (Xu Xi's unconstrained style) recorded in some historical accounts.