Boating in Guangling

Boating in Guangling

1924

Chinese, 1884 - 1954

A native of Wujin in Jiangsu province, Deng Shu traveled frequently to Shanghai, and showed his works in exhibitions before this was the norm for viewing. Created when the artist was forty years old, this lyrical landscape painting documents a boat outing on the Yangtze River. The painter positions the viewer on an elevated ground, presumably atop the city wall on the embankment along the river, and highlights the opposite shore with a tall pine that towers above other trees and willows. The diagonal composition creates a sense of isolation and transforms the scenery into an unworldly realm, its inhabitants wearing curiously antiquated clothing. As such, the painting is a romantic vision, rather than an actual depiction, of the place visited.

Ink and color on paper

Image: 13 1/4 x 13 1/4in. (33.7 x 33.7cm)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Tse in honor of Mimi Gardner Gates

2008.57

Provenance: Shut-chi Tse, Hong Kong; inherited by nephew Stephen Tse, Medina, WA, 1980s

Photo: Susan A. Cole

Not currently on view

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