Page 126 - Fine Classical Chinese Paintings SOthebys Hong Kong April 1 2019

IN PURSUIT OF THE YUAN LANDSCAPES

Court scholar and painter Qian Weicheng (1720–1772) Huang Gongwang was the best. Huang’s ink wash paintings
practised painting since an early age. He had been invited to are the most charming because the painter fully understood
work at the Imperial Court for over 20 years, and had enjoyed the characteristics and workings of Nature. The spiritual
the opportunity to inspect paintings with the Qianlong landscape that Huang created tells the story of lives as they
Emperor. The extraordinary access allowed him to examine are nurtured by the wonder of Nature.” [1]
a large amount of ancient paintings first hand, and develop Each of the Four Great Masters of the Yuan Dynasty boasts
a profound sensibility to imitate famous artworks. The a discrete style. Qian Weicheng adroitly combined and
Qianlong Emperor showed deep appreciation for his works, synthesised their diverse styles and characteristics, so they
and lavished praises on his style that was reminiscent of the still come together as one magnificent work. The synthetic
Four Great Masters of the Yuan Dynasty. On Qian Weicheng’s work can be said to display a simple but vigorous style of
In Imitation of Huang Gongwang’s Autumn Mountains, now its own. Having thoroughly mastered the art of the Four
in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, it Great Masters, Qian deployed his skills and tenacity to
reads, “Strong autumn winds sweep through Xing’an, where create this epitome of grand styles while paying tribute to
the mountains are barren, clouds are white, and trees are all his predecessors. Most imitative works of the period were
jagged and uneven. I follow others to see the sights around imitations of the works of one or two old masters, or album
the area, and I jot down my feelings and impressions. For no in which each leaf was usually an imitation of the work of one
particular reason, I casually created this imitation of Huang painter. Therefore, Qian’s scroll, in which the artist imitated
Gongwang’s painting.” (fig.1)
the Four Great Masters, was very rare.
Granted, the number of Qian’s imitative artworks is very According to the inscription, Qian Weicheng saw Wang
small despite the Qianlong Emperor’s high praise. In the Yuanqi’s imitation of landscape painting from the Yuan
current handscroll, the styles and characters of all Four Dynasty at the place of his friend Yu Minzhong (1714–1779),
Great Masters of landscape painting were found, and as and paid a compliment by saying, “a free style of brushwork
such, this work is among the rarest. This scroll is over 16 feet to breathe life into the work and to bring it all together.”
long, and the continuous landscape was painted with rich Qian was inspired to create this work thereafter, and he
and varying brushwork, showing distinct shades of ink and lamented that his work was inferior to Wang’s work out of
an intricate composition dominated by a rugged landscape. humility. Qian Weicheng greatly admired Wang and once
The beginning of the scroll features mountain peaks and said, “Since the passing of Wang Yuanqi, there have been no
forests interspersed by streams. The techniques employed more outstanding painters. For this reason, the depths of the
– brushstrokes piling one on another to produce masses of soul are missing from all the landscape paintings that came
texture – are characteristic of Wang Meng’s brushwork. Its after Wang.” Qian also added, “There are two schools of
[2]
sharp rocks and range upon range of mountains hint at the landscape painting masters in the Qing Dynasty, one is Yun
brushwork of Huang Gongwang. Beautiful trees and rocks dot Shouping, and the other is Wang Yuanqi. These two painters
a village on a plateau over the cliff, and this depiction reminds can be compared to two poets in history, namely Li Bai and
us of Ni Zan’s landscape painting, and affords us a moment Du Fu. Du Fu’s poems are grandiose and epic, whereas Li
of calmness against the dramatic mountain backdrop. Bai’s poems are unrestrained and untamed. Li and Du, whose
Afterwards, we see peaks painted using the techniques of contributions were considered irreplaceable, were revered
Huang Gongwang. The mountains are surrounded by streams and admired by their posterity.” Qian was struck by the
[3]
and forests, and this composition draws inspirations from original work, which he had a rare opportunity to see.
Wu Zhen. The end of the scroll features flat rocks and gentle
slopes, which are painted using the technique associated When Qian Weicheng painted this work in 1766, he was in the
with both Wu Zhen and Huang Gongwang, but Huang’s capital to serve as the Vice Minister of Justice and Education
influence seems to predominate. This subtle reference and Commissioner of Zhejing. A year prior, he accompanied the
reverence to Huang Gongwang can be explained in terms Qianlong Emperor to travel to the South. As he maintained
of Qian Weicheng’s admiration of all things ancient, as he a busy official schedule, he could only paint during his
wrote, “Among the Four Great Masters in the Yuan Dynasty, spare time, and the work took him over two months, and

124 SOTHEBY ’S FINE CLASSICAL CHINESE PAINTINGS