Yuan dynasty Qian Xuan (ca. 1235-1307)
Waiting for a Ferry Along a Misty River
Waiting at the dock for a ferry was a common experience in the traditional traveling in China, and scenes of such river crossings commonly found their way into paintings. However, this sight of a seemingly endless river with no apparent destination is quite rare. After the fall of the Song dynasty, Qian Xuan gave up his status as a Confucian scholar and became a professional painter for the remainder of his life. In the torment of the loss of the former dynasty, he often gave expression to his isolation and bitterness through poetry and painting.
A traveler is shown in this painting as he waits at the side of the river bank. He faces a scene in light blue and green, symbolizing in painting the idealized beauty, the past, and his goal of reclusion on the other bank. Therefore, the figure reveals the unattainable longing and desperation of the artist himself, echoing exactly the atmosphere of the lines written by Qian Xuan on the painting; "The boat does not come to the dock, as the traveler stands there waiting in the last rays of sunshine. "