Solitary Leisure in a Quiet Pavilion

Description

Born in the final years of imperial rule in China,
Chang Ku-nien was a member of the last generation of
artists trained in the centuries-old tradition of Chinese
literati (amateur scholar-artist) painting. The goal of such
painting was not to depict external reality, but to express
the inner world of the artist—his personality, his feelings,
and his ideas—through calligraphic brushwork. Not only
was little attention paid to mimetic skills and fidelity to
appearances, landscapes by literati artists often did not
even portray actual places. Here Chang has created a
“landscape of the mind” that offers a lofty and idealized
retreat from the troubles of the mundane world and invites
the viewer’s meditative thoughts. The human presence in
this serene landscape is limited to a scholarly figure
sitting alone in a hut. The atmosphere of seclusion is
reinforced by the poem inscribed in Chang’s fine xingshu
(running-script calligraphy).
Fall 2015 Gallery Rotation
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Landscapes by literati artists frequently did not depict actual places. Instead they are “landscapes of the mind” that offer a lofty and idealized retreat from the troubles of the mundane world and invite the viewer’s meditative thoughts. These four imaginary landscapes in the literati mode—whether they closely imitate earlier literati masters or loosely allude to them—evoke an atmosphere of seclusion, one that is often reinforced by poetic inscriptions from classical poetry in Chang’s fine xingshu ?? (running-script calligraphy). The human presence in these serene landscapes is limited to a solitary scholarly figure sitting alone or strolling and gazing towards flying geese, or implied by a secluded hut or a lone resting boat.
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The life and art of Chang Ku-nien reflects how traditional artists in the modern era struggled to adapt to shifting physical, cultural, and political environments. In the late 1940s, when Communist China was expanding its control on the mainland, Chang moved to Taiwan, where he established his reputation as a purveyor of the Chinese literati tradition. His images of Taiwan’s monumental landscapes aligned well with the cultural policy of the Taiwanese government, which claimed its legitimacy over Communist China.
Literati painters frequently depict “landscapes of the mind” that offer a lofty and idealized retreat from the troubles of the mundane world and invite the viewer’s meditative thoughts. The imaginary scenes evoke an atmosphere of seclusion, one that is reinforced here by inscriptions from a classical poem in Chang’s fine xingshu (running-script calligraphy). The human presence in the serene landscape is limited to a scholarly figure sitting alone in a hut.
(Chinese Galley Rotation, Fall 2010)
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Born in the final years of imperial rule in China, Chang Ku-nien was a member of the last generation of artists trained in the centuries-old tradition of Chinese literati painting. The goal of such painting was not to depict external reality, but to express the inner world of the artist—his, personality, his feelings, and his ideas—through calligraphic brushwork. Not only was little attention paid to mimetic skills and fidelity to appearances, but landscapes by literati artists often did not even portray actual places. Here Chang has created a “landscape of the mind” that offers a lofty and idealized retreat from the troubles of the mundane world and invites the viewer’s meditative thoughts. The human presence in this serene landscape is limited to a scholarly figure sitting alone in a hut and the atmosphere of seclusion is reinforced by inscriptions from a classical poem in Chang’s fine xingshu (running-script calligraphy).
Gallery Rotation, Spring 2011
Gallery Rotation Fall 2010
Chang Ku-nien
China, 1906–1987
Solitary Leisure in a Quiet Pavilion
1974
Hanging scroll, ink, and color on paper
Gift of Dr. Cheng-Yang and Mrs. Shirley Chang, 2006/1.108
The life and art of Chang Ku-nien reflects how traditional artists in the modern era struggled to adapt to shifting physical, cultural, and political environments. In the late 1940s, when Communist China was expanding its control on the mainland, Chang moved to Taiwan, where he established his reputation as a purveyor of the Chinese literati tradition. His images of Taiwan’s monumental landscapes aligned well with the cultural policy of the Taiwanese government, which claimed its legitimacy over Communist China.
Literati painters frequently depict “landscapes of the mind” that offer a lofty and idealized retreat from the troubles of the mundane world and invite the viewer’s meditative thoughts. The imaginary scenes evoke an atmosphere of seclusion, one that is reinforced here by inscriptions from a classical poem in Chang’s fine xingshu (running-script calligraphy). The human presence in the serene landscape is limited to a scholarly figure sitting alone in a hut.
Gallery Rotation Spring/Summer 2011
Chang Ku-nien
China, 1906–1987
Solitary Leisure in a Quiet Pavilion
1974
Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper
Gift of Dr. Cheng-Yang and Mrs. Shirley Chang, 2006/1.108
Born in the final years of imperial rule in China, Chang Ku-nien was a member of the last generation of artists trained in the centuries-old tradition of Chinese literati painting. The goal of such painting was not to depict external reality, but to express the inner world of the artist—his, personality, his feelings, and his ideas—through calligraphic brushwork. Not only was little attention paid to mimetic skills and fidelity to appearances, but landscapes by literati artists often did not even portray actual places. Here Chang has created a “landscape of the mind” that offers a lofty and idealized retreat from the troubles of the mundane world and invites the viewer’s meditative thoughts. The human presence in this serene landscape is limited to a scholarly figure sitting alone in a hut and the atmosphere of seclusion is reinforced by inscriptions from a classical poem in Chang’s fine xingshu (running-script calligraphy).