‘The wise find pleasure in water (streams); the virtuous find pleasure in mountain’
The Analects of Confucius, c.6th–5th century BC
China’s magnificent scenery of mountains and streams has inspired its scholars, poets and painters for thousands of years. The mystical mountains with soaring peaks and misty clouds are believed to be the realm of immortals. In times of political turmoil, mountains and streams became a spiritual retreat for scholars to find solace, to calm and purify the mind. This exhibition draws on Chinese material from the National Gallery of Victoria’s important collection of Asian art, concentrating on Chinese landscape paintings from the fourteenth to the twenty-first century. The exhibition explores the philosophical and aesthetic aspects of 'Sacred mountains, lands of the immortals', 'Landscape as spiritual retreat' and 'Landscapes of the mind'.
The exhibition catalogue will be available from the Gallery store.
3:00pm Sunday 27 April
QAG
An Auslan interpreted tour of ‘Mountains and Streams: Chinese Paintings from the NGV Asian Collection’ for Deaf visitors. Meet your guide at the Queensland Art Gallery Melbourne Street information desk.
2:30pm Saturday 3 May
Lecture theatre QAG
Celebrate Buddha’s Birthday with exhibition curator Mae Anna Pang, Senior Curator (Asian Art), National Gallery of Victoria, as she speaks on the ‘Mountains and Streams’ exhibition.
