Fang Danian's Mount Lu

This is a Yuan Dynasty version of the famous Mount Lu painting presently in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, itself a copy of a landscape by Jing Hao (see Wen Fong, p. 28, and Wang Yao-ting, p. 140. Attributed to Fang Danian, this painting is markedly less academic than the large Palace Museum version (painted on silk). Imbued with a subtle melancholy, it is admirable for the way all adjacent parts harmonize with each other and blend in the composition in an almost 'symphonic' manner, reminiscent of another great Yuan master - Huang Gongwang. There is very little information on Fang Danian available and I would be grateful for any that could be brought to my attention. A question which will probably remain unanswered for a long time: Which one of the two interpretations is closest to the original by Jing Hao? Lke so many ancient Chinese paintings which did not survive, the latter can only be imagined through later copies or even later interpretations of these.

(You can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them)