Minneapolis Institute of Art

Scenic Beauty Along Rivers and Mountains

Bian Wenyu

Date

1614

Medium

Ink and colors on silk

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The inscription suggests that, by aligning oneself with nature, a person could expect to live a quiet life of peace and tranquility, a sought-after goal during the political and social chaos of the early seventeenth century. It reads, in part: Surrounded by ten-thousand miles of water is white cloud village, amidst the flowers is built a grass hut; Evening lotus are reflected in clear pools, like-minded friends face one another on verandas… I have a spirit that soars beyond this mundane world, You possess the prescription for immortality. The river-side mountains are green without end, and often seem to float in an endless expanse. On a summer day in the year 1614, I entrusted (my ideas) to the brush at the Northern Suburb Mountain Cottage. —Bian Wenyu China, Asia

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