Exemplar of heritage: Fan Kuan and His influence in Chinese Painting
Time 2015/7/1-9/29
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Title: The Heritage of “Travelers Among Mountains and Streams”

Xuanhe Painting Manual, a catalogue of the imperial collection of painting under the Song emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1125), records 58 works by Fan Kuan but none with the title “Travelers Among Mountains and Streams.” The present name probably comes from the title given by Dong Qichang (1555-1636) in his inscription on the paper mounted above the painting.

“Travelers Among Moutains and Streams” serves as the premier surviving example of so-called “monumental” landscape painting established in the early Northern Song period (960-1126). This painting not only includes the signature of Fan Kuan himself but also has seal impressions from Qian Xie (1034-1097) of the Song dynasty and the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) period, offering a glimpse at its history of transmission. Over the ages, more than a few artists also made copies of the painting. Examples of such in the National Palace Museum collection are “Imitation of Fan Kuan’s ‘Travelers Among Mountains and Streams’” inscribed by Dong Qichang of the Ming dynasty and an anonymous work (originally ascribed to Fan Kuan) entitled “Travelers” and Tang Dai’s (1673-after 1752) “Landscape in Imitation of Fan Kuan” from the Qing dynasty. These paintings in a variety of formats, such as hanging scroll and album leaf, differ in size but generally all retain features of the original, even if they cannot compete with its majestic splendor.

Travelers Among Mountains and Streams

Travelers Among Mountains and Streams
Fan Kuan (ca. 950-ca. 1031), Song dynasty

Fan Kuan (style name Zhongli), a native of Huayuan (modern Yaoxian, Shaanxi), excelled at landscape painting and early studied the styles of Li Cheng (916-967) and Jing Hao (fl. first half of the 10th c.). Later, after years of observing Nature, he was able to form a style of his own.

This painting employs a tripartite composition and features a rocky promontory centered in the foreground with a donkey caravan below and lofty peaks in the background rising to form a range of monumental mountains. The base of the mountains is left blank to indicate enveloping mists while also to highlight the effect of distance and separation. The forms throughout the work are rendered with angular outlines in ink, the texturing within the landscape elements done in short strokes similar to raindrops, thereby simulating the geological characteristics of rocks and mountains there. The monumental range looms over the tiny figures in the caravan, creating a dramatic contrast that expresses an awe-inspiring appreciation of the majestic forces in Nature. In the lower right area, hidden among the trees, is the signature for “Fan Kuan.”

Travelers

Travelers
Fan Kuan (ca. 950-ca. 1031), Song dynasty

The title and artist given for this painting come from the editors of Continued Compilation of Treasured Cases of the Stone Moat, a Qing dynasty catalogue of paintings in the imperial collection. Compared to “Travelers Among Mountains and Streams,” the compositional format is almost identical, with only the bridge over the stream placed slightly higher. Also painted on a smaller scroll, it lacks the lofty majesty of Fan Kuan’s original.

This painting was once in the collection of Wang Shimin (1592-1680), and a colophon inscription each by Wang in 1671 (at the age of 80 by Chinese reckoning) and Song Junye (?-1713) dated to the “bingzi” cyclical year (1696) appear on the mounting to the left and right. After the scroll entered the Qing imperial collection, the Qianlong emperor (Gaozong, 1711-1799) also composed a poem for it. The brushwork throughout the work is beautifully fluid and carefully done, just like the painting style associated with the early Qing dynasty. According to modern research, this scroll is perhaps an imitation by Wang Hui (1632-1717).