Mountain and Water 山水
Asian Gallery Japanese Prints (RA 602A), Asian Art
Introduction
Are they mountains? Are they clouds? It's hard to tell.
But when mists open and clouds disperse, the mountains remain.
Inscribed into a jade sculpture of a mountain, these words—first written a thousand years ago by Chinese poet Su Shih—capture the appeal of Mountain and Water art 山水 (shān shuǐ in Chinese, or sansui in Japanese). Known broadly in the West as landscapes, Chinese and Japanese makers have continuously reinterpreted, reshaped, and recast this genre in different mediums and formats over many centuries, keeping it relevant. Nine works explore expressions of Mountain and Water over time, considering artistic processes and materials and original audiences.
Wai Yee Chiong, Curator of Asian Art
Wai Yee Chiong
RISD Museum is supported by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and with the generous partnership of the Rhode Island School of Design, its Board of Trustees, and Museum Governors.
