Name/Title
Wu Song MingDescription
For this print, it seems Song Ming first laid down a rectangle of a warm beige color and then used orange, green and black inks over it. I'm almost 100% certain that the other 8 impressions in the edition of 9 do not quite match this one (or each other) with any kind of precision. That wasn't so important to Song Ming's practice, especially when he used multiple colors. There will be subtle differences in how the colors lay over each other, just as in this image the green ink of the partial circle on the left-hand side does not completely cover the beige. The emotional content is much more important for Song Ming, and he achieves a deep poignancy in the expression of the face as it floats above the body, attached only by a thin broken stem, perhaps suggesting some kind of enlightenment or growth? The left arm hangs from the rounded shoulder, and the left hand clings (or is about to release) a delicate leaf. Perhaps it was the last leaf of the barren tree? No right arm is shown. What is the shape thrusting into the picture plane from the right side?! It could be a woman's long hair, or an angel's wing. All the complexity occurs in the lower part of the image, with aggressive cuts and overlapping curved shapes, the feet of the figure perched atop an outcropping. This leaves the face free to float expressively in an open patch of the base color.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Numbered, dated, signed beneath image, with two additional artist chops.Dimensions
Dimension Description
Paper size: 20 x 30 inches. Image: 14 x 24 inches. This print is not framed