Travelers Among Mountains and Streams
Artist: Fan Kuan
Year Composed: 1000
Artistic Movement: Song Dynasty
Nationality: China
Floor Found in Château: Second Floor
Year Composed: 1000
Artistic Movement: Song Dynasty
Nationality: China
Floor Found in Château: Second Floor
About the Artwork
Housed within the National Palace Museum (Taipei, Taiwan), Fan Kuan's Travelers Among Mountains and Streams is a tall ink wash painting on silk that portrays a large nature scene of Ancient China during the Song Dynasty. Small trees atop a cliff that overlooks a stream at the bottom of the painting. This massive scroll (spanning approximately two feet wide by almost seven feet high) is predominately covered by a large mountain. When gazing upon the painting, the viewer's eyes are placed in the foreground amongst the stream, trees, and lush vegetation. When looking directly up toward the top of the scroll, the intensity and expansiveness of the mountain becomes apparent, overshadowing and overpowering the viewer.
About the Artist
As a landscape artist under the Northern Song style, Fan Kuan composed his most famous work (Travelers Among Mountains and Streams (1000)) which his successors would come back for inspiration to admire. He implements the Chinese visual element of three perspectives within his works: near, middle, and far. With the depiction of these three stages of perspective within his paintings, Fan Kuan was able to showcase an immense grandeur within his landscapes works of art.
About the Movement
Travelers Among Mountains and Streams was composed in the Song Dynasty of art. From 960 to 1279, painting during the Song Dynasty was split between two time frames: the Northern Song (960 to 1127) and the Southern Song (1127 to 1279). Northern Song art focused more on large, immense, expansive landscapes that had roots and influences from politics and society. The art of the Southern Song period were smaller in scale and showed more intimate scenes. Some of the most famous Song Dynasty artists included Zhang Zeduan, Guo Xi, Ma Yuan, and Xia Gui.
Location of Original Work of Art: National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Housed within the National Palace Museum (Taipei, Taiwan), Fan Kuan's Travelers Among Mountains and Streams is a tall ink wash painting on silk that portrays a large nature scene of Ancient China during the Song Dynasty. Small trees atop a cliff that overlooks a stream at the bottom of the painting. This massive scroll (spanning approximately two feet wide by almost seven feet high) is predominately covered by a large mountain. When gazing upon the painting, the viewer's eyes are placed in the foreground amongst the stream, trees, and lush vegetation. When looking directly up toward the top of the scroll, the intensity and expansiveness of the mountain becomes apparent, overshadowing and overpowering the viewer.
About the Artist
As a landscape artist under the Northern Song style, Fan Kuan composed his most famous work (Travelers Among Mountains and Streams (1000)) which his successors would come back for inspiration to admire. He implements the Chinese visual element of three perspectives within his works: near, middle, and far. With the depiction of these three stages of perspective within his paintings, Fan Kuan was able to showcase an immense grandeur within his landscapes works of art.
About the Movement
Travelers Among Mountains and Streams was composed in the Song Dynasty of art. From 960 to 1279, painting during the Song Dynasty was split between two time frames: the Northern Song (960 to 1127) and the Southern Song (1127 to 1279). Northern Song art focused more on large, immense, expansive landscapes that had roots and influences from politics and society. The art of the Southern Song period were smaller in scale and showed more intimate scenes. Some of the most famous Song Dynasty artists included Zhang Zeduan, Guo Xi, Ma Yuan, and Xia Gui.
Location of Original Work of Art: National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan