Who painted 清虛谷秋帆圖冊頁|Sailing in Autumn?

清虛谷秋帆圖冊頁|Sailing in Autumn was painted by Xu Gu in dated 1893.

Where can I see 清虛谷秋帆圖冊頁|Sailing in Autumn?

清虛谷秋帆圖冊頁|Sailing in Autumn is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 清虛谷秋帆圖冊頁|Sailing in Autumn?

清虛谷秋帆圖冊頁|Sailing in Autumn is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

清虛谷秋帆圖冊頁|Sailing in Autumn

Xu Gu , 1893

清虛谷秋帆圖冊頁|Sailing in Autumn is an ink painting by the Impressionist artist Xu Gu. It dates from 1893 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Xugu's Sailing in Autumn, created in 1893, is an album leaf rendered in ink and color on paper.

About this work

Xugu painted this in 1893, late in his life, when he had given up his military career to live as a monk-artist.

A small boat glides across a river, its sail half-filled with wind. Bare trees line the far shore, their branches thin against a pale sky. The water is calm, with just a few quick brushstrokes to show ripples.

Xugu painted this in 1893, late in his life, when he had given up his military career to live as a monk-artist. The boat is empty, no passengers, no cargo, just moving quietly through the season. The ink is light, almost like a breath on paper.

If you like the quiet feel of this scene, look up landscapes next.

Technique & Style

The work is an album leaf painted in ink and color on paper, executed in 1893 by Xugu (Zhu Huairen). It adopts a spare, calligraphic handling of ink to define landforms and foliage, while muted mineral colors, applied in light washes, suggest seasonal atmosphere without obscuring the brushwork. Stylistic traits include attenuated, taut branches and sharply angled rock forms, hallmarks of the artist’s eccentric adaptation of the "boneless" (mogu) technique.

Compositional balance favors asymmetrical recession, guiding the viewer’s eye along a narrow watercourse toward a distant boat, rendered with minimal contour to evoke quietude rather than descriptive detail.

History & Provenance

The album leaf titled Sailing in Autumn was created by the artist Xugu, also known as Zhu Huairen, in 1893. Executed in China, this work is an ink and color painting on paper that depicts a landscape featuring a boat. The piece measures 35.9 cm in height and 91.1 cm in width.

It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is classified as a landscape painting within the genre of Chinese art from the Qing dynasty. No specific details regarding the original commission or the intermediate ownership chain prior to its current location are provided in the available records.

The painting is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection and is recorded as being housed in that institution. It appears in the museum's catalogue under the artist Xugu (Zhu Huairen) and is listed with a creation date of 1893. The available documentation does not provide an explicit inventory or accession number for the work.

Likewise, exhibition records concerning this piece are not detailed in the sources consulted. Consequently, the known provenance is limited to its current location within the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with no further transfer or display history documented.

Overview

Xugu's Sailing in Autumn, created in 1893, is an album leaf rendered in ink and color on paper. This painting captures a serene landscape featuring a lone boat navigating a calm river. The composition, characteristic of traditional Chinese painting, evokes a sense of quiet contemplation, reflecting the artist's mature style and personal philosophy during his later years.

Subject & Meaning

The artwork presents a small boat, its sail gently catching the wind, as it traverses a tranquil waterway. The distant shore is marked by sparse, bare trees, their delicate branches silhouetted against a muted sky. Notably, the boat appears empty, devoid of passengers or cargo, suggesting a journey of solitude or perhaps a metaphor for life's quiet progression through the seasons, embodying a sense of detachment.

Context

Xugu painted Sailing in Autumn in 1893, during the later period of his life. By this time, he had abandoned a military career to embrace the life of a monk-artist. This significant personal transformation is often reflected in the contemplative and minimalist nature of his late works.

The painting's quietude and focus on natural elements align with the spiritual introspection associated with his monastic existence.

北宋傳趙令穰江村秋曉圖卷|南宋舊傳趙令穰江村秋曉圖卷|River Village in Autumn Dawn, Zhao Lingrang

Artist & collection

Artist

Xu Gu

Xū Gǔ (Hsü Ku, simplified Chinese: 虚谷; traditional Chinese: 虛谷; pinyin: Xū Gǔ); (c. 1824–1896) was a Chinese painter and poet during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).