Gazing at the Moon | Harvard Art Museums

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 2017.302
People: Wan Qingli 萬青力, Chinese (Beijing 1945 - 2017)
Title: Gazing at the Moon
Other Titles: Original Language Title: 眺月圖
Classification: Paintings
Work Type: painting, wall scroll
Date: 1982
Culture: Chinese
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/330482

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Hanging scroll; blue pigment on Xuan paper

Dimensions

painting proper: 103.5 x 75.5 cm (40 3/4 x 29 3/4 in.)
mounting: 134 x 91 cm (52 3/4 x 35 13/16 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

inscription: Title, dated inscription, and signature in brush-written Chinese characters, upper left: 眺月圖胸中自有山林趣恥向人前賣畫名掩卷焚香舖素紙邀來明月照空濛八二年夏畫八五年初記青力

[Inscription indicates painting done in summer 1982 and inscribed in 1985. Signed "Qingli"].
seal:
seal: Square red relief artist's seal, following signature: "Wan"
seal: Square red intaglio artist's seal, following signature: "Qingli"
seal:
seal:

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: Wan Qingli, Beijing and Laurence, Kansas (1982-1985), gift; to Chu-tsing Li, Lawrence, Kansas (1985-2012), gift; to his son B U.K. Li, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2012-2017), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2017.

Footnotes:
1. Dr. Chu-tsing Li (1920-2014)
2. Artist Wan Qingli painted this artwork in 1982 in Beijing, and later inscribed the painting in 1985, when he was studying at University of Kansas.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Chu-tsing Li Collection, Gift of B U.K. Li in memory of Chu-tsing Li, Yao-wen Kwang Li, and Teri Ho Li
Copyright: © Estate of Wan Qingli
Accession Year: 2017
Object Number: 2017.302
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions: The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Description: Executed in blue pigment on paper, this vertically oriented painting depicts a night scene of a lone female figure standing atop an outcrop of boulders surrounded by the ocean, her back to the viewer, her gaze squarely fixed on the moon as it descends toward the horizon. The artist's inscription that runs vertically from the upper left corner down the left edge of the patinging indicates that the work was painted in the summer of 1982 but inscribed by the artist in 1985.

Exhibition History

32Q: 2600 East Asian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/04/2023 - 12/04/2023

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

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2017.302: Gazing at the Moon