A Brush with Manchu China
- Book: Sea of Ink
- Location: China
- Author: Richard Weihe
The Sea of Ink by Richard Weihe which spans much of the 17th century in China. It follows the life of Zhu Da, a descendant of the Ming Dynasty, who has the tremendous gift of producing beautiful pieces of artwork. His scholarship progresses, as his character morphs and adapts to the new regime of the Manchus, through Buddhism studies to feigned madness, in an attempt to can keep his integrity as an artist and continue his quest to capture the essence of nature with a single brushstroke. The book is a thought-provoking study of scholarship and persona, and is beautifully translated from the German original.
The Sea of Ink in the title refers to the highest category of scholarship that could be attained. The book has a scattering of delicate and contemplative picture postcard vignettes of the work of Shu Da, who by the ends calls himself Bada Shanren (the name under which he is remembered and his work classified). The prose is delicate and contemplative and his artwork simple in nature and beautifully composed. A dream of a novella for those interested in art and this period of Chinese history.
Please wait...
