Landscape album
A scion of a branch of the Ming imperial family, Bada Shanren became a "crazy" Buddhist monk, feigning deafness in order to escape persecution after the Ming dynasty fell to Manchu conquest in 1644. Like his cousin Shitao (Zhu Ruoji), he became an extraordinary painter, known for an expessionist calligraphic style.
In these album-size landscapes, Bada has adopted traditional themes and compositions as points of departure for his own creative improvisations. In several leaves, the sparse composition, dry brushwork, and carefully selected motifs—bare trees and an empty pavilion—allude to the late Yuan hermit-artist Ni Zan (1306–1374). Elsewhere, diagonally receding mountain masses made of simplified ovoid and cone-shaped rock forms derive from the landscape style of Dong Qichang (1555–1636). In each case, however, Bada transmuted his models, playing with spatially ambiguous patterns or adding human figures or color when least expected.
In these album-size landscapes, Bada has adopted traditional themes and compositions as points of departure for his own creative improvisations. In several leaves, the sparse composition, dry brushwork, and carefully selected motifs—bare trees and an empty pavilion—allude to the late Yuan hermit-artist Ni Zan (1306–1374). Elsewhere, diagonally receding mountain masses made of simplified ovoid and cone-shaped rock forms derive from the landscape style of Dong Qichang (1555–1636). In each case, however, Bada transmuted his models, playing with spatially ambiguous patterns or adding human figures or color when least expected.
Artwork Details
- 清 朱耷 (八大山人) 山水圖 冊
- Title: Landscape album
- Artist: Bada Shanren (Zhu Da) (Chinese, 1626–1705)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: dated 1699
- Culture: China
- Medium: Album of twelve leaves; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image (each): 7 3/8 x 9 1/8 in. (18.7 x 23.2 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988
- Object Number: 1989.363.138a–l
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Bada Shanren (Zhu Da)
dated 1702
Bada Shanren (Zhu Da)
ca. 1694–96
Bada Shanren (Zhu Da)
Returned to lender
Bada Shanren (Zhu Da)
17th century
Returned to lender
Bada Shanren (Zhu Da)
datable to 1698
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