Zheng Banqiao, a famous artist of China’s Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), was well known for his paintings of bamboo. He talked about how he came to master painting bamboo after he was 60.
“When I first started painting bamboo, I was unable to have many bamboos in a painting,” he said. “Then, when I reached a stage where I was able to paint many bamboos, I found myself unable to have just a few bamboos in a painting. It was a tough level to attain. I only came to master the skill of having fewer branches and leaves in a painting after I turned 60. To quote Su Jizi [Su Qin, an influential political strategist during the Warring States period of ancient China], being concise is the word. It applies to both writing and painting”.
