The Mountain of Five Cataracts

1650

Chen Hongshou

Chen Hongshou (Chinese, 1598/99–1652)

Chinese Art

The Mountain of Five Cataracts, 1650. Chen Hongshou (Chinese, 1598/99–1652). Hanging scroll, ink on silk; painting: 118 x 53 cm (46 7/16 x 20 7/8 in.); overall: 232.4 x 69.7 cm (91 1/2 x 27 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1966.366

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Chen Hongshou
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: hanging scroll, ink on silk
Medium: hanging, scroll, ink, silk
Dimensions: Painting: 118 x 53 cm (46 7/16 x 20 7/8 in.); Overall: 232.4 x 69.7 cm (91 1/2 x 27 7/16 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: Artist's signature and seal at middle right edge: Hongshou [seal] Zhanghou 洪绶 [印]章侯 Inscription: 1 inscription and 6 additional seals: 1 inscription and 5 seals of Gao Shiqi 高士奇 (1645-1704); 1 double seal (undecipherable). Inscription by Gao Shiqi: The Mountain of the Five Cataracts is bordered by three prefectures--Wu [Jinhua], Hang [Hangzhou], and Yue [Shaoxing]--and is quite close to Jiyang [Zhuji] in Yue. The landscape there is extraordinary and precipitous, with ridges and peaks standing in circles. Rocks of strange shapes gaze down everywhere, while maple and bamboo provide shade. The water from five pools overflows and is suspended in five steps--that is why it is called "Five Cataracts." Xie Yuanqing [Xie Tiao 謝朓, ca. 464-499] of the Qi Dynasty gathered medicinal herbs here; Diao Jingchun [Diao yue 刁約, 11th century] of the Song Dynasty also visited here; Song Jinhua [Song Lian 宋濂, 1310-1381] and Xu Tianchi [Xu Wei 徐渭, 1521-1593] both wrote travel notes about the place; and Chen Hongshou painted here. His mountains are done in the style of the Six Dynasties masters; the trees are after those of Dong Beiyuan [董源 Dong Yuan, Five Dynasties]--the painting seems to be richly imbued with the primeval spirit. Xu Wei said that the grotto is unique for the shade (yin) and the five cataracts unusual for the sun (yang). There are seventy-two peaks, with a ravine between two cliffs. At times they are bright and at other times, gloomy; sometimes they seem to be open, sometimes closed, yet often border uniquely between shady (yin) and sunny (yang). Zhanghou [Chen Hongshou] really succeeded in capturing that spirit. As a young man indulgently boating through Shanyin [Shaoxing], I became familiar with the beauty of the Five Cataracts. The cold streams, when level, become pools clear as crystal. Pouring foam mingled with flying waterfall, Its shapes constantly changing. Water would flow downward without a sound, Or become raging billows emitting echoes. Sometimes the wind from the sky would wail, The green forest during the day would turn dark. Sometimes it was dangerous and difficult to ascend, For the moss was slippery on the stone steps in those precipitous cliffs. After reading the travel notes of Sung [Lian] and Xu [Wei], I'm afraid their descriptions are incomplete. Yet when Laolian [Chen Hongshou] was seized with the inspiration to paint, His brush and ink moved with exhilaration. It is as if mists have risen From a hot cooking pot, gradually opened. By hanging this on a plain wall, One can clearly listen to the quiet night. At the end of the year, ice and snow are deep; The cold air in the quiet studio is frozen. Near the fireplace, I make with it a silent, spiritual acquaintance Burning incense and striking a lucid ching [stone chime]. On the eighteenth day of the twelfth month in the yimao year of the Kangxi era [1699]. Jiangcun, Gao Shiqi. Zhuchuang inscribed this at Zhe in the Lan Jing studio. It was the third day after the beginning of spring. trans. LYSL/HK/WKH
Departments: Chinese Art
Accession Number: 1966.366
Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
Exhibitions: Year in Review: 1967, The Restless Landscape: Chinese Painting of the Late Ming Period, The Colors of Ink, Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection, Repentant Monk: Illusion and Disillusion in the Art of Chen Hongshou (1599-1652), To-So-Gen-Min, II. Tokyo Imperial Museum, Tokyo, Japan (November 24-December 16, 1928)., Restless Landscape. University Art Museum, Berkeley, CA (November 9, 1971-January 2, 1972); Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (February 12-April 2, 1972)., Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 10-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982)., Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 119). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 12, 2003-July 16, 2003)., Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 242). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (January 7, 2015-July 7, 2015).
Rights Statement: CC0