Layered Peaks and Splashing Waterfall: Portrait of Hua Yan as a Young Man
1705
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1705
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A young man in a flowing robe stands against a rocky waterfall. A sword peeks over his shoulder. The background is a misty mountain scene with sharp, layered peaks. This is Hua Yan at 23, painted by a friend and himself. The sword hints at a dream of military life, while the robe shows a love for scholarship. It’s a quiet clash of two paths. The landscape already shows the skill he’d later become known for. To see more of his work, look up Hua Yan (Chinese, 1682–c. 1765).
![Summer Mountains (after Dong Yuan [active c. 937–75])](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/8aeb132308294f1a/thumb.webp)
