Conversation in Autumn
1732
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1732
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Two men sit inside a small hut with a thatched roof, talking quietly. Outside, autumn leaves drift past bare branches. This painting was made to match two lines of poetry about friendship and solitude. Hua Yan painted it after failing exams that could have given him a government job. The simple setting and cool colors show how he found peace in nature instead. To see more works like this, look up China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911).
