SU DONGPO

In reverent tribute to a “statesman, philosopher, poet, painter, engineer, architect, and humanitarian” born nearly ten centuries ago, Demi offers a text in which quoted passages of poetry and references to “mystical painting skills” mingle with biographical detail. She pairs this with her trademark scenes of dignified, finely detailed figures floating through luminescent clouds in traditional dress. Though she sounds a false note near the end with a dismissive description of Hainan Island as “a place inhabited only by natives,” this portrait of a “knight-errant,” who shone brightly in both the literary and political arenas while surviving several severe reversals of fortune, presents an exemplary role model. In the author’s view, he still stands at the “heart and soul of Chinese culture.” (Biography. 8-10)