Xu Hong Bin, a sumi-e painter out of Hebei, near Tiainjin published a book in 2010 that highlights, in a delightful way, the beauty of a “little soul” that inhabits our gardens and homes— the humble cricket. His macro-landscapes, in some ways, remind me of some of Qi Baishi’s most signature scenes in which he would include a minimalist zen rendering of a rock and a stem of grass or bamboo and then bring in an amazing guest—a beautifully executed insect— a snail or a grasshopper or a butterfly. In similar fashion, Xu’s crickets appear as modestly and intricately rendered souls. In a large peony piece, I recently included a cricket that suggests his distinctive style. In this blog post, I just include a close up of the bottom left corner of that much larger work in order to bring emphasis to the little guy who enlivens the whole landscapel.
