Landscapes of the Four Seasons

dated 1560

Not on view

These two paintings belong to a set of enormous landscapes depicting the four seasons. They are all similarly composed, with large figures at the bottom and towering mountains above. Each season has its own narrative. In the springtime scene (right), two gentlemen on horseback cross a bridge with their servants. In the summer scene (left), travelers struggle against a strong wind, while a gentleman in a pavilion observes the storm.

In his paintings Xie Shichen creates spaces that are poetic rather than representational, incorporating narrative vignettes and stylistic references to past masters. Here, he skillfully blends two distinct modes of painting. The first, favored by professional painters, is that of the Zhe School, which tended toward large-scale narrative subjects. The second is ascribed to the Wu School, whose calligraphic approach to landscapes was preferred by scholar-amateurs.

Artwork Details

明謝時臣四時佳興圖軸四幅
Title: Landscapes of the Four Seasons
Artist: Xie Shichen (Chinese, 1487–ca. 1567)
Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Date: dated 1560
Culture: China
Medium: Set of four hanging scrolls; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image (a): 126 3/8 x 37 in. (321 x 94 cm)
Image (b): 127 1/4 x 36 7/8 in. (323.2 x 93.7 cm)
Image (c): 126 3/4 x 36 7/8 in. (321.9 x 93.7 cm)
Image (d): 126 7/8 x 36 7/8 in. (322.3 x 93.7 cm)
Overall with mounting (b): 141 3/4 x 42 3/8 in. (360 x 107.6 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchase, The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 2008
Object Number: 2008.590a–d
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

Audio

7639. Landscapes of the Four Seasons

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More Artwork

By Xie Shichen

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Landscape with Figure, Xie Shichen Chinese, Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; ink on gold paper, China — Landscape with Figure
Xie Shichen

Pipa (琵琶 ), Wood, ivory, bone, silk, Chinese — Pipa (琵琶 )
Chinese
late 16th–early 17th century

Woods and Valleys of Mount Yu, Ni Zan Chinese, Hanging scroll; ink on paper, China — Woods and Valleys of Mount Yu
Ni Zan
dated 1372

Spring Morning in the Mountains, Xie Shichen Chinese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, China — Spring Morning in the Mountains
Xie Shichen

Dung-Chen, Brass, copper, cloisonné, Chinese — Dung-Chen
Chinese
1368–1644

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