Paintings Embody Profound Connections Between Humans, Greater Cosmos

Kansas City, MO. – Song dynasty landscapes that shaped the course of Chinese art for centuries and established an enduring influence across East Asia will be on view at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. Legendary Landscapes: Sublime Visions from China’s Song Dynasty  opens March 21 and runs through Sept. 27.

“Within East Asia, these works occupy a role comparable to the Renaissance in Europe — a moment when art, spiritual practice, and imperial patronage converged to shape a cultural landscape,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Director & CEO of the Nelson-Atkins. “These treasures are very fragile and light-sensitive, making this exhibition a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity to see them together.”

Deep ties between the natural world and spiritual practice have nourished the significant role of shanshui (mountain and water “landscape”) in Chinese art for thousands of years. This role reached a new height of artistic importance during the Song dynasty (960–1279 C.E.), when imperial collectors encouraged the creation of innovative landscape paintings.

“The museum’s rich collection extends from the Northern Song period (960–1127) to the Southern Song (1127–1279), when political conflict forced the court to relocate from the chilly north to the warmer south,” said Ling-en Lu, Curator, Chinese Art. “The paintings’ distinctive terrains and shifting moods reflect the change in the environment.”

The objects and paintings in this exhibition span over 2000 years. Starting from the Han dynasty, four objects are shown tracing the root of landscape tradition. The museum’s famous collection of 13 landscape paintings of the Song dynasty subtly reveals artistic responses to Chinese beliefs in nature. Four rare  contemporary landscape paintings loaned to the exhibition reinforce the continuity of the Song dynasty’s significant legacy of art and religions.

Image captions: Li Cheng, Chinese (919–967 C.E.). A Solitary Temple Amid Clearing Peaks, Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127). Hanging scroll; ink and slight color on silk, 88 x 22 1/2 inches (223.52 x 57.15 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 47-71.

Qiao Zhongchang, Chinese (active late 1000s–early 1100s). Illustration to the Second Prose Poem on the Red Cliff, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). Handscroll; ink on paper, 11 3/4 x 220 3/4 inches (29.85 x 560.71 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Purchase: Nelson Gallery Foundation, F80-5.

Exhibition credit line: Organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. This exhibition is generously supported by the Lilly Endowment Inc.