figure walking with a staff in LLC; another figure inside a building surrounded by trees with changing leaves, below center; three flying birds with long tail feathers, LLQ; misty rugged mountain peak at top; muted fall colors

Visiting a Recluse in Autumn Mountains, 18th century

expand_more
Not on Viewexpand_more

Underneath the shadows of cloud-encircled mountains, a hermit lives a solitary life amid the trees. This theme has a longstanding tradition in Chinese painting, reflecting the ideal of many educated people to retire into nature for self-cultivation and study. Some retired for religious, particularly Daoist, ideals, that focus on an individual’s harmonious relationship with natural forces. Others retreated in disgust from the ups and downs of professional life. At the bottom left-hand corner, a fellow recluse makes his way up the winding road to visit his friend, an artistic device that offers us entry into the world of the painting.

The inscription reads:

The mountain is full of trees but empty, and is touched by glorious light from afar. The recluses face each other, forgetting worldly affairs. Right now if we had the fermentation of Xingfeng, we would let loose a long yell, and completely intoxicated, we’d return home.

After the brush work of Qian Xuan (1239-1299), Cai Jia, called Zhufang Laomin.

Details
Title
Visiting a Recluse in Autumn Mountains
Artist Life
1686 - c. 1756
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2013.12
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

figure walking with a staff in LLC; another figure inside a building surrounded by trees with changing leaves, below center; three flying birds with long tail feathers, LLQ; misty rugged mountain peak at top; muted fall colors