Minneapolis Institute of Art

Chinese Landscape after Huang Gongwang

Shi Wenjing; Inscriber: Inscription on box by Gejo Keikoku

Date

18th-19th century

Medium

Ink and colors on silk, hanging scroll

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This monumental painting combines a variety of imagery associated with the prevailing idea of eremitism: the state of being a hermit and seclusion from society. One popular pattern associated with eremitism is known as “reclusion in a fishing boat.” In early Chinese literary tradition, the archetypal character of the recluse often reflected great wisdom but appeared as a humble man. Fishermen were often described in literature as wise recluses, who took the guise of a humble man. This idea inspired a type of composition called yuyin , sometimes translated into English as “fisherman-recluse” or “reclusion in a fishing boat.” The gentlemen shown sailing off along a mountain stream in this painting are certainly not fishermen but rather recluses. China, Asia

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