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Landscape after Guo Zhongshu
Bada Shanren (Chinese, 1626–1705)
c. 1680–1705
- Medium
- Hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Painting: 109.9 x 56.4 cm (43 1/4 x 22 3/16 in.); Overall with knobs: 247.7 x 84.5 cm (97 1/2 x 33 1/4 in.)
- Culture
- China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Chinese Art
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
Similar to some calligraphers of his time, Zhu Da rejected conventions in favor of an individual, personal expression. He is known for ambiguous compositions of fish, flowers, birds, and rocks in contrasting ink tonality. As a member of the Ming imperial family, Zhu lost his princely status and hid in a monastery when the Manchus, foreigners from the north, established the Qing dynasty in 1644.
In this late work, mountain ranges are rendered in diverse and dense strokes rising toward the top of the scroll. It references the artist Dong Qichang (1555–1636) in concept. Yet the cursory brushwork and composition present Zhu’s personal style.