Artwork
明（？） 陸克正 倣北苑山水 扇|Landscape in the manner of Dong Yuan
明（？） 陸克正 倣北苑山水 扇|Landscape in the manner of Dong Yuan is an ink painting by the Ming dynasty painting artist Dong Yuan. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The gold ground heightens luminosity and contrasts with the ink's muted tones, emphasizing the painted space as a shimmering, planar screen.
The work is executed in ink on gold paper, mounted as an album leaf from a folding fan. The handling adapts Dong Yuan's soft, volumetric mountain forms into a compressed, fan-shaped format, relying on delicate ink washes and fine brushwork to evoke recession. Stylistic qualities include attenuated trees and layered, misty distances that echo Dong's idiom, yet the composition is rearranged to fit the fan's radial support.
The gold ground heightens luminosity and contrasts with the ink's muted tones, emphasizing the painted space as a shimmering, planar screen.
History & Provenance
The work, attributed to the artist Lu Kezheng, is dated to 1621, placing its creation at the very end of the Ming period despite the dynasty designation in the title. It is a landscape painting executed in the manner of the earlier master Dong Yuan, created in ink on gold paper and formatted as a folding fan mounted as an album leaf. The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; no distinct accession number is provided in the catalogue entry, and the work has not been identified in exhibition records to date.
Overview
“Landscape in the manner of Dong Yuan” is a painting by Lu Kezheng, created in 1621 during the Ming Dynasty. Executed with ink on gold paper, this work was originally part of a folding fan before being mounted as an album leaf. It presents a tranquil scene, characteristic of traditional Chinese landscape painting, featuring distant mountains and sparse trees in the foreground. The artwork demonstrates the artist's engagement with historical styles.
Subject & Meaning
The composition portrays a serene natural environment, with a few trees sparsely arranged in the foreground. Beyond them, a majestic mountain range dominates the background, receding into the distance. The overall impression is one of quiet contemplation and natural harmony, inviting the viewer to engage with a tranquil, idealized vision of the landscape, typical of the genre's meditative qualities.
Context
The title “in the manner of Dong Yuan” signifies Lu Kezheng's engagement with the artistic legacy of a revered master from the Five Dynasties period. This practice of emulating earlier painters was a fundamental aspect of Chinese art, allowing artists to study established techniques and interpret classical styles. Lu Kezheng's work thus reflects a continuation of artistic traditions and a dialogue with historical precedents.
Artist & collection
Artist
Dong Yuan (Chinese: 董源; pinyin: Dǒng Yuán; Wade–Giles: Tung Yüan; Gan: dung3 ngion4; c.
