Seated Alone in the Autumn Woods, after Lan Ying

Huang Shanshou, artist

1855–1919

Seated Alone in the Autumn Woods, after Lan Ying, 1909, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Where object was made: China

Material/technique: ink; color; paper

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 62.5 x 33 cm
Mount Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 165.2 x 46.8 x 0 cm
Roller Dimensions (Width x Diameter): 56 cm

Credit line: Gift of Stan and Patsy Wisdom

Accession number: 1991.0155

Not on display

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Label texts

Archive Label 2003:
Huang Shanshou was a prolific painter who usually worked in a very colorful style. Here, his use of color appears generous in contrast to the three other hanging scrolls on this wall that were done on the same theme.
Before the 1880s, Huang Shanshou specialized in painting figures, especially the very popular subject of beautiful women. After that time, he more frequently painted flowers and landscapes. Seated in the Autumn Woods was painted during this later period when he looked towards the blue-green landscapes of the Tang period (618-907) as a model for his own work.

Archive Label date unknown (before 1991):
Inscription: "1909, summer, after Lan Ying Painted for Tsu Hsiu's advice and corrections by Huang Shan-shou at Shanghai."
Born in Kiangsu, Huang became proficient at painting figures, landscapes, and a variety of bird and plant subjects. By the age of fifty he had become a successful painter in Shanghai. Here he has depicted with playful, delicate brushwork a scholar seated quietly on a plateau, admiring the autumn foliage. Above him rises one of the fantastic rock forms so greatly beloved by the Chinese. The use of bright pigments recalls an ancient landscape tradition, adding an ethereal quality to this contemplative scene.