Summer Mist Along the Lakeshore 湖莊清夏圖卷 - Zhao Lingrang 趙令穰 (Introduction)
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| Summer Mist Along the Lakeshore 湖莊清夏圖卷
Artist: Zhao Lingrang 趙令穰 (active late 11th–early 12th century), Northern Song dynasty Date: dated 1100 Materials: Ink and color on silk Dimensions: 19.1 x 161.3 cm (7 12 x 63 12 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, BostonKeith McLeod Fund Museum scroll information: Summer Mist Along the Lakeshore 湖莊清夏圖卷 |
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| Introduction Zhao Lingrang 趙令穰 (active ca. 1070 – 1100) was a member of the imperial family, a descendant of the founder of the Song dynasty Taizu 太祖 (reigned 960-976), and a high ranking official. He was a collector of painting and calligraphy and according to early records in Xuanhe huapu 宣和畫譜 (Painting Catalog of the Xuanhe-Era, i.e. the catalog of paintings in the Northern Song imperial collection) and in Deng Chun's 鄧椿 Hua ji 畫繼 (Painting Continued, a history of painting and painters, preface dated 1167) he was himself skilled in calligraphy, the depiction of so-called intimate scenery (xiao jing 小景) of river views and hills, and paintings of bamboo. Other textual sources impart that his paintings were appreciated both at court, e.g. by emperor Zhezong 哲宗 (reigned 1068-1086), and in literati circles as suggested in poems composed in praise of Zhao's paintings by the scholar-official and poet Huang Tingjian 黃庭堅 (1045-1105). Summer Mist along the Lakeshore belongs to a group of very few extant works attributed to Zhao Lingrang and is believed to be the most reliable attribution, bearing Zhao's dated signature with two seals. A rather small and intimate view of landscape, especially when compared with Northern Song monumental landscape painting produced at court, Summer Mist along the Lakeshore leads the viewer along winding paths and across bridges, passing by simple houses and ends in a small forest. The bands of mist that linger amidst the trees throughout the scroll are an important element that provides continuity across the handscroll by connecting different compositional sections and spatial layers. The composition alternates between an emphasis of foreground, middle ground, and background, resulting in a rhythmic viewing experience and a balanced overall composition. It is especially the subtle use of colored washes to create forms and textures instead of relying on outlines, ink, and discernible brushstrokes that is notable in this handscroll. Within the handscroll, close attention is paid to the depiction of birds, which often appear in pairs and were originally colored even more brightly. No figures are depicted, another unusual feature in Northern Song landscape painting. Zhao's landscape style as seen in this handscroll is said to reflect literati theories of painting articulated by Su Shi 蘇軾 (1036-1101) and Mi Fu 米芾(1051-1107) and to avoid academic models. His paintings became subsequently influential for the further development of Southern Song court painting with its more focused depiction of intimate scenery in small formats. Reference: Wu Tung (ed.), Masterpieces of Chinese Painting from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston : Tang through Yuan Dynasties, Boston: Museum of Fine Arts and Tokyo: Otsuka Kogeisha, 1996, v.1 cat. no. 126, pp. 107f. Wu Tung (ed.), Tales from the Land of Dragons: 1000 Years of Chinese Painting, Exhibition Catalog, Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1997, cat. no. 12, p. 138f. Bunjinga Suihen 文人画粹編, Tōkyō: Chūō Kōronsha, Shōwa 49-54 [1974-1979], v. 2, no. 73 and p. 152 | ||||