Cicadas and Willow

Inscribed with a poem:Chasing the east wind to dancing parties;Joyfully swinging on the grassy plain, even on sad days.Why is it that when cool autumn days arrive,Their leaves fall, taking with them the setting sun and cicadas?A prominent member of the group of artists known as the Yangzhou Eccentrics, Li Shan came from a family of scholars and officials. He passed the second-degree examination at the age of twenty-five, but was later dismissed from service in the Imperial Study. He then worked in Yangzhou as a professional artist. After a second try at officialdom, he was dismissed from his position as magistrate of Linzhi, in Shandong Province, and returned to Yangzhou. For the rest of his life, he gained a reputation for painting and for his unconventional lifestyle.Li Shan excelled at painting literati subject matter such as ink bamboo, orchids, and other botanical motifs, birds and insects, in a free, expressive manner. The cicada is a symbol of immortality. Willow represents spring and is believed to possess power to overcome demons.