Landscapes and trees 1669 - 1689

Gong Xian created "Landscapes and Trees," a series of ink drawings on paper, sometime during the Qing Dynasty. The landscapes, rendered in muted greys, reflect a turbulent period in Chinese history. Gong Xian was a loyalist to the fallen Ming Dynasty, an identity which shaped his artistic choices. Unlike court painters, Gong Xian lived as a recluse, and his art wasn't made for the refined tastes of the Imperial Court. Instead, he created art for a small circle of like-minded intellectuals. He lived through a time when traditional social structures and cultural values were being questioned. Artists who were part of the gentry class were forced to choose between serving a foreign regime or withdrawing from public life, and Gong's art reflects a sense of melancholy and resistance. Historical research helps us understand the weight of these choices and how they shaped the artist's creative output.