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Yuan dynasty Huang Gongwang (1269-1354)

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains

Dwelling in the Fu-ch'un Mountains

  • Handscroll, ink on paper　
  • 33 x 639.9 cm

Huang Gongwang, a native of Changshou, Jiangsu, excelled at landscape painting. He followed the manner of Dong Yuan and Juran of the tenth century to form a style of his own. A student of Daoism, he was a follower of the Quanzhen Sect. For Huang, painting was done in leisure outside of his Daoist pursuits. However, he would achieve far greater fame in painting and become known as the spiritual leader of the Four Masters of the Yuan . His style also had a major influence on late Ming and early Qing painters.

This scroll, completed in 1350 and at the age of 82, represents Huang's greatest surviving work. The arrangement is a masterpiece of movement and stillness as well as density and expansiveness. The ink likewise ranges from extremely dry to moist as well as from light to dark, and the strokes also vary from centered brushwork  to slanted.

This painting represents the ultimate expression of the hemp-fiber texture stroke method after the Dongju manner by a Yuan artist. Dong Qichang (1555-1636), the orthodox style proponent of the late Ming, had nothing but praise for this scroll, calling it Huang's greatest work and equal in status to Wang Wei's (701-761) "Snowy River," which was also in his collection.

This work was done by Huang Gongwang as a gift for the Daoistt Master of Alchemy  Wuyong. The painting later turned up in the hands of Shen Zhou (1427-1509) during the Ming dynasty. In 1596, it was bought by Dong Qichang and later pawned to Wu Zhengzhi for a thousand gold cash. Wu's grandson loved the scroll so much that he wanted to take it with him to the grave. Consigning it to the flames on his deathbed, the painting was secretly saved by his son. However, part of the front of the scroll was destroyed. The front section of the scroll, entitled "Leftover Mountain," is now in the collection of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum.

The National Palace Museum also has another version of this painting in its collection. To distinguish between the two, the present painting is often referred to as the "Wuyong" scroll as opposed to the other "Ziming" scroll. The Ziming scroll entered the Qing dynasty imperial collection a year before this painting, which is why the Qianlong emperor filled that scroll with voluminous inscriptions of praise.

However, in terms of brush and ink, the Wuyong scroll is natural and unmannered, making it clearly the original. The hills in the Ziming scroll, on the other hand, are overly careful in execution as if the artist were making a copy.
Four Masters of the Yuan

This is a collective term for the four representative masters of Yuan landscape painting. However, there are two versions for the four members making up the group. One was introduced by Wang Shizhen, whose four members comprised Zhao Mengfu, Wu Zhen, Huang Gongwang, and Wang Meng. The other was presented by Dong Qichang, whose four members consisted of Huang Gongwang, Wang Meng, Ni Zan, and Wu Zhen. The latter is the mostly commonly accepted grouping.

Centered brushwork

This technique of brushwork in painting or calligraphy involves holding the brush upright and manipulating it so that the ink flows straight down. The resulting lines are even, rounded, and uniform, creating a magnificent appeal.

Master of Alchemy

The term "master of alchemy" signifies a highly cultivated Daoist. "Six Statutes of the Tang" records the following: "There are three titles for cultivated Daoists; the first is called Master of Law, the second Master of Manner, and the third Master of Rule. One of high morality and fine thought is called a Master of Alchemy." Later, one who pursued the elixir of longevity was generally called a Master of Alchemy.