Late Greenery of Autumn Mountains

Late Greenery of Autumn Mountains (also called Evening Colours over Autumn Mountains) is an ink and colours on silk painting attributed to the Chinese artist Guan Tong. Known as one of “Four Northern Song Dynasty Masters”, Guan Tong is an acclaimed landscape artist, and is considered one of the innovators of literati landscape painting. His landscapes are known for rigid stone formations, jagged mountain peaks, and verdant greenery with a lot of trees, elements that can all be found within this painting. The artwork, which is a vertical hanging scroll, has quite a tall composition. Taking up most of the scroll space, the mountain scales from the bottom of the painting to almost the very top, which immerses the viewer in its scenery. A variety of trees can be seen growing within the mountains, each with a distinct look yet all drawn in great detail down to every leaf. From the top of the mountain, a waterfall can be seen winding down, flowing between the rocks. Bits of human structures can be found within the mountains, such as a small bridge, as well as what resembles the top of a pagoda (possibly part of a temple). As these structures are hidden within the rocks, and relatively miniscule compared to this gigantic section of nature, a sense of inaccessibility and desolation is created in this artwork.