Landscape in the Style of Huang Gongwang

Description

Wang Yuanqi
China, 1642–1715

Landscape in the Style of Huang Gongwang
Qing dynasty (1644–1912)
1705
Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper
Museum Purchase, 1959/2.81
Wang Yuanqi was the last painter of a group of artists collectively
known as the “Four Wangs.” He was born into an accomplished
literary and artistic family and held high-ranking government
posts, including a position close to the Kangxi Emperor
(1645–1722). His work drew extensively on the painting of his
grandfather, Wang Shimin (1592–1680), as well as the Yuan
dynasty (1271–1368) painter Huang Gongwang (1269–1354). In the
inscription on this hanging scroll, Wang Yuanqi notes his decision
to reference Huang Gongwang’s style. However, the complexity
of the scene is specific to Wang Yuanqi’s own visual idiom, and
suggests his ability to incorporate the styles of previous artists in
his work to produce original and sophisticated compositions.
The work of Wang Jian (1598–1677) and Wang Hui (1632–1717), two
of the other Four Wangs, is also on view in this gallery.