Landscapes in the styles of old masters 1667

Gao Cen produced this album leaf, titled ‘Landscapes in the Style of Old Masters’, using ink on silk, in China during the early Qing dynasty. The image presents us with the kind of idealized landscape that had become popular among elites. But this was a time of immense social and political upheaval. The Manchu Qing had invaded and replaced the Han Chinese Ming dynasty. Artists like Gao Cen had to navigate treacherous cultural waters. Should they embrace the new order, or remain loyal to the fallen Ming? Some chose to become hermits and express their dissent through art. Others actively collaborated with the new regime, working in newly created institutions. Gao Cen's choice of an earlier style might be read as a rejection of the present. Or, was it a studied exercise in self-preservation? Perhaps a bit of both. The social conditions of artistic production mattered immensely at this moment, and still do, as we try to reconstruct the past. Primary source documents, such as letters, diaries, and official records, help us understand the choices made by artists during this pivotal era.