Artwork Page for The Thousand Acres of Clouds, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

Details / Information for The Thousand Acres of Clouds, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

Series Title: 虎丘十二景圖

The Thousand Acres of Clouds, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

after 1490

Shen Zhou 沈周

(Chinese, 1427–1509)
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Culture
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Medium
Album leaf; ink on paper or ink and slight color on paper
Measurements
Image: 30.8 x 42.2 cm (12 1/8 x 16 5/8 in.); Overall: 36.5 x 49.9 cm (14 3/8 x 19 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1964.371.9
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Shen Zhou here painted the view over the Thousand Acres of Clouds.

Description

Views of Tiger Hill depicts a historic site a few miles northwest of Suzhou. The scenes simulate a visit from arriving by boat at the foot of the mountain to climbing to Cloudy Cliff Monastery. Representations of the artist’s mature style, Shen Zhou included views in subtle colors in the suite of monochrome scenes.

A Suzhou native, Shen Zhou was supported by family wealth and rejected an official career in favor of life as a retired scholar. Turning to painting in midlife, he is regarded as the founder of the Wu School of painting, with its center in Suzhou.
An ink painting on paper in black and gray ink depicts a tiered building perched on a steep cliff to the right. The structure is outlined and patterned in straight lines, surrounded by expressive brushstrokes for bamboo and pine foliage. Two figures sit on a balcony overlooking distant, hazy mountains obscured by pale mist. Small dark marks convey vegetation on the cliffside, and a red seal marks the bottom right corner.

The Thousand Acres of Clouds, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

after 1490

Shen Zhou

(Chinese, 1427–1509)
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

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