The 132 Artworks of Xie Zhiliu

This long tracing copy of a handscroll shows Xie's interest in compositional arrangement. For example, details of a lotus root and longyan (longan fruit) at the far left are upside-down mirror images of the same elements found at the center of the composition. This indicates that Xie was not content...

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In the 1950s, Xie took an interest in the atmospheric landscape paintings of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). This scroll, painted in imitation of Liang Kai's (ca. 1150?–ca. 1220?) abbreviated style of ink wash, illustrates Xie's ability to create pictorial poetry through the spontaneous appli...

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In 1969, as his vision deteriorated, Xie embraced the bold cursive calligraphy of Zhang Xu (act. ca. 700–750) and Huaisu (725–ca. 799), the two greatest exponents of this type of script. Here, Xie also transcribed several connoisseurs' comments and colophons on Zhang's calligraphic work, as well as ...

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These three tracings (2005.411.47, .48, .49), made from a painting attributed to Liang Kai (ca. 1150?–ca. 1220?) that is now in the Shanghai Museum, show Xie's early interest in figure painting, particularly from Song dynasty prototypes.

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In the autumn of 1961, Xie took a month long trip to Inner Mongolia, traversing thousands of miles. This manuscript preserves some of the poems he composed during his travels. The quatrains, composed of seven-character lines, describe the surrounding scenery and a meal eaten in a Mongolian yurt. Alt...

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The jagged contours of the rock, triangular fallen leaves, and gnarled branches are all hallmarks of the stylized manner of Chen Hongshou (1599–1652) whose signature in the upper right corner Xie has also copied.

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Xie first became fascinated with the monumental landscape paintings of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) in his late twenties and thirties. This work, made when the artist was in his late sixties, attests to the lasting influence of Song masters such as Fan Kuan (act. ca. 990–1030) and Li Tang (c...

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This tracing, which is based on a composition that Chen Hongshou (1599–1652) reused several times, illustrates how professional painters in China have long used copybooks and models to facilitate the replication of images.

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In this sheet, we see how Xie freely manipulated various motifs to create new compositions. The twig upon which the bird is perched adjoins a vertical branch. The cluster of leaves at lower right has been carried over from the preceding image but has been simplified and rotated ninety degrees clockw...

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This composition after Chen Hongshou includes Chen's inscription: 'On a snowy night in the wuchen year [1628] I got drunk by the Ruoye River [near Chen's hometown].My friend pressured me to paint, even though my ten fingers almost cracked from the cold. This is painted when I had more leisure. Hongs...

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When Xie copied Chen Hongshou's (1599–1652) paintings,he typically transcribed the artist's inscriptions as well. The inscription accompanying this drawing reads: 'Laochi [Chen's style name], Hongshou painted this in the Studio of Willow Bridge.'

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In this fan-shaped tracing, Xie has copied the painting, text, and calligraphic style of Yun Shouping (1633–1690). He took care to note where the copied images were located on the original, specifying on which fold of the fan each image appeared.

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These intricate ruled-line drawings of ancient architecture were probably traced from paintings. The photograph mounted below the drawing, made prior to restoration, illustrates the challenges of conserving the thin, brittle paper Xie favored for making tracing copies, particularly those sheets that...

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In these drawings, most likely done from life, Xie explores, from various angles, the sensual beauty of the lotus's flowers and leaves. Using firm, precise lines, he records the plant's entire life cycle, from dewy bud to full blossom, as well as its occasionally tattered leaves and blighted petals....

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Xie often redrew anatomical details that demanded the greatest attention to accuracy. Here, in an accompanying inscription, he wrote detailed notes on the colors of various parts of the bird's body, such as black feet with pale yellow toes, black neck feathers, a powdery-yellow beak, a red crest, an...

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The tracing at left derives from an eighth-century figure on the north wall of Cave 320, Dunhuang.

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This tracing bears no signature, but its subject matter and painting style suggest that it derives from a work by Chen Hongshou (1599–1652).

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In this tracing, Xie transcribed a poem by Yun Shouping (1633–1690). Although he included Yun's signature, he omitted the accompanying dedication.

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This tracing, a variation on the adjacent, longer-format image, shows Xie subtly experimenting with the compositional arrangement of his model. The lily bulb, here located in the middle of the composition between the pomegranate and the turnip, is in a completely different location in the other trac...

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