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Returning Peasants in a Spring Evening
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Although little known today, Tao Hong was a versatile artist who here depicts farmers returning home after a day in the fields. The shallow stream and dormant rice fields, the returning birds, and light sprinkles of green foliage all indicate the beginning of the farming season and hope for a good harvest. While this leaf depicts rural life, the second one,1999.224, is of a more poetic nature. A lone crane stands in a bamboo grove. By using light colors and nuanced brushwork, Tao Hong achieves an effect of natural light and luminosity.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineReturning Peasants in a Spring Evening, early 1600s. Tao Hong (Chinese, active c. 1610–1640). Album leaf, ink and color on silk; overall: 24.5 x 26.7 cm (9 5/8 x 10 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Sherman E. Lee, 1999.223
