Cloudy Peaks, Seeking the DAO, Hanging Scroll
Hua Yan
Qing Dynasty
- MEDIUM:Ink and color on paper
- FORMATS:Hanging scroll
- DIMENSIONS:Height 134.5 cm; Width 34.0 cm
Introduction
A passionate traveler throughout his life, Hua Yan’s landscape and figure paintings are known for their freshness, elegance, openness, and understated antiquity. Painted when the artist was fifty-one, this work depicts lofty peaks with a few rocky outcrops in the foreground, from which a mountain stream descends. A scholar, leaning on his staff, walks through the valley. Above, dense groves of tall pines crown the rocks, each needle rendered in detail. On a rocky terrace, two elderly men sit cross-legged in quiet discourse on the Dao(Taoism), exuding a sense of ease and contentment.The composition is grand yet well balanced, its brushwork refined and natural, avoiding any contrived effects. The scene evokes the idealized retreat to mountains and springs cherished by the literati.
This painting was once in the collections of renowned Republican-era connoisseur Wu Hufan and modern collector Qian Jingtang.
