Landscape with White-Breasted Crows 1615 - 1698

Editor: Here we have Zha Shibiao's "Landscape with White-Breasted Crows," dating from sometime between 1615 and 1698. It's watercolor and ink on paper, giving it a very delicate feel. It feels quiet and solitary to me. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, Zha Shibiao! What captures me is how he uses the vastness of the landscape to reflect inner space. It is so atmospheric. Do you see how the mist almost swallows the trees in the background? Editor: Yes, they almost fade away. And all those crows, scattered across the composition—some in flight, some perched. Is there any specific reason he painted crows? Curator: Crows are often seen as symbols of loneliness and transition in Chinese art. He made art when the Ming dynasty was collapsing; it might also hint at societal turmoil. Zha was a calligrapher as well, right? Does that come across to you in his handling of line and form here? Editor: Definitely. There's a fluidity, like he’s writing with the brush rather than just painting. So the crows aren't just birds, but carriers of deeper meaning about his place in time. That changes how I look at the work completely. Curator: Precisely. Each brushstroke, each bird in flight tells a story. It makes one consider their relationship to history, nature and change. Editor: I came in thinking it was just a pretty landscape, but now I see so much more of Zha Shibiao himself in the work, and how that affects me now too. Curator: Exactly! Isn't that the marvel of art? It evolves with us.