Blue-Green Realms in Chinese Painting
The blue-green (qinglu 青綠) mode of painting landscapes was well established by the Tang dynasty (618–907), as can be seen in Tang wall paintings at the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, in northwestern China. In later times, painted landforms in blue-green colors were used as allusions to the distant past or to paradisiacal realms. Sometimes outlined in gold, the brightly colored pigments incorporated minerals that were used in alchemical practices searching for an elixir of immortality. More than just a representation of the natural world, therefore, the paintings also embodied the magical properties associated with the imagined realms of the immortals. Tang dynasty examples of blue-green painting are also thought to have been the basis for the development in Japan of the yamato-e style in its use of bright mineral pigments and gold.
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Boating in the Mountains, in the style of Qiu YingBoating in the Mountains, in the style of Qiu Ying, undated; 17th–18th century
Ming dynasty or Qing dynasty, 1644–1912, 1368–1644
Chinese
Traditionally attributed to Qiu Ying 仇英, 1494?–1552 -
Summer Retreat in the Li MountainsSummer Retreat in the Li Mountains, undated, early 18th century
Qing dynasty, 1644–1912
Chinese
Yuan Jiang 袁江, school of, 1670?– 1755? -
Peach Blossom SpringPeach Blossom Spring, 1718
Qing dynasty, 1644–1912
Chinese
Yuan Jiang 袁江, 1670?– 1755? -
Valley and Mountains, after Zhao Boju (擬趙千里荷鄉清夏)Valley and Mountains, after Zhao Boju (擬趙千里荷鄉清夏), undated; late 17th–early 18th century
Qing dynasty, 1644–1912
Chinese
Xiao Chen 蕭晨, ca. 1645–ca. 1715 -
Scholar with Books in a CaveScholar with Books in a Cave, undated
late Ming dynasty to early Qing, 1644–1912, 1368–1644
Chinese -
Isle of the ImmortalsIsle of the Immortals, undated
Qing dynasty, 1644–1912
Chinese
Anonymous -
Travelers in MountainsTravelers in Mountains, undated
late Ming to Qing dynasty, 1644–1912
Chinese
Anonymous -
Chapter Eight “Festival of the Cherry Blossoms” from The Tale of GenjiChapter Eight “Festival of the Cherry Blossoms” from The Tale of Genji,
Momoyama period, 1568–1600
Japanese
Tosa Mitsuyoshi 土佐光吉, attributed to, 1539–1613 -
Chapter Twenty-Five “Fireflies” from The Tale of GenjiChapter Twenty-Five “Fireflies” from The Tale of Genji,
Momoyama period, 1568–1600
Japanese
Tosa Mitsuyoshi 土佐光吉, attributed to, 1539–1613 -
Chapter Forty-Four “Bamboo River” from The Tale of GenjiChapter Forty-Four “Bamboo River” from The Tale of Genji,
Momoyama period, 1568–1600
Japanese
Tosa Mitsuyoshi 土佐光吉, attributed to, 1539–1613 -
River LandscapeRiver Landscape, 1635
Ming dynasty, 1368–1644
Chinese
Lan Ying 藍 瑛, 1585–ca. 1664 -
Mountain Hermitage on a Clear Autumn Day, in the style of Wang MengMountain Hermitage on a Clear Autumn Day, in the style of Wang Meng, 1692
Qing dynasty, 1644–1912
Chinese
Wang Hui 王翬, 1632–1717
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