波士顿美术馆 展 王翚 长江万里图

choi

(1) Lee Lawrence, A Trip Down the Yangzi in 49 Feet; Wang Hui's lengthy handscroll stirs emotions while evoking poetry, earlier paintings, history and cultural references. Wall Street Journal, Aug 23, 2018 (exhibition review)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/10- ... -gallery-1534971790

(a) Excerpt: The work, recently donated to the museum, casts nature as the protagonist

(b) Quote:

"Wang Hui (1632-1717) [清 (1644 to 1912)] * * * More than 40 feet of this 53-foot-long handscroll are unfurled in a desk-high display case running the length of the gallery, with a reproduction of the remaining portion hanging on the side wall. Even knowing that such scrolls should be viewed in segments of about three feet, the length one would unfurl in a single gesture * * *

"Although early paintings typically depict the river from its source in the Tibetan highlands to its outlet into the East China Sea, by the 17th century this convention had long been reversed. So Wang begins the journey near the mouth of the river in his native province of Suzhou, where in 1699, he painted this masterpiece. * * * The protagonist is unquestionably nature, not man, with mountain chains almost appearing animate thanks to Wang's 'dragon veins 龙脉.' * * * Moving right to left [of the handscroll], we see this play out in a number of configurations as the river narrows, widens and occasionally embraces a tributary.

"Born into a family of professional painters, Wang was not yet 20 when Wang Jiang and Wang Shimin, two highly regarded orthodox painters, took him under their wing, the latter inviting young Wang to study his collection of paintings. Which he did, spending years copying past masters, stroke by individual stroke. * * * At the home of [collector] Zhou Lianggong 收藏家周亮工 in Nanjing, for example, Wang saw Yan Wengui's 燕文贵 [(967-1044) vs 北宋（960—1127)] panoramic 'Landscape of the Yangzi River 长江卷' (sometime between 970 and 1030), which he cited as an inspiration for this painting.

Note: The review is available to the public. There is no need to read the rest (which is inane), though, because one should read the museum's descriptions. See next.

choi

(2)
(a) Exhibition: 10,000 Miles along the Yangzi River. Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, July 21, 2018-Sept 30, 2018 (slide show).
https://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/ ... ng-the-yangzi-river
("Yangzi (Yangtze) River * * * It was acquired by the high-ranking imperial official Weng Tonghe 翁同龢 [1830–1904; 籍贯 江苏苏州府常熟县; born in Beijing and died in 常熟] in the 19th century and today remains in the collection of his great-great-grandson 五世孙 Wan-go HC Weng. Weng Tonghe inscribed the work with a colophon—traditionally written by Chinese collectors to express their appreciation for a painting—and, in honor of his 100th birthday, Wan-go HC Weng has recently composed his own")

(b) press release
(i) in Chinese:

Press release: 波士顿美术馆接受重要藏家翁万戈捐赠巨幅中国画长卷. 波士顿美术馆 MFA, undated (probably July 30, 2018)
https://www.mfa.org/news/10000-m ... angzi-river-chinese
("翁万戈（又名翁兴庆）")

Quote:

"王翚为康熙皇帝作了6年的宫廷画家 * * * 但他创作《长江万里图》的时间，是在1699年，即离开京城和宫廷之后。 * * * 王翚花费了7个月的时间，绘制长江沿岸的山峦、渡船、渔人、村庄、历史遗迹以及寺院。他本人从未游历过长江全程，而他此处描绘的，可谓是中国文化的观想之旅。

"这幅画作在完成之后，便开启了它自己的旅程；王翚 * * * 很快地将其易手。它在藏家中流转，历经150年的时间，来到19世纪北京一家古玩店。在那里，清廷高官翁同龢（1830-1904）看到了它。虽然翁同龢深爱这件作品，他却最初因要价过高而回绝了古玩商。然而，在之后几个月的时间里，他不断造访古玩店、观览此画，最终决定用购置新房的积蓄买下了这幅画作。这幅长卷立刻成为翁同龢最为珍贵的财产，在他的家族中从父到子、代代相传——而今，画作的持有者是他的五世孙——翁万戈。

"王翚是四王中颇受赞誉的一位，另外三人是王时敏（1592-1680），王鉴（1598-1677）和王原祁（1642-1715）。王时敏曾经是董其昌（1555-1636）的学生；董其昌位高权重，一直倡导文人画家应当从古人山水中学习，并且通过精微的笔墨来表达自己。四王都尊崇董其昌的理论，并奠定了后来被称为中国画 '正统派' 的新风格；他们建立起更重视古典传承及内涵价值的评鉴方式，摒弃了真实化的细节。  王翚自幼就被视为神童。在王时敏的亲授下，他很快就对董其昌的艺术与理论精熟起来。通过研究与临仿古代大师作品，王翚运宋人丘壑之法，又兼得元人的书法笔意，达到 '集大成' 的状态。此前，翁氏曾向波士顿美术馆捐赠过王鉴的《仿董源 [died c 962; 五代南唐 (937-975; one of 十国)] 夏山图》（1642年）及王原祁的《仿一峰 [黄公望 (1269－1354 (元 (1271-1368) ); one of his 号 was 一峰道人, being 全真道士; 全真道也称全真教，道教的派别)] 南山春霭图》（17世纪晚期到18世纪早期）。而《长江万里图》的补充，使美术馆得以拓展对清初正统画派深度与意义的探讨。

(ii) in English:

Press release: MFA Boston Receives Gift of Monumental Chinese Scroll from Eminent Collector Wan-go HC Weng. MFA, July 30, 2018.
https://www.mfa.org/news/10000-m ... angzi-river-english

Quote:

"The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), has received a significant gift of a 17th-century Chinese masterpiece, 10,000 Miles along the Yangzi River (Wanli Changjiang Tu 长江万里图) (1699), from Wan-go HC Weng 翁万戈 [1918- ]. The prominent collector, whose family has owned the 53-foot-long scroll since 1875, has donated the work to the Museum on the occasion of his 100th birthday. * * * 10,000 Miles along the Yangzi River is the fifth work by Wang Hui to enter the MFA’s collection, following two others given to the Museum by Weng.

"Weng is the current steward of his family's collection, one that has been handed down through six generations and is among the greatest private holdings of Chinese art in the US. He has been a longtime supporter of the MFA, donating 20 important works to the Museum over the years.

My comment: The 2 (a) and (b) have the same content but in different languages. I excerpt (2) (a) and (b) in different portions. (MFA is private, nonprofit.)