Ma Yuan · Walking on path in Spring

c.1190 – Ink on silk – National Palace Museum, Taipei

“Outside, the fog has lifted, the dark mountains have faded, the murmur of the rushing River resonates in your head, and that is enough.”
Gao Xingjian, “Soul Mountain”

This work by Ma Yuan is one of the unquestionable masterpieces of Chinese Art. As in many other of his “one corner” compositions, Ma Yuan uses emptiness as an element in the composition, resulting in a sensationally suggestive effect. In a contemplative attitude, the monk observes the landscape, partially hidden by the fog. The branches of the willow, continued by the figure of a small bird painted with great realism, embrace the scene in an effect of great beauty and intensity.

Text: G. Fernández, theartwolf.com