The High Tide of Qiantang River

This is an early representational work of Liu Kuo-sung’s “Water-rubbing” technique. “Water-rubbing” involves dripping drops of ink onto a water’s surface, then as the ink slowly spreads within the water, rice paper is placed onto the water to absorb the ink as it appears on the surface. From there, the inked image is further treated. This technique entails a great degree of chance and reflects the ingenuity of the artist.

The painting is primarily composed of natural flowing lines created by “Water-rubbing,” like waves churning across the image. On the left side of the painting, a patch of heavy-fibered paper featuring the “Ripping the Tendons, and Pealing the Skin” technique is pasted on the image in the style of collage. It resembles an imposing mountain peak, and is balanced by a secondary peak in the bottom right corner. Between the two standing mountains, the river’s tide surges from one end to another, and the imagery evokes the polarities between repose and movement. Lastly, the full moon completes the imagery by alluding to the tradition of moon-watching on the Qiantang river during the Mid-autumn Festival.