WANG CHEN (1720-1797)

Ink painting on silk. Hanging scroll, brocade mounting. In the upper left corner there are six seven-syllable verses on the subject of nature. Signed: Wang Chen. Seal: Wang Chen Zhi Yin. In the lower right is an illegible collector’s seal. Wang Chen was a direct descendant of the founders of the orthodox school of painting, Wang Shimin and Wang Yuanqi. He passed his state examinations and held the office of prefect. As an artist, he earned his renown thanks to his calligraphy. His landscapes are technically excellent, yet, in the spirit of that orthodoxy, quite conservative. On this narrow, carefully executed scroll painting we follow two riders and a servant on a path that winds along a river valley to the mountains in the distance, pieced together from smaller regular blocks. In this tall format, the artist has convincingly evoked a composition with depth.