Artwork Page for Clouds and Waves at the Wu Gorge

Details / Information for Clouds and Waves at the Wu Gorge

Clouds and Waves at the Wu Gorge

巫峽雲濤圖

c. 1547–67
(Chinese, 1487–after 1567)
Measurements
Painting: 243.1 x 90 cm (95 11/16 x 35 7/16 in.); Overall with knobs: 295.6 x 115 cm (116 3/8 x 45 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This large painting was likely created for a wealthy or powerful family's grand hall to impress their visitors.

Description

This dramatic landscape was probably painted after Xie Shichen returned from a journey in 1547 that took him through various provinces of China, including Sichuan Province in southwest China and sailing the Yangzi River. The composition from a high vantage point offers a view deep into the Wu Gorge where rolling waves put a ship in peril. The scale and composition of this landscape, which was inspired by the majestic mountain scenery in Sichuan Province, as well as Xie’s vigorous brushwork, are exceptional.
A hanging scroll in ink and light color depicts a vertical landscape with dense brushstrokes forming gnarled trees and jagged rocks. A small wooden boat navigates turbulent, wavy water in the foreground. Swirling, thick clouds fill the middle and upper sections, where steep mountain peaks emerge from the mist. Vertical columns of Chinese calligraphy and a red seal are positioned in the top left against a hazy sky.

Clouds and Waves at the Wu Gorge

c. 1547–67

Xie Shichen

(Chinese, 1487–after 1567)
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

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