Goddess Crossing the Xiang River

Fu Baoshi Chinese
undated
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Fu’s original conception of the goddess of the Xiang River was based on two poetic lines from the Nine Songs:

Gently the wind of autumn whispers;
On the waves of the Dongting Lake the leaves are falling.

As his style became increasingly forceful and vigorous in the 1960s, Fu introduced a new sense of monumentality to this theme, exploring the creative tension between the all-powerful forces of nature and delicate human emotion.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Goddess Crossing the Xiang River
  • Artist: Fu Baoshi (Chinese, 1904–1965)
  • Date: undated
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 64 5/8 x 32 3/4 in. (164.1 x 83.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Lent by Nanjing Museum
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art