Rock -- Illustration from the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting (Shizhuzhai shuhua pu) before 1703

Curator: This serene ink-on-paper illustration, titled "Rock," comes from the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting, created by Hu Zhengyan, who lived from 1584 to 1634. Editor: I'm struck by the rock's verticality and its oddly anthropomorphic form. It evokes a sense of steadfastness, almost like a weathered guardian. Curator: The "Ten Bamboo Studio Manual" was a pattern book, essentially a how-to guide for aspiring artists. The printing process itself, using sophisticated multicolor woodblock techniques, elevated the status of craft. Editor: Rocks, in Chinese art, often symbolize permanence, strength, and the enduring nature of the universe. The artist seems to be using this imagery to explore those themes. Curator: Absolutely, but within a commercial context. This wasn't just about individual expression; it was about producing accessible images that catered to a growing market for art. Editor: So, the symbolism becomes almost democratized, available not just to scholars and elites, but also to a wider audience through this printed manual. Fascinating. Curator: Indeed. Seeing the materials and techniques in such intimate detail, it prompts reflection on art's complex relationship with both labor and cultural meaning. Editor: It really does make you consider the deeper symbolic meanings we attach to something as simple and ordinary as a rock.