Couched in the Northern Song idioms of Yan Wengui (active ca. 970–1030) and Fan Kuan (active ca. 990–1030), this small landscape by Zhao Yuan exemplifies late Yuan and early Ming scholar painting in which ancient models were transformed by calligraphic brushwork. Late Yuan scholar-artists saw painting as a vehicle for personal expression: painting, it was said, should be like handwriting—a “heart print” of the artist.
Executed during a period of political and social turmoil, Zhao’s handscroll reflects a common theme found in paintings of his time: the reclusive life. A secluded mountain villa nestled at the foot of a tall peak suggests a serene existence free from worldly strife.
Zhao Yuan, who lived in the south, re-created the towering mountains of the north through his imagination. The last fantastic peak near the far left of the composition was probably inspired by a garden rock—similar to one on display along the west wall of the Museum’s Astor Court.
#7606. Landscape in the Style of Yan Wengui and Fan Kuan
Fritz Löw-Beer , Rome, by 1954; to Elliot; [ David L. Elliott , West Palm Beach, FL, 1981; sold to MMA]
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Summer Mountains: The Timeless Landscape," April 9–October 3, 1976.
Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art. "Landscape Painting in the East and West," April 17, 1986–June 1, 1986.
Kobe City Museum. "Landscape Painting in the East and West," June 7, 1986–July 13, 1986.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The New Chinese Galleries: An Inaugural Installation," 1997.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Text and Image: The Interaction of Painting, Poetry, and Calligraphy," January 23–August 16, 1999.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The World of Scholars' Rocks: Gardens, Studios, and Paintings," February 1–August 20, 2000.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Painting, Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection," August 28, 2004–February 20, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Anatomy of a Masterpiece: How to Read Chinese Paintings," March 1–August 10, 2008.
Paris. Galeries nationales du Grand Palais. "Une image peut en cacher une autre. Arcimboldo, Dalí, Raetz," April 6, 2009–July 6, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Yuan Revolution: Art and Dynastic Change," August 21, 2010–January 9, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Gardens: Pavilions, Studios, Retreats," August 18, 2012–January 6, 2013.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Chinese Painting from the Metropolitan Collection (Rotation Two)," May 7–October 11, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Streams and Mountains without End: Landscape Traditions of China," August 26, 2017–January 6, 2019.
Fong, Wen C. Summer Mountains: The Timeless Landscape. Exh. cat. [New York]: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975, n. p., cat. no. 39, figs. 40–41.
Suzuki Kei 鈴木敬, ed. Chûgoku kaiga sogo zuroku: Daiikan, Amerika-Kanada Hen 中國繪畫總合圖錄: 第一卷 アメリカ - カナダ 編 (Comprehensive illustrated catalog of Chinese paintings: vol. 1 American and Canadian collections) Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1982, pp. 160–61, cat. no. A17-110.
Fong, Wen C. Beyond Representation: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 8th–14th Century. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992, pp. 464–65, pl. 109.
Hearn, Maxwell K. How to Read Chinese Paintings. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008, pp. 106–109, cat. no. 24.
Martin, Jean-Hubert, and Galeries nationales du Grand Palais. Une image peut en cacher une autre : Arcimboldo, Dali, Raetz. Exh. cat. Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2009, pp. 162–63, cat. no. 120.
He Muwen 何慕文 (Hearn, Maxwell K.). Ruhe du Zhongguo hua: Daduhui Yishu Bowuguan cang Zhongguo shuhua jingpin daolan 如何读中国画 : 大都会艺术博物馆藏中国书画精品导览 (How to read Chinese paintings) Translated by Shi Jing 石静. Beijing: Beijing daxue chubanshe, 2015, pp. 106–109, cat. no. 24.
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