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Jessica Hofhine
Asian Art
Fall Semester 2015
Final Paper

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains

Very rarely can one say a piece of art is responsible for uniting people.
Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains by Huang Gongwang is one of these
paintings, being highly regarded as one of the most beautiful pieces of art to
come out of 14th century china. It managed to influence following dynasties
with its style and simplicity. Although it was destroyed 300 years after its
creation, for the first time in 360 years, the burnt pieces have been reunited
thanks to amazing collaborative efforts.
Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains by Huang Gongwang is a
monochromatic painting, using an extremely long handscroll as the paper
and is sized 33 cm by 636.9 cm. It was painted by Huang Gongwang in the
last years of his life, and took 3 or 4 years to complete. It was one of the
most famous Chinese paintings, even after it was destroyed by a fire in 1650.
It was split into pieces, and, just in 2010, several museums put in an effort to
reunite the painting after 360 years.
Originally, it was given to Master Wuyong, who was present for the
creation and a dear friend of the artist. It was passed down, generation to
generation, until 1650 where it was on display in Yunqi hall in the collection
of Wu Hongyu. Wu had it sanctioned to be burned upon his death, but a
family member saved it. It suffered minor fire damage, splitting it in sections.
It is now on display, in its entirety, at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum. I
chose this painting because of both the cultural importance and influence,
and there is no ignoring the sheer beauty of it.
The sprawling landscape depicted in the painting is of the Fuchun
Mountains, a place where Huang Gongwang would spend his time in his later
years. From 1347-1350, he would travel to the mountains, paint a portion of

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the work, and retire after a short amount of time. It represents how Huang
felt about his native province, and his personal take on the beauty of it is
displayed prominently in the painting. The somewhat abstract nature doesnt
necessarily portray the mountains, but rather how he felt about the
mountains. To Gongwang, he had finally returned to his home province
toward the end of his life, and he was spending time with his great friend and
fellow Taoist Zheng Wuyong. It was a calm time of reflection and spiritual
peace. They were able to discuss a lifetime of wisdom as Gongwang created
his masterpiece. Upon completion, he would go on to give the painting to
Zheng, and it later was immortalized.
The handscroll was a popular medium for the simple fact that it shows
a strong progression, almost linearly through time and space. The extreme
length of the work shows a change, not only in the painting as it goes on, but
in the artist as he creates the painting day by day. Each centimeter of the
entire 636 cm was done stroke by stroke, by a man in wise contemplation
with one of his favorite people. As a means of processing a long, wisdom
filled life, the painting could not have been more pertinent. It is not only
open for personal reflection, but also tells a story.
To many, the rolling hills and stark mountains with lush trees in the
painting have an important meaning. Not only does it represent the beauty
of a younger, simpler China, but the art style itself manages to do this as
well. The brush strokes in the painting are very significant and deliberate.
They display a simpler style of art that dates back 450 years prior to the
painting, and the single color of ink is also a shining example of this. These
art styles dated back to Dong Yuan, one of the most influential Chinese
artists of all time, and the following dynasties. The short, choppy, sharp
crags in contrast with the rolling, lush, almost inviting hills were a very
effective way to convey the purpose of the painting. (Displayed below is The
Remaining Mountain, a piece that wasnt reunited with the scroll until 1956.
It clearly shows the style of art in its entirety)

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The elderly artist of the painting had a relationship with his land, and
the style of art shows how significant it was to him. The viewer can see the
painstaking detail that only the most patient of hands could produce. The
style seemed deliberate, but also very rough, in a traditional sketch style.
This is what draws so many people to the work. Traditional styles of painting
like this were a bastion of peace in a post-Mongolian China. The intentional
simplicity and calmness, while being in the traditional style, was a way for
the retired intellectual to reflect on, and also take in, the sprawling nature of
his beautiful provincial home.
Gongwang was the oldest of the Four great masters of the Yuan,
retired learned men that spent their later years reflecting and producing
tangible wisdom. He was widely regarded as being an extremely wise
scholar, and managed to make an influence for centuries to come. His
intention, it would seem, was to unite both spiritual and physical
interpretations of the same scene in the painting. This particular scroll was of
his home, and the personal implications make this one of the most influential
works that he could have possibly created.
There were definitely contemporary artists with a similar style, but the
interpretation is the difference between this and other works. Many of the
handscroll paintings of this age were done with a very similar brush stroke
pattern, even, but the combined natures of the aspects of the painting are
what make it last throughout the ages. One could compare Gongwangs work

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to artists of his era, such as Wu Zhen and Zhao Cangyun, but these artists
fail to capture the scope and emotion that Gongwang was able to do so well
at the end of his very significant life. While the beauty of their works is
undeniable, the scale in which the artist was able to capture so much feeling
and thought is hard to match. One can see the similarities very quickly, but
also the differences. (Below is Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao Entering the Tiantai
Mountains by Zhao Cangyun, displaying the similarities in style, but also the
significant differences)

The following 550 years, up until today, have been influenced by this
magnificent work. The artist Wang Yuanqi even has a painting titled
Landscape after Huang Gongwang, (right) which quite literally was directly
influenced by this painting. You can see in the style that the abstractness,
the artists personal outlook, and the interpretable style are all beaming at
the viewer. This painting was completed in the very start of the 18th century,
almost 400 years later. Although the purpose of this painting was to emulate
the style, it is venerated as one of the more beautiful works to be created out
of that region and timeframe. The style shown here is an evolved version of

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what Gongwang was trying to accomplish, but nonetheless

it is directly a result of the inspiration of the painting.

Ultimately, art and its interpretation are completely

subjective. Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains objectively,
however, was a way for Huang Gongwang to reflect on his
life, expand his wisdom and spirituality, and create
something beautiful that would be considered a
masterpiece for all time. The collaborative efforts to
reunite the painting were because of what it signifies; the
Chinese people see the honesty and the simplicity of the
work as their heritage, in a way, and it is, absolutely,
something of which to be proud. It is an honest account of a scholar on his
way out of this world, and there are simple truths regarding who we are, on a
spiritual level, splashed in every brush stroke.

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References:

Chang, Arnold. "Landscape after Huang Gongwang." Landscape after

the Ancient Masters. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Art Access Chinese Art. Art

Institute of Chicago, 2004. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Landscape Reunited." Landscape Reunited: Huang Gongwang and
''Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains''. National Palace Museum, 13 Jan.

2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

"Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains." Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains.

China Online Museum, 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

Pang, Mae Anna. "Transmission and Transformation: The Art of
Imitation in Wang Yuanqi's Fuchun Mountains Scroll." NGV. National

Gallery of Victoria, 2001. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

"Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation,
n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.