Suzhou Embroidery. Lu Jian-Ying Embroidery Studio
52.5 × 87.5 cm, 1990s
This embroidered piece is based on The Memory of Xingfu Temple, a painting by Qing Dynasty artist Wu Li (1632–1718), created in memory of his late friend, the monk Morong. The scene depicts the quiet surroundings of Xingfu Temple in Zhejiang: bare trees with crows circling above, and a solitary crane perched on a pine branch within the temple walls. The sparse, melancholic landscape evokes a sense of absence and longing—an elegy for the past and a meditation on impermanence. Wu was a devout Buddhist in his early life and thus formed a close spiritual bond with the monks at Xingfu Temple, particularly Morong. He later converted to Catholicism in Macau, reflecting the layered spiritual journey that shaped his art. This embroidery, executed in delicate Straight Stitch, skillfully translates the mood and brushwork of Wu’s painting into thread, preserving the original’s emotional resonance and quiet introspection.