High Peaks with Buildings in the Manner of Lu Hong
Mount: 14 1/4 x 21 1/2 inches (36.2 x 54.61 cm)
Gong Xian deliberately omitted the tip of the mountain to create a landscape that extends beyond the boundary of the canvas. However, the imagery seemingly contrasts with his inscription, which implies the completeness of mountains.
Gong may have used this tension between what is seen and written to allude to his arduous life and career during the upheaval of dynastic change in China. In his 50s, Gong moved to the scenic mountains in the suburbs of Nanjing, where he created this leaf in an album and another on view nearby.
Artist’s inscription:
“Painting of the ancients compels respect and admiration from people when they view it. Like the Five Sacred Mountains, their peaks tower majestically upward. [From this] one knows for sure that they harbored no bits and pieces of mountains or tag end of rivers in the breasts. This work derives from a study sketch by Lu Haoran [active 900s C.E.].”
