Landscapes with Chinese Figures

1795–99

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 225

These screens present two celebrated literary themes. At left, the dramatic coastal landscape reveals a towering cliff, sea cave, and distant island, monumental features that create a sense of peril and isolation. The imagery alludes to the Odes to the Red Cliff by Chinese poet and scholar-official Su Shi (1037–1101), who was banished during the Song dynasty. In contrast, the right screen portrays a scholar relaxing in a rustic hut amid willow trees. The tranquil scene evokes the poet-recluse Tao Qian (365–427) and his voluntary withdrawal from public life, a reference that differs from Su Shi’s forced exile. Renowned for the unconventional imagination with which he transformed familiar subjects, as well as for his bold, expressive brushwork, Nagasawa Rosetsu composed dynamic landscapes displaying his extraordinary command of ink painting.