Migrations of Memory-Wild Geese Descend on Level Sands IV no. 3

2021

Migrations of Memory-Wild Geese Descend on Level Sands IV no. 3, 2021. Peng Wei (Chinese, b. 1974). Album leaf; ink and colors on flax paper; leaf: 38 x 60 cm (14 15/16 x 23 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L. Whittemore Fund 2022.4 This riverscape in blue-and-green style with a waterfall and fishing boat is directly inspired by the 12th century handscroll painting Cloudy Mountains by Mi Youren in the CMA’s collection (1933.220). The calligraphy, a transcribed personal letter by the Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–1975), does not connect with the landscape other than that they are united by the hand of the artist. At a right angle, one can see the glimmer and sparkle of mica on the painting’s surface.