Wang Ximeng

Wang Ximeng (Chinese: 王希孟; pinyin: Wáng Xīmèng; Wade–Giles: Wang Hsi-meng) (1096–1119)^[1] was a Chinese painter during the Song Dynasty. A prodigy,^[1] Wang was one of the most renowned court painters of the Northern Song period, and was taught personally by Emperor Huizong of Song himself. He died at the age of 23.^[2]

A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains

Wang's only surviving work is an 11.9 metres (39 ft) long scroll titled A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains (千里江山).^[3] The painting, finished by Wang when he was only 18 in 1113,^[4] was one of the largest in Chinese history, and has been described as one of the greatest works of Chinese art.^[5] The painting is in the permanent collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing.^[2]

A section of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains section. Color on silk. Palace Museum, Beijing.

A section of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains section. Color on silk. Palace Museum, Beijing.

Complete painting (as originally meant to be viewed, right-to-left)

Painting

As is indicated by the title of this painting, A Boundless View (picture No. 11, see p. 681) 1,183 long, presents a vast and majestic view of mountains and rivers. Chains of mountains, innumerable peaks and villages stand solemnly on the sides of the river, which winds its way endlessly to the horizon. The mountains and rivers keep attracting one's eyes alternatively, now vast and boundless, now twisting and turning. Over the mountains fly the waterfalls. Down the mountains one can find pathways leading to the temples, manors, huts and tile-roofed houses with clusters of trees and bamboo all around. The picture is characterized by the prominence of blue and green colors and fine brushwork. In the strong but unified hue of blue and green, the clear and dim appearance of the mountains and rivers, the objects, distant and near, high and low, are all harmoniously expressed by use of balanced thick and thin, empty and solid technique. It's a view full of life and sunshine. In this huge 12-meter-long picture of landscape, Wang Ximeng, with astonishing talent and perseverance, reflects the typical aesthetic taste of the court. It is one of the finest works of the landscape painting in China.

Notes

1. Alfreda Murck (2002). Poetry and Painting in Song China: The Subtle Art of Dissent. Harvard University Asia Center. p. 123. ISBN 0-674-00782-4.
2. Dwight, Jane (2007). The Chinese Brush Painting Bible. North Light Books. p. 9. ISBN 978-1845431723.
3. Barnhart: Page 124.
4. Liu, Heping (1997). Painting and commerce in Northern Song Dynasty China, 960-1126. Yale University. p. 7.
5. Caradog Vaughan James (1989). Information China: the comprehensive and authoritative reference source of new China, Volume 3. Oxford: Pergamon Press. p. 1114. ISBN 0-08-034764-9.

References

• Barnhart, R. M. et al. (1997). Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting. New Haven, Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-07013-6
• Online exhibition for Wang Ximeng's A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains Owlstand