drawing, paper, ink
drawing
ink drawing
asian-art
landscape
paper
ink
calligraphy
Dimensions 16 7/16 x 13 3/16 in. (41.75 x 33.5 cm) (image)19 3/4 x 15 5/16 in. (50.17 x 38.89 cm) (leaf, overall)19 15/16 x 15 15/16 x 1 1/4 in. (50.6 x 40.5 x 3.2 cm) (entire album, overall, closed)
Wang Chen created this album leaf from *Landscapes from Nature* in the 18th century using ink on paper. Wang Chen lived during the Qing dynasty, a period of both prosperity and strict cultural control in China. Reflecting the literati ideals, Wang Chen integrates poetry, calligraphy, and painting, cultivating an image of the educated elite. The monochrome ink evokes a sense of simplicity. However, the composition guides the viewer's gaze from the travelers at the bottom to the scholars at the top, creating a hierarchy within the landscape that mirrors the social structures of the Qing Dynasty. The landscape presents an idealized vision of nature, promoting harmony and order. Consider how this vision, while aesthetically pleasing, might also function to reinforce prevailing social norms.
Comments
Born in Kiangsu province, Wang Ch'en was a descendant of the great literatus Wang Shih-min and a great grandson of the artist Wang Yuan-ch'i. He served for a while in the Grand Secretariat and as a prefect in Hunan province. Wang's illustrious family heritage strengthened his reputation as an orthodox painter and he is one of the so-called Four Minor Wangs of the later Ch'ing. Wang's inscriptions here indicate that the basis for this album of large landscapes was the natural scenery of Ch'u, a Warring States (480-221 BCE) kingdom located south of the Yangtze River. In 1774, Wang was serving as a low-level official in this region. His inscriptions also mention earlier poets and painters whose conceptual and stylistic influences along with natural scenery inspired the various scenes here, which were based on sketches made at the sites themselves. The inscriptions read: 1) The landscape of Ch'u is extremely scenic. I came across one place and sketched it but neglected to ask its name. 2) One morning I entered the sea in search of Li Po; looking in vain among the paintings of mere mortals for the "Immortal of Ink." 3) The ceremonial burial mounds and Szechuan are neat. This is a scene of entering the gorge. 4) I have used the brushwork of Shu-ming (Wang Meng) to paint the style of Old Man Sung-hsueh (Chao Meng-fu). There is resemblance because they are from the same family.
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