Text Page of a six-leaf album

Description

Wang Jian
China, 1598–1677
Six-leaf album
Qing dynasty (1644–1912)
1661
Album leaves, ink and light color on gold-flecked paper
Gift of Mr. Chung Mo-nan, 1956/2.12–18

Wang Jian was raised in a literary and artistic family in Taicang in Jiangsu province, north of present-day Shanghai. As a painter, he became closely associated with other significant artists of the early Qing dynasty, specifically Wang Shimin (1592–1680), Wang Hui (1632–1717), and Wang Yuanqi (1642–1715), collectively known as the “Four Wangs.”

These selections from a set of album leaves demonstrate Wang Jian’s ability to paint in the style of various artists from the Tang (618–907) through Ming (1368–1644) dynasties. Learning to paint like earlier artists was considered essential to a painter’s training, as it conveyed a knowledge of historical and theoretical precedents for depicting the landscape. Wang most likely learned to paint by copying significant works in his grandfather’s extensive art collection. Wang Jian’s collection of paintings became, in turn, a valuable resource for his student, Wang Hui, whose work is on display nearby.