Landscape after Ju Ran

Wang Hui (1632–1717), one of the Four Wangs and the founding master of the Yushan School, produced multiple celebrated works in the manner of the great Five Dynasties landscape painter Ju Ran (active c. 960–985). Two key versions stand out: the 1665 (Yichou year, late spring) Landscape after Ju Ran (silk, light color, 153 cm × 59 cm, Tianjin Museum) and the 1687 (Dingmao year, 8th day of the 12th lunar month) Mist Shrouding Distant Peaks after Ju Ran (paper, ink, 187 cm × 67.2 cm, Palace Museum, Beijing). The latter, finished when Wang was 56, is a mature masterwork of orthodox landscape, inscribed “Mist Shrouding Distant Peaks. Painted in the style of Ju Ran on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, Dingmao. Wang Hui, Shiguzi of Haiyu.”

The composition features layered, majestic mountain ranges with distinct alum‑shaped peaks (fantou) at the summits, dense forests filling the valleys, winding mountain paths, and mist‑veiled streams and pavilions. Wang employs hemp‑fiber texturing (pimacun)—slender, flowing, moist brushstrokes—to model the soft, earthy texture of Jiangnan mountains. The ink tones shift seamlessly between dry and wet, light and heavy, building profound spatial depth and a serene, humid atmosphere. The 1665 Tianjin Museum version adds subtle light color, while the 1687 Palace Museum piece uses pure ink, highlighting the power of brush and wash.

These works perfectly embody Wang Hui’s artistic maxim: “Yuan‑style brushwork to render Song‑style compositions.” Instead of mere copying, Wang synthesizes Ju Ran’s signature style—grand yet peaceful, thick and luxuriant—with the refined elegance of Yuan literati painting. They reflect his lifelong pursuit of inheriting ancient traditions while infusing them with personal vision, cementing his reputation as a painter who “unified the Northern and Southern Schools” and stood as a paragon of Qing‑dynasty orthodox landscape painting.