Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, Poem by Wang Wei

Poem and painting, once mounted together as one fan, exemplify the collaboration between imperial patron and court painter. Emperor Lizong’s calligraphy cites a verse from Wang Wei’s (701–761) poem, Walking to where the water ends, I sit and watch when clouds arise.

Ma Lin’s response is this painting. At the water’s edge, a scholar reclines by a large rock. The view leads across the empty middle ground to a distant mountain. With sparse ink and subtly graded washes, Ma Lin visualizes the poetic verse. The painting suggests the impact of Chan aesthetics through interaction between the palace, literati-officials, and monasteries around Hangzhou.

A circular ink painting on silk depicts a minimalist landscape within a cream square. On the left, a man reclines on a rocky ledge looking into a vast, misty void where a faint mountain peak emerges. Simple, dark brushstrokes form the craggy terrain and sparse foliage. Vertical Chinese calligraphy sits below the ledge, while two red seals are stacked on the lower left mounting. Expansive negative space conveys atmospheric depth.

Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, Poem by Wang Wei

c. 1256

Ma Lin

(Chinese, c. 1185–after 1260)

China, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)

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