Page 451 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

the signatures on the National Palace Museum moved in the circle of the Suzhou literati and was The scroll shows the seven sections of a famous
pair suggests that they were the first and fourth by late sixteenth century acclaimed one of the garden in sequence, ending with a distant view
in the set, with Firmiana Trees on the right and Four Masters of Suzhou, along with his fellow across water to mountains and forests. In this
Banana Palms on the left. The composition and pupil and fellow professional Tang Yin (cat. 298) garden the shelters range from copses of live
style of the unsigned Wang Xizhi blend best with and the two great wen ren painters Shen Zhou bamboo to substantial timber, tile, and thatch
Banana Palms, making that painting the third in (cat. 311-313) and Wen Zhengming (cat. 316- pavilions; the plantings from neatly subdivided
the set, and leaving only the second still unac- 317), the last-named of whom wrote the essay and rectangular plots, each growing a different plant,
counted for. poems attached to this scroll. Qiu is usually asso- to "rustic" groupings featuring fantastically
If this hypothesis is accepted, however, the ciated with works even more colorful than this weathered garden rocks. Then and now Suzhou
modern idea that the set represented the four one, in the "blue-and-green" manner associated boasted the most famous gardens in all China, and
seasons must be discarded, for the Wang Xizhi with landscapes of the late Six Dynasties (222- Qiu Ying's familiarity with these "living speci-
painting seems to have no specific seasonal con- 589) and the Tang dynasty (618-907). He is mens" added to the variety and convincing reality
notations at all. To the contrary, it suggests that recorded as having colored one of Wen Zheng- of this representation. It should be noted that Qiu
each of the four original paintings illustrated a ming's paintings at Wen's request. Qiu Ying's has modified the continuity usual in handscroll
narrative subject embodying conservative cultural almost frightening facility in various styles is composition to allow slight separation of the
values. This is a plausible assumption, just as Qiu borne out by a comparison of this scroll, roughly seven historic gardens here recreated in one. Hal-
Ying's paintings remain visual affirmations of the in the style of Li Gonglin (c. 1049-1106) of the lowed precedent for this could be found in the
worth of such classical ideals as rationality, har- Northern Song dynasty, with the totally different most famous of all landscapes of the Tang
mony, and emotional restraint. H.R. hanging scroll Passing a Summer Day in the dynasty —Wang Wei's (699-759) depiction of his
Shade of Banana Palms (cat. 300), in which own garden residence, the Wang Chuan Villa
he combined the brush technique of the Zhe handscroll.
school with the austere, pure flavor of the wen The following discussion and translations are by
ren school. Ling-yiin Shih Liu, Henry Kleinhenz, and Wai-
Qiu's supreme ability both to copy and to create kam Ho, in Cleveland 1980, pp. 206-209.
3O1
in various manners both ancient and modern,
painting by Qiu Ying while maintaining the suppleness of original Colophon by Xiang Yukui (grandson of Xiang
d. 1552 invention, put him much in demand by collectors Yuanbian):
scrupulous and unscrupulous. Of these the most
calligraphy by Wen Zhengming famous was Xiang Yuanbian (1525-1590), who The painting of the Garden of Solitary Pleasure
1470-1559 once owned this painting —as his fifty-nine on the right by [Shizhou, Mr. Qiu, i.e., Qiu
seals on the scroll testify. At least two collectors Ying], is in the style of Li [Gonglin]. Its mood
THE GARDEN OF SOLITARY PLEASURE besides Xiang patronized Qiu, who repaid is peaceful, as if meeting the ancient gentleman
their hospitality with commissioned copies and face to face among the brushes and silk; it lifts
dated to 1558 one above the sordid bustle of life. Formerly,
Chinese original works. my late father handed me this scroll which had
handscroll; ink and color on silk Wen Zhengming's son, Wen Jia, expressed in only the painting without the written essay. I
27.8 x 381 (n x 150) 1578 the feelings of Qiu's contemporaries and considered asking a good calligrapher to write
references: Siren 1949; Cahill 1978, 201—210; immediate successors before 1600:
Cleveland 1980, 206-209; Little 1985, 41-73; Young the essay to add to it but was afraid that the
(date), 1:255-257 Qiusheng [Qiu Ying] had superior talent, quality of writing would not match the paint-
He excelled at mastering the principles ing. Several years later, I saw at a friend's house
The Cleveland Museum of Art, of painting. this essay and poems [of Sima Guang] written
John L. Severance Fund Then, in his prime, he withered away, by Heng-shan [Wen Zhengming], once owned
Remaining are his landscapes, by my grandfather; so I spared no expense to
Superb technical mastery of brushwork, color, which he has deserted. obtain it. I rejoiced at this and said, "The divine
representation, and composition characterize the Until now his name in the garden of painting, swords are finally united. How things are
art of Qiu Ying. Though a professional painter, Was a fresh wind filling everyone's ear. predestined." Now my friend [Zhang Gong-
pupil of Zhou Chen (cat. 295), Qiu nevertheless (Translation by Stephen Little.) zhao] technique for mounting [painting and

450 CIRCA 1492