Clearing after Rain over Streams and Mountains

Clearing after Rain over Streams and Mountains

Wang Hui

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Freely adapting elements traditionally associated with Juran (act. ca. 960–85)—conical mountains defined by "hemp-fiber" texture strokes and topped by dense groves or clusters of boulders interspersed with foliage dots—and mixing them with the "cloudy mountains" imagery of Mi Youren (1074–1151), Wang has dematerialized the tenth-century master's substantial forms by paring down motifs, flattening forms into calligraphic patterns, and using subtly graded ink washes to evoke a serene landscape cloaked in clouds and mist. While the painting's moist atmosphere is characteristic of Juran, the seamless progression of repeated triangular hills from front to back reveals Wang's method of integrating pictorial elements within a zigzag compositional pattern he called a "dragon vein." Done when the artist was only thirty, the luminous ink tones and perfectly controlled lyrical composition are characteristic of works from the artist's early period.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Clearing after Rain over Streams and MountainsClearing after Rain over Streams and MountainsClearing after Rain over Streams and MountainsClearing after Rain over Streams and MountainsClearing after Rain over Streams and Mountains

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.