Zhong Kui 

Ding Yanyong created this ink-and-color painting of Zhong Kui, a figure from Chinese mythology, sometime during his career in the 20th century. The immediacy of the brushstrokes is striking. Look at how Yanyong uses ink wash to create volume and form, especially in the figure's robes. The textures here aren’t illusions: they arise directly from the artist’s gestures. The rough strokes create a contrast with the figure's facial details, drawn with confident, controlled lines that define Zhong Kui's fierce expression. Painting like this comes from a long tradition, where skill and spontaneity are inseparable. It’s not just about representing a subject, but also about showing the artist's mastery and personal expression through the brush. Yanyong's work invites us to consider the deep connection between material, process, and cultural meaning, where making and meaning are intertwined.