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Art News:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1,
2010
Media Only: Deborah Galyan
(202) 633-0504
Amanda Williams (202) 633-0271
Media
Web site: http://www.asia.si.edu/press
The Freer Gallery of Art
Presents "Masterpieces of Chinese Painting"
Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Works Showcase Nine Centuries of Artistic
Tradition
Twenty-seven iconic works of Chinese painting from the
Freer's permanent collection will be on view June 12 - Nov. 28. "Masterpieces of
Chinese Painting" offers an exquisite selection of rarely exhibited,
light-sensitive works by well-known artists from the late 10th to the early 18th
century.
"These paintings are masterpieces. Some represent the
earliest dated work or only surviving format
by some of the most famous artists in Chinese history," said
Joseph Chang, associate curator of Chinese art and curator of the exhibition.
The
paintings are arranged chronologically, with emphasis on the different schools
of Chinese painting, and include works through the Song (960-1279), Yuan
(1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The paintings
portray traditional Chinese motifs, such as Buddhist subjects, human figures,
landscapes, animals, flowers and ink bamboo.
The Freer's earliest
Song painting, Bodhisattva Guanyin of the
Water Moon, is on view
in the first half of the exhibition. Dating from 968 A.D.,
the Buddhist painting depicts the bodhisattva of compassion and was among the
first recovered from a cave in Dunhuang (present-day Gansu Province) in the
early 20th century. Monumental hanging scrolls and intimate landscapes in album
leaf format exemplify the misty, atmospheric approach of the Southern Song
dynasty (1127-1279). Well-known works by Yuan artists Qian Xuan (c. 1235-1307)
and Wu Zhen (1280-1354) reflect Chinese art under Mongol rule.
In the Ming and Qing
section of the exhibition, early Ming taste is reflected in the works of the
professional Zhe school, which proffered landscapes of the hermit and scholar.
During the middle of the Ming dynasty, Chinese painting underwent a significant
shift due to the rise of the great artist, theorist and connoisseur Dong Qichang
(1555-1636). Known for his theories on landscape painting, Qichang advanced the
idea that modern Chinese painting should emulate past masters, as seen in his
1617 Landscape, which extols the
literati (scholar-painters) of the Song and Yuan dynasties. Qichang's theory of
lineage, tempered by his belief in the study of nature, was so influential, that
"it still forms the basis for art historical analysis of Chinese landscape
painting today," said Chang.
"Masterpieces of Chinese Paintings" will be on view in
Gallery 13 of the Freer Gallery of Art.
For more information about the Freer and
Sackler galleries and their exhibitions, programs and other events, the public
is welcome to visit www.asia.si.edu. For general Smithsonian
information, the public may call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285.
The
Freer Gallery of Art, located at 12th Street and Independence Avenue S.W., and
the adjacent Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, located at 1050 Independence Avenue
S.W., are on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. every day, except Dec. 25, and admission is free. The galleries are located
near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange
lines.
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Horse and
Groom, after Li Gonglin. Zhao Yong (1291-1361). China, Yuan dynasty, 1347. Handscroll; ink and color on
paper. Purchase
F1945.32. Image
Credit: Freer Gallery of Art
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Freer Sackler Gallery | 1050 Independence Avenue
SW | Washington, DC | DC |
20560
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