Dwelling Among Mountains and Clouds is a Chinese landscape artwork painted by Gong Xian, who was a Chinese painter lived from 1619 to 1689. This artwork created at Qing Dynasty which was in 17th century. That artwork done by using ink on paper which create the proper visibility of the painting even after centuries.
The painting shows tall mountains, trees, and clouds. In-between the hills, we can see a few small houses. The artist used different shades of ink to show the shapes of mountains with rocks, while some places were dark and light to picturize the depth of the nature.
This artwork shows the elegance of living a life away from busy places. The tiny houses remind us that humans are just a small part of the big natural world. There is also a short poem on the painting about living in the clouds, sharing paths with wild deer, and enjoying an evening with wine and song which was translated by Maxwell K. Hearn.
Today, the painting is kept at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The artwork acquired by museum at 1983 . It is a wonderful example of finding peace and quiet in nature through artwork in the culture Chinese art.
The work is a beautiful example of Chinese ink and paper landscape painting. The brush strokes emulate the roughness and untouched naturalness of the mountainside. Like Gong Xian, who refused the rule of the Qing or Manchu dynasty, the scene is distant and disconnected from larger civilisation, indicating a withdrawal into solitude or away from contemporary shifting socio-political tides.
