Summer Clouds Emerging from Mountains

Wang Yuanqi was a prominent landscape painter and the youngest of the Four Wangs, a group of late-17^th and early-18^th century leading artists, all from southern China. They were known for their insistence on studying the styles and brushwork of the ancient painting masters. Their work is considered a zenith of Qing dynasty painting. Two of them successfully entered the imperial atelier in Beijing and conducted the emperor’s painting projects. One was Wang Yuanqi, who was still on official duty when he produced this hanging scroll, an expression of his longing for home in the south.

Beijing is more than 700 miles from Wang Yuanqi’s home in Taicang, a town in the Yangzi River delta with a much milder and more humid climate. The artist described the harsh winter weather of the capital in this painting’s inscription: “Suffering from the season’s severe wind and snow, I try to think of summer clouds to conjure up some warmth. So, I painted this misty mountain to imagine the warm air.”