Sheer Cliffs
1788
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1788
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see jagged cliffs rising straight up from a river, ink strokes so light they look like mist. Min Zhen painted this in 1788, late in his life. He never signed it, but the way the rocks dissolve into air is pure him—soft edges, not sharp lines. Some say he learned this from watching mist roll over real mountains in southern China. If you like this quiet way of painting rocks, look up subject: china, qing dynasty (1644-1911).
