Sightseeing at Lake Tai
1962
This work, painted for Shen Yinmo's eightieth birthday, depicts the time-honored scenery of Lake Tai in southeastern China in traditional brushwork, interjected with hints of modern China through the deliberate inclusion of electric poles and wires. This type of so-called "New Landscape Painting" anticipated the propaganda paintings and posters during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). As such, this painting represents an important chapter of the development of Chinese painting in the 20th century.
Handscroll; ink and color on paper
Overall: 17 15/16 x 177 11/16 in. (45.5 x 451.4 cm)
Image: 13 3/8 x 54 5/16 in. (33.9 x 137.9 cm)
Anonymous donor in honor of Pao-San Chu and Tsu-Hui Hsu
2009.49
Provenance: Shen Yinmo, Shanghai, to approximately 1965; as gift to his godson, Shanghai then Seattle, WA, approximately 1965 - 2009
Photo: Elizabeth Mann