Landscape

Wang Shimin

1667

Ink and color on gold-dusted paper

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A fan-shaped painting depicts a mountainous landscape with sparse trees and rocks rendered in ink wash. Chinese calligraphy and red seals are present. Wang Shimin, the eldest of the “Four Wangs, ” shaped the Orthodox school of early Qing painting, which emphasized disciplined brushwork. The Four Wangs (Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, Wang Hui, and Wang Yuanqi) were related by kinship and discipleship, and together established a lineage grounded in study of Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) masters. Unlike the bold, spontaneous styles of individualist painters, Wang’s landscapes are built from carefully layered ink strokes that create solid, monumental forms. <br /> In this fan, rounded mountains rise in rhythmic tiers, their contours softened by trees and rocks rendered with steady, even-textured