Shen Zhou - Xie An's Excursion on the Eastern Mountain

It is interesting to compare this painting to another version which can be viewed in an article on the Orientations Magazine Web site: Through Six Generations: An Exhibition of the Weng Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Although it bears an inscription attributed to Zhao Yong (1289-c.1360), the present work on paper is much closer to the style of Shen Zhou (1427-1509), who is famous for the directness and clarity of his brushwork and his bold poetic approach to composition. Quoting from the Wikipedia article on him: "He frequently combined experimental elements with the more rigid styles of the Yuan masters. Much of his work was done in collaboration with others, combining painting, poetry, and calligraphy at gatherings with his literati friends. It was upon these ideals that his Wu School was founded. For Wu painters, painting was a meditation, rather than an occupation".

As is too often the case, the imperial seal manages to compete in a rather crude fashion with the painting's own crowning. Among the other seals, one is attributed to the famous late Ming Dynasty collector Xiang Yuanbian (1525-1602) and one to Miao Quansun (1844-1919). Unless it is a later forgery, this work would be a copy by Shen Zhou of a painting by Zhao Yong. The version presently in the Wan-go H.C. Weng Collection is much larger (293 cm by 122.5 cm) and painted on silk.

Another earlier version, even more different, attributed to Lou Guan is in the Asia Society Museum's collection: Xie An at East Mountain

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)