Who painted 明陸治枚乘獨坐圖軸|Mei Cheng Sitting Alone?

明陸治枚乘獨坐圖軸|Mei Cheng Sitting Alone was painted by Lu Zhi in 1535.

Where can I see 明陸治枚乘獨坐圖軸|Mei Cheng Sitting Alone?

明陸治枚乘獨坐圖軸|Mei Cheng Sitting Alone is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 明陸治枚乘獨坐圖軸|Mei Cheng Sitting Alone?

明陸治枚乘獨坐圖軸|Mei Cheng Sitting Alone is associated with Renaissance.

明陸治枚乘獨坐圖軸|Mei Cheng Sitting Alone by Lu Zhi (1535)

Accession no.: 1991.273
Credit line: Gift of Herbert and Jeanine Coyne, 1991

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Created by Lu Zhi in 1535, this hanging scroll is a landscape painting executed in ink and color on paper.

Created by Lu Zhi in 1535, this hanging scroll is a landscape painting executed in ink and color on paper. The work visually depicts a mountainous environment, consistent with the genre of Chinese landscape art. While the title identifies the specific subject as the historical figure Mei Cheng sitting alone, the available records primarily characterize the composition through its natural elements, specifically noting the representation of mountains.

The piece functions as a depiction of a solitary figure within a broader scenic context, though detailed iconographic analysis or specific symbolic interpretations regarding the figure's actions are not explicitly elaborated upon in the provided documentation beyond the general classification as a landscape.

Technique & Style

Mei Cheng Sitting Alone is a landscape painting executed in the hanging scroll format. The artwork is rendered using ink and color applied to a paper support. Stylistically, the composition belongs to the landscape genre and prominently features mountain motifs.

Created in 1535, the piece reflects the formal qualities of Chinese landscape painting traditions through its depiction of mountainous terrain within a vertical composition.

History & Provenance

The hanging scroll titled Mei Cheng Sitting Alone was created by the Ming dynasty artist Lu Zhi in 1535. Executed in ink and color on paper, the work depicts a landscape scene featuring mountains. Currently, the artwork is held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The available records establish the date of inception as January 1, 1535, and confirm its origin in China. While the specific commission details or the full chain of ownership prior to its arrival at the museum are not detailed in the provided records, the work's creation is firmly dated to the mid-16th century by Lu Zhi.

Mei Cheng Sitting Alone, a hanging scroll by Lu Zhi dated 1535, is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is part of the museum’s collection, but the available sources do not disclose an accession number or catalog identifier. The Met’s records identify it as a Chinese landscape painting created in 1535, yet they provide no documented exhibition history or prior display events. Consequently, details regarding its inventory designation and exhibition trajectory remain unspecified in the referenced documentation.

Overview

Created in 1535, Mei Cheng Sitting Alone is a hanging scroll by the Ming dynasty artist Lu Zhi (1496–1576), executed in ink and color on paper. The composition centers on a solitary scholar, identified as the Han dynasty writer Mei Cheng, seated on a rugged rock beneath the gnarled branches of a pine tree. He gazes outward toward a distant, mist-shrouded mountain range, embodying the literati ideal of reclusion and contemplative solitude.

Lu Zhi employs a delicate, restrained palette where light ink washes suggest atmospheric depth, creating a sense of quiet stillness. The artist's brushwork is precise yet fluid, characteristic of his style which often synthesized the rigorous structure of the Wu School with a lyrical sensitivity to nature. This work reflects the mid-16th century trend among Suzhou-based scholars to depict historical or allegorical figures in natural settings to express personal refinement and detachment from courtly affairs.

As a representative piece from Lu Zhi's mature period, the painting demonstrates his ability to balance detailed figural representation with expansive, evocative landscapes, securing his reputation as a leading figure of the Wu School.