White Peony and Rocks

Hua Yan

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hua Yan worked in the prosperous city of Yangzhou at the time of the "Eight Eccentrics," a group whose bold idiosyncratic style extended beyond painting to personal attitudes and behavior. In developing the style of the early Qing masters Shitao (1642–1707), Zhu Da (1626–1705), and Yun Shouping (1633–1690), Hua made daring use of color, fresh realism in representation, and an unabashed display of brush virtuosity that made him a favorite model of late Qing and modern Chinese painters. Hua Yan favored unorthodox juxtapositions such as the one seen here: suffused ink washes for the garden rocks contrasted with lyrical and perfectly controlled color tints for the delicate blossoms and leaves. In his inscription at upper left, he gives the Song dynasty sources for these two dissimilar techniques: I follow Ma Yuan [act. ca. 1190–1225] in chopping lean rocks, And imitate Xu Xi [act. 10th century] in plucking delicate blossoms. The two masters' styles have their bitter and sweet aspects; Together they enhance the taste of my tea on the first chilly day of autumn.

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