Lotus Peak
This small album leaf, which depicts one of the principal peaks of Yellow Mountain, resembles a sketch from nature in its sensitively drawn contours. Done when the artist was nearly eighty, it eschews the bravura brushwork of a decade earlier in favor of juxtaposed areas of ink wash and uninked paper that create the effect of sun and shadow, white clouds and verdant valleys. This experimentation with Western ideas and techniques, reflected in Liu Haisu's drawing style and in his strongly contrasted areas of light and dark, was a way of liberating him-self from traditional constraints. His inscription reads:
"I haven't painted for a long time. [My brush] has grown cold and clumsy. It is a pleasure to wash away [styles] of the past and present."
(Robert H. Ellsworth et al., trans., Later Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 1800-1950, 3 vols. [New York: Random House, 1987], vol. 1, p. 212).
"I haven't painted for a long time. [My brush] has grown cold and clumsy. It is a pleasure to wash away [styles] of the past and present."
(Robert H. Ellsworth et al., trans., Later Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 1800-1950, 3 vols. [New York: Random House, 1987], vol. 1, p. 212).
Artwork Details
- 近代 劉海粟 蓮花峰頂圖 冊頁
- Title: Lotus Peak
- Artist: Liu Haisu (Chinese, 1896–1994)
- Date: dated 1975
- Culture: China
- Medium: Album leaf; ink on paper
- Dimensions: 11 3/8 x 16 1/8 in. (28.9 x 41.0 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986
- Object Number: 1986.267.365
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Liu Haisu
20th century
Liu Haisu
Painting datable to the early 1940s; retouched and inscribed by the artist in 1965
Liu Haisu
dated 1964
China
Stele: Song dynasty (960–1279), 960–68; rubbing: 20th century
Yi Yong-u (artist name: Mungno)
probably 1940s
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.