The Sixth Chan Patriarch Chopping Bamboo

Llang Kai created this hanging scroll with ink on paper. It depicts a Tang Dynasty monk chopping bamboo. 

Once again, this piece of Chinese art involves nature and man's close relationship with it. In this case, man is utilizing it for his own means, but still there it is not devoid of a respect for the natural elements. The technique of painting on scroll has a double meaning when examined closely as well. The brushstrokes themselves resemble or echo the swift movement of chopping bamboo. The observer is able to see the link between the motion of the painter and the motion of this Sixth Patriarch, a connection that would have pleased a Chinese audience of this time being that it unifies the picture.