Landscape in the Style of Zhao Boju (Fang Zhao Boju shanshui)

Wang Hui

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This painting is Wang Hui’s second earliest extant work. Done barely two years into his apprenticeship under the preeminent master Wang Shimin (1592–1680), it shows an approach that differs entirely from that of his earliest known work of 1650 and reflects his exposure to the region’s great collections of ancient masters. According to Wang’s inscription, the painting follows the style of Zhao Boju (died ca. 1162), a Southern Song academy painter known for his landscapes in the blue-and-green style. The calligraphic contour lines and texture dots of Wang’s interpretation, however, owe more to Wang Shimin than to the twelfth-century master. One year before his death Wang added a second inscription: This painting was done in my youth; suddenly, more than sixty years have gone by. Seeing it now I am ashamed of my first steps.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art