Three Ducks 1938

Xu Beihong painted these Three Ducks with ink and color on paper. There’s a real sense of the artist in the moment of painting, the brush dancing across the surface, making marks that feel both precise and spontaneous. Imagine the artist, poised with their brush, deciding where to place each stroke, each dab of color. They're probably thinking about the ducks, their forms, their textures, their presence in the world. Look at the textures of the ducks, the way the ink seems to both define and dissolve their forms. The paint is applied so deftly, it feels like the ducks themselves are emerging from the surface, their presence almost ghostly. It's like the painting itself is breathing, alive with the energy of the artist's hand. Painters like Xu Beihong are constantly in dialogue with each other across time, responding to and building upon the ideas of their predecessors, pushing the boundaries of what painting can be. It’s a form of expression that embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.