Past Exhibitions
- Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers
- March 17, 2015 - April 12, 2015
Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers is a painting theme comprising eight landscapes of the exquisite scenery around Lake Dongting in China's Hunan Province. This theme is thought to have first been painted by the Northern Song dynasty literati artist Song Di in the 11th century. The eight scenes are entitled Mountain Market in Clearing Mist, Evening Bell from a Mist-Shrouded Temple, Fishing Village in Evening Glow, Returning Sails off a Distant Shore, Night Rain on the Xiao and Xiang, Autumn Moon over Lake Dongting, Wild Geese Descending to Sandbar, River and Sky in Evening Snow.
Almost none of the Japanese artists painting these scenes had actually seen the Xiao and Xiang Rivers flowing into Lake Donting. Instead, they based their compositions on prototypes by Chinese artists, to which they added elements from their surrounding scenery and from their imaginations. The latitude with which painters could approach this richly varied subject, along with their admiration for famous Chinese sites, are major factors behind the popularity of the Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers in Japan.
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