Autumn Mountains 秋山圖
Ming dynasty (1368–1644), early 16th century 明朝
Medium
Handscroll; ink on gold-flecked paper
Dimensions
32 × 489 cm (12 9/16 × 192 1/2 in.)
Classification
handscroll
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
62536
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The eminent scholar-painter Wen Zhengming mastered disciplined but unassertive brushwork to create subtly powerful and often poignant compositions. Ascending a steep mountain path, a man with a walking staff is the solitary inhabitant of this landscape; desolate huts and clustered groves of thin trees are his only neighbors. Horizontal strokes accent the densely layered and partially shadowed mountain contours – an intriguing blend or representational form and surface texture. A poetic colophon...
About the Artist
Wen Zhengming · 1470–1559
Wen Zhengming (1470–1559), born in Suzhou to a modestly successful scholar-official family, embodied the ideal of the Ming dynasty literati artist. His father, Wen Lin, introduced him early to a leading Suzhou calligrapher, fostering his foundational skills in that art. A late bloomer, Wen studied under the master Shen Zhou, whose guidance shaped his profound reverence for Song and Yuan dynasty ar...