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

Curator: Oh, this is like a breath. So simple, almost Zen. Editor: It is. Here we have "Bamboo," an illustration from the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting by Hu Zhengyan. Curator: It's minimal, right? Just ink on paper, a few strokes... but the feeling is immense. I imagine the artist contemplating a windy day. Editor: And teaching it! The Ten Bamboo Studio Manual was essentially a how-to guide for aspiring artists. Think of the labor involved in producing the woodblocks for each print, the meticulous carving required to capture the nuances of ink wash painting. Curator: I suppose. But for me, it’s more about the spirit. Bamboo is flexible, strong... it bends but doesn’t break. Maybe Zhengyan was thinking about resilience, inner strength. Editor: Or he was thinking about how to sell more prints. The commodification of art, even then, was a powerful force shaping artistic production. Curator: Maybe it was both. We can see the labor, and the dream. Editor: Indeed, and consider how each print carries the trace of the hand, both the artist and the many artisans who made this image reproducible. Curator: The way the dark ink bleeds into the paper is so evocative. It gives the bamboo a kind of ethereal quality, almost as if it's fading into mist. Beautiful. Editor: A mass-produced artwork carrying an almost intimate connection to both the artist and the many skilled labourers who made it possible.