Gong Xian Wang Hui Landscape Album (Color Illustrations)

Author: (Qing) Gong Xian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Gong Xian (1618–1689), styled Banqian, was a native of Kunshan, Jiangsu. Wang Hui (1632–1717), styled Wumu Shanshen, was also from Changshu, Jiangsu. Both were renowned for their landscape paintings, but Gong Xian, as a painter of the Ming loyalist faction, aligned with the "Wild and Unrestrained" school alongside the "Four Monks," while Wang Hui, as a painter of the Qing loyalist faction, was a key figure in the orthodox "Four Wangs" school. Gong Xian's painting style, rooted in Dong Yuan and Ju Ran's brushwork, exudes a sense of lightness and elegance amidst profound and rustic simplicity. Admiring his landscape paintings evokes a transcendent feeling as if stepping into a dreamlike realm. Wang Hui, on the other hand, employs Yuan Dynasty brushwork, creating works that are fresh and bright, with flawless mastery in brushwork, ink techniques, and composition. This volume combines the works of both artists, offering a glimpse into the two distinct artistic styles of early Qing landscape painting.