Modeled after Wen Huzhou from Memory

By the tenth century, bamboo had become a subject independent of the flower-and-bird motifs practiced in court painting. Wen Tong (aka Wen Huzhou, 1018–1079) was a key figure in this development. He discarded the popular approach of employing pigments and instead used light ink to give a sense of the essence of the plant. His paintings of bamboo, in which the plants appear to move as if blown by wind, came to be recognized as the foundation for "the school of Huzhou bamboo," which had a great impact on later bamboo paintings.

This simple composition is a response to a style of bamboo painting associated with Wen Tong. Ye Gongchuo states in his inscription that he painted this work from memory, a declaration that indicates he had made a profound study of Wen Tong's works. He rendered each leaf and stem with a sharp, clear edge in a single stroke, a sign of confidence and mastery; even the slightest hesitation in brush movement would have resulted in a wavering edge. The varying forms and sizes of leaves provide a rhythmic pattern that moves from the bottom toward the top.