River View through Twisted Branches

Inscribed by the artist:
Singing and drinking without restraint, we sit leisurely in a small boat on the Li River [near the famous scenic site of Guilin], Yanwen at Zhujiantang.

At first glance, this paintingùwith its overlapping, twisting lines and randomly applied dotsùappears to be a work of pure abstraction. On closer examination, a riverscape with houses and boats emerges through the gaps between branches and vines. This treatment resembles the style of Wu Guanzhong, a modern master especially influential with young artists attempting to blend Eastern and Western ideas. The strong sense of pattern and design also recalls WuÆs work. Two works by Wu are on view in this gallery. The inscription conjures up a long-ago era when scholar-gentlemen had literary gatherings to drink and compose poetry.