Gu Fuzhen (“Goo Foo-jun”), 1634–after 1716
Quietly Farming in a Mountain Village, 1705
Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper; 71.38 x 36.14 in.
Collection of Roy and Marilyn Papp, courtesy of Phoenix Art Museum

Description
In this scene, both the tranquil depictions of village life and the use of blue and green pigment—common in Tang dynasty painting—suggest an idyllic world. This desire to escape to a simpler and happier time may be the result of the many complications of the era, when the Qing dynasty was still struggling to impose its foreign rule. The scroll is also an example of how Chinese artists often used landscape painting to convey the Daoist belief in the primacy of nature, and of man’s small yet harmonious existence within the orderly universe.

Community Response by Ping Whittaker
“As a famous saying goes among Chinese artists, ‘Poetry in painting; painting in poetry.’ Just like culture and language, trees and human beings, they are inseparable. This painting provokes a mystic, poetic artistic conception. Its simplicity magnifies a sense of tranquility. It is the tranquility that attracts my longing for such a rich and peaceful surrounding in my daily living. No extravagant man-made monuments, no hustle and bustle. Everything is natural, well balanced, and connected: the dwelling, the trees, the water, the mountains, the clouds, the universe. You live in your small world (look for the people and a dog), yet you are embraced by more than what you have, which you can thoroughly enjoy but you don’t have to possess. Less is more, is it not?”