Page 444 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

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Zhou Chen called [Kun], living in the North Sea .. trans- Zhou Chen
forms itself into a monstrous bird called
[Peng].
died c. 1536 With a mighty effort the bird rises, and its wings died c. 1536
THE NORTH SEA obscure the sky as it flies south, mounting on a BEGGARS AND STREET CHARACTERS
typhoon to a height of ninety thousand li.
Chinese Through this story, the North Sea (a Dark Ocean) dated to 1516
handscroll; ink and color on silk with its towering waves becomes a symbol of the Chinese
2
3
28.4 X 136.6 (ll /4 X 53 /4J man who has high ambitions to succeed, and so album leaves mounted as two handscrolls; ink and
paper
signed: Dongcun Zhou Chen; seal of the artist: [Bei Ming] may serve as a man's hao [by name] light color on 12l 2
Zhou Shi Shunqing; title (inscribed by the artist): or a suitable name for his studio/' 31.9 x 244.5 ( /2 x 96 /4)
Bei Ming Tu (Picture of the North Sea) inscription with signature and three seals of the
references: Cahill 1978, 168-193; Cleveland 1980, Cahill has described the work as a "near-perfect artist; three colophons
192-193 replication of the Li [Tang] mode as practiced in references: Cahill 1978, 168-193, pi. 83; Cleveland
the Southern [Song] period by Academy 1980, 194-195; Siren 1958, 4:205-207, 6:pl. 236
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Ari, Kansas City, artists " The manner rivals the best of South- The Honolulu Academy of Arts (scroll i)
ern Song (1127-1279) water pictures, such as the Cleveland Museum of Art (scroll 2)
As one unrolls the handscroll from right to left, Ma Yuan album in Beijing or the album leaf by Li
the first motif to appear is the one embodied in Song in Kansas City. But the look of the scroll is
the title. An expanse of turbulent sea — all rolling pure Zhou Chen, impossible to confuse with ear- This album of 24 leaves has been equally divided
is in
and mounted as two handscrolls; the
first
the
waves and whitecaps —is masterfully depicted lier works. The solid realism evident here may Honolulu Academy of Arts. The second bears the
with varied linear brush strokes. A wind-lashed well derive from Song attitudes to the natural artist's inscription, signature, three seals (Dong-
pine tree marks the first land, then a two-story world, but Zhou's strong individuality and thor- cun, Shunqing, Echang Sanren), and date of 1516.
scholar's residence appears, with the owner seated ough professionalism are manifest in a manner The artist's inscription is a succinct account of the
in the upper "viewing pavilion/' From the left a more brusque than Li Tang's, an organization that origin and purpose of this unusual and remarkable
friend approaches, via a slender bridge over a is simpler and more direct, and tonal contrasts painting.
stream and falls. Deciduous trees compete in that are less extreme, less dramatic. Zhou was the
movement with the thrusting large rocks leading teacher of Tang Yin (cat. 297-299) and Qiu Ying In the autumn of the [bingzi] year of Zhengde
up to the mountain behind the house, a solid mass (cat. 300-302). He was not a wen ren and few of [1516], in the seventh month, I was idling
that closes the picture. It is a deceptively simple his works bear inscriptions by others, but he under the window, and suddenly there came to
composition, but it powerfully expresses conflict, surely knew Shen Zhou, and he was recognized in my mind all the appearances and manners of
stress, and agitation. his own day as one of the best masters of Suzhou, the beggars and other street characters whom
Laurence Sickman has pointed out that the title, though in fame and reputation he fell short of I often saw in the streets and markets. With
The North Sea, originates in the first chapter of Shen, Tang, and Qiu. Current studies are begin- brush and ink ready at hand, I put them into
the Daoist classic Zhuang Zi, where a "great fish, ning to rectify that imbalance. s. E. L . pictures in an impromptu way. It may not be

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