Artwork
清 顧澐 冊頁|Clouds and Spring Trees at Dusk
清 顧澐 冊頁|Clouds and Spring Trees at Dusk is an ink painting by the Impressionist artist Gu Yun. It dates from 1888 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1988.324.5
About this work
Subject & Meaning
While the title explicitly identifies the subject matter, the work serves as a traditional exploration of nature's beauty through ink wash techniques.
Created in 1888, this album leaf by Gu Yun depicts a landscape scene characterized by the interplay of clouds and spring trees at dusk. As a work within the landscape genre, the painting utilizes ink on paper to render a natural setting that emphasizes atmospheric conditions and seasonal renewal. The composition focuses on the visual relationship between the shifting sky and the emerging foliage, capturing a specific moment of twilight.
While the title explicitly identifies the subject matter, the work serves as a traditional exploration of nature's beauty through ink wash techniques.
Technique & Style
The work is executed as an ink wash on a single album leaf, a format typical of late‑Qing literati practice. Its support is thin paper, applied with brush‑based ink to render a nocturnal landscape of clouds and spring trees. The composition balances sparse brushstrokes with subtle tonal gradations, creating a misty atmosphere that suggests depth through layered washes.
Measured at 24.8 cm by 34.3 cm, the leaf was produced in China in 1888 and now resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
Clouds and Spring Trees at Dusk was created by Gu Yun in 1888, executed in ink on paper as an album leaf in the landscape tradition. The work originated in China during the late Qing dynasty.
The painting is now held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is documented as part of the museum's holdings. The sources do not provide further details about an earlier ownership chain, a commissioning patron, or the circumstances surrounding its production and acquisition.
The album leaf titled Clouds and Spring Trees at Dusk, created by Gu Yun in 1888, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is classified as a landscape painting executed in ink on paper. While the sources confirm its presence within the museum's holdings, they do not provide a specific inventory or accession number for this item. Additionally, the available documentation does not record any exhibition history for the piece.
Overview
Created in 1888, 'Clouds and Spring Trees at Dusk' is an album leaf by the late Qing dynasty painter Gu Yun (1835–1896). Executed in ink on paper, the work exemplifies Gu's mature style within the Shanghai School, characterized by a synthesis of traditional literati techniques and a more accessible, decorative aesthetic. The composition focuses on a serene landscape where spring trees and distant hills emerge from a soft, hazy atmosphere, suggesting the transition of light at dusk.
Gu employs gentle, fluid brushstrokes to render the foliage and terrain, utilizing subtle tonal variations in the ink to establish spatial depth and a tranquil mood. The foreground features distinct trees that anchor the scene, while the background dissolves into mist, creating a sense of vastness and quietude. This piece reflects Gu Yun's reputation for versatility and his ability to infuse landscape painting with a fresh, lyrical quality that appealed to both scholarly and commercial audiences in late 19th-century China.
As part of an album series, it demonstrates the artist's skill in capturing a specific moment of natural beauty within a compact format, prioritizing atmospheric effect over rigid structural detail.
Artist & collection
