Landscapes after old masters
By the late nineteenth century, when the little-known painter Du Xiang made this album, artists had been engaging with the same old-master styles for centuries, and the possibilities for an original contribution appeared to be running out. Nevertheless, Du persisted, creating something fresh and new by magnifying manners and exaggerating forms. See, for instance, the second leaf, in which the tenth-century artist Li Cheng’s classic composition of twin pines backed by mountains has been rendered as a tipsy, whimsical fantasia of lines unlike anything seen before or since.
Artwork Details
- 清 杜湘 仿古山水 冊
- Title: Landscapes after old masters
- Artist: Du Xiang (Chinese, active late 19th century)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: 19th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Album of seven leaves; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: 10 1/8 x 6 3/8 in. (25.7 x 16.2 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986
- Object Number: 1986.267.43a–g
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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