The intense, square-jawed Chinese artist stared fixedly at the rice paper taped to the wall, his wolf-and-goat-hair brush poised in his hand like a dart. Suddenly he reached to the top of the paper, in four bold downward strokes brushed in four broad segments of a bamboo stalk. He quickly dipped the brush again in the porcelain bowl of mixed water and ink, drew a long soaring line in one continuous, caressing gesture to form the narrow bamboo shoot, then rapidly brushed in the broad leaves. In two minutes, 40 seconds the painting was...
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