Observing the Flying Crane

The court painter Wu Wei is remembered for his wild behavior and the bold, spontaneous brushwork with which he drew eccentric characters in a secluded mountain setting. In this painting an old man sits inside a riverside pavilion by an open window, turning his head back to look at a crane taking flight in the lofty sky. The man’s informality and indolence is apparent in his bared chest, which is visible under a loose robe, and in his fanning with a feather fan. A large calligraphic screen forms the back wall, placing him in a study. Beside him are two young servants, one following the master’s gaze in search of the flying bird as the other holds a book.

Outside on the winding path, a man who seems to have just disembarked from a boat by the riverbank carries a wrapped qin, a stringed instrument like a zither, as he walks toward the studio. Above, the cloud whirls obscure the space between temple roofs, creating a sense of solitude.