Landscape Chinese Scroll Painting – Silk Wall Art – Gorge House

Unroll this scroll and a mountain-and-water landscape open up before you, painted the old way on silk. Painters never tired of the landscape, and looking at this scroll, neither will you. Around the main subject, gorge, boat and house fill out the scene without crowding it.

The line work is lively and varied, the washes laid down with assurance — brushwork without a moment's doubt. It is the kind of image scholars once hung for its meaning as much as its beauty: a boat under full sail is the old wish for a smooth passage through life. The composition gives gorge pride of place, with boat to balance it. On silk the colors settle into a soft, matte depth that flatters the subject. The brushwork holds up at any distance — composed from across the room, absorbing up close.

A dependable gift for someone growing a Chinese art collection — or just beginning one. Find it a patch of wall with decent light and step back; the scroll takes care of the rest. It is a fine example of gorge and boat Chinese painting, the kind of piece that grows on you.