Scenic Beauty Along Rivers and Mountains 1614
bianwenyu1
ink painting
ink
"Scenic Beauty Along Rivers and Mountains" is a 1614 hanging scroll by Bian Wenyu, a renowned Chinese artist from the late Ming dynasty. The work is characterized by a subtle blend of ink and light washes, creating a delicate and atmospheric landscape. The composition, featuring a winding river, rocky outcroppings, and a distant mountain range, evokes the idealized natural world, reflecting the traditional Chinese values of tranquility and harmony. The artwork, currently housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, offers a glimpse into Wenyu's mastery of brushwork and his ability to capture the essence of the natural world.
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The inscription suggests that, by aligning oneself with nature, a person could expect to live a quiet life of peace and tranquility, a sought-after goal during the political and social chaos of the early seventeenth century. It reads, in part: Surrounded by ten-thousand miles of water iswhite cloud village, amidst the flowers isbuilt a grass hut;Evening lotus are reflected in clear pools,like-minded friends face one another on verandas…I have a spirit that soars beyond this mundane world,You possess the prescription for immortality.The river-side mountains are green without end,and often seem to float in an endless expanse. On a summer day in the year 1614, I entrusted (my ideas) to the brush at the Northern Suburb Mountain Cottage. —Bian Wenyu
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