Find a peaceful sojourn in landscapes depicting restful retreats.
Looking to get away from it all? This selection of idyllic landscapes by famed Chinese ink painters offers a perfect opportunity to escape the hectic pace of life in the digital age. Representing a range of stylistic schools and approaches, the works on view all share a common theme, as each artist envisions their ideal place to relax, retreat, and reflect.
Highlighted artists include Ni Zan, a cultural icon in Chinese history, who uses dry, spare brushwork to evoke lyrical tranquility, illustrating a world cleansed of turmoil and superficialities. Another scholar painter, Wen Zhengming, depicts a life spent in harmony with nature among the lush groves of Jiangnan. Meanwhile, a composition by the monk artist Song Xu features the mountain villa of legendary Tang dynasty hermit poet Wang Wei.
“What are the ideal landscapes in the mind of Chinese literati painters? This painting rotation explores the answer,” says Dr. Fan Zhang, Barbara and Gerson Bakar Curator of Chinese Art. “Whether imaginary or based on historical tales, these fabulous landscapes symbolize the perfect destinations for cultural or social retreats in the painter’s mind, offering viewers a rare opportunity to enter each artist’s inner world.”
Left: River Pavilion, Mountain Scenery, dated 1368. by Ni Zan (Chinese, 1301 – 1374). Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Ink on paper. On Loan from the Collection of The Tang Family, IL2022.1.
Top image: Landscape after Wang Wei’s “Wangchuan Picture” (detail), 1574. by Song Xu (Chinese, 1525 – ca. 1605). Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Wanli emperor (1573-1620). Ink and colors on silk. Asian Art Museum, Museum purchase, B67D2. Photo © Asian Art Museum.
Below: Installation view. Photo © Asian Art Museum.
