Cleveland Museum of Art

Mt. Qingbian

Dong Qichang

Date

1617

Medium

hanging scroll, ink on paper

Culture

China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Dong Qichang radically transforms the landscape composition into a purely abstract design. He organizes the mountain forms to achieve an overall sense of structure, activating the flow of energy ( qi ) and the momentum of force ( shi ) throughout the pictorial design. In his art, brush and ink assume life independent of the depicted forms, so that the painting can be appreciated for “the sheer marvels of brush and ink.” Dong Qichang had visited the Bian Mountains, which are part of a low range located not far from Wuxing and Lake Tai in the southern province of Zhejiang.

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