The Inhabitants of Lung-su

Attributed to Tung Yuan (active ca. A.D. 930), Five dynasties.
Ink and colors on silk. Hanging scroll. 156.0 x 160.0 cm.

Tung Yuan or Shu-ta (his style name) was from Nanking, Kiangsu province. He served the Southern T'ang court as Assistant Commissioner of the Northern Park. According to tradition, Tung Yuan painted landscapes in two styles; one following the monochrome ink executed in a bold manner with coarse brush strokes, and the other following the T'ang "green and blue" colored landscape tradition in which the drawing is meticulous.
The painting's present name is based on a colophon by Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (A.D. 1555-1636). But the Ch'ien4ung emperor (A.D. 1736-1796) explains in his inscription on the painting that this landscape represents a summer festival where music is played while there is a tug-of-war on the boat for the evocation of rain. The human figures on both shores are tiny against the majestic verdant hill on the right side. The landscape is seen from above, offering a panoramic view of distant hills and lakes.

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