Green Forest
Artist
Dong Qichang
(Chinese, 1555 - 1636)
Dateapprox. 1555-1636
DynastyMing dynasty (1368-1644)
MaterialsInk and colors on silk
DimensionsH. 56 3/8 in x W. 23 5/8 in, H. 143.2 cm x W. 60 cm (image); H. 106 3/4 in x W. 31 1/4 in, H. 271.1 cm x W. 79.4 cm (overall)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object numberB67D1
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsPainting
On View
Not on viewSignedArtist signature: 署款：董玄宰畫并題。
Artist seal: 鈐印：宗佰學士（白文方印，有抹糢糊處）；董其昌印（白文方印）。
InscribedHow dense and luxuriant are the green woods
The tall pines thrust through the sky.
All form routine paths for hermit Jiang Sheng
Self indulgence on goes even without bamboo .
[signed] Dong Xuanzai
青林何蒙茸，長松出天表，所以蔣生徑，無竹亦自好。
More InformationThis painting by scholar-artist and court official Dong Qichang, from Huating along the Songjiang river (modern Shanghai), depicts winding mountain ranges. Throughout his life Dong studied Chan (Zen) philosophy and expressly integrated his artwork with Chan ideals. As a high-ranking official living in the northern capital, Beijing, Dong had rarely seen bamboo, a main component of the Chan world easily grown in the warm south.
Dong inscribed a four-line poem on this painting to confess that he did not paint bamboo in the woods, which was a common scene admired by legendary sages. Placing high value on self-cultivation and seclusion in nature, he emphasized the spirituality of Chan philosophy over all visual materials including bamboo:
How dense and luxuriant are the green woods,
The tall pines piercing the sky.
All form routine paths for the hermit,
Self-indulgence ongoing even without bamboo.
In a divergence from the conventional approach of using mist to blur the upper hills, the riverbanks in the foreground and the peaks are executed with equal emphasis placed on brushwork and clarity. For this painting, Dong employed two systematic types of brushwork: piling up long, soft, ropelike ink strokes on the hills, while applying diluted green washes for the woods.
Dong inscribed a four-line poem on this painting to confess that he did not paint bamboo in the woods, which was a common scene admired by legendary sages. Placing high value on self-cultivation and seclusion in nature, he emphasized the spirituality of Chan philosophy over all visual materials including bamboo:
How dense and luxuriant are the green woods,
The tall pines piercing the sky.
All form routine paths for the hermit,
Self-indulgence ongoing even without bamboo.
In a divergence from the conventional approach of using mist to blur the upper hills, the riverbanks in the foreground and the peaks are executed with equal emphasis placed on brushwork and clarity. For this painting, Dong employed two systematic types of brushwork: piling up long, soft, ropelike ink strokes on the hills, while applying diluted green washes for the woods.
