Paintings after Ancient Masters: Daoist and Crane in Autumn Landscape
1625
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1625
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a small, careful painting of a Daoist sage and a crane standing in a rocky autumn scene. Chen Hongshou painted this in the late 1600s, when he made everything tiny—like a miniature garden. The figures look old-fashioned on purpose, almost like they’re copied from much older scrolls. The crane’s feathers and the sage’s robe are drawn with sharp, thin lines, but the rocks are just a few quick strokes. Look up other works from china, ming dynasty (1368–1644) to see where he got his ideas.
