Accession Number
2006/1.126

Title
White Clouds

Artist(s)
Chang Ku-nien

Object Creation Date
1972

Medium & Support
hanging scroll, ink on paper

Dimensions
35 1/8 in x 17 in (89.22 cm x 43.18 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. Cheng-Yang and Mrs. Shirley Chang

Label copy

Chang Ku-nien painted White Clouds late in his career, at a time when he was traveling between Taiwan and his most recent home, the United States. In this monochrome painting, he used a splashed-ink technique that combined washes (semi-transparent application of color) with impressionistic brushwork. This resulted in a soft, misty landscape, dream-like in character and elusive in content. It may express a feeling of nostalgia toward his lost homeland. 

Subject matter
A mountain in sea of coulds is depicted. This was created in 1972 on Dragon Boat Festival, perhaps after a get-together with relatives and friends. In the colophon, Chang Ku-nien compared a gentleman's embracive mind to a stream which restlessly runs to far far away.

Physical Description
Cloudy mountain scene with calligrapic text in the upper right corner.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
hanging scroll

Additional Object Classification(s)
Painting

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
clouds
hanging scrolls
ink
landscapes (environments)
mountains