Wangchuan Villa

Wang Yuanqi reconstructed Wang Wei’s celebrated retreat through a rubbing of a 1617 stone engraving and Tang poetry. The view depends on transmitted sources. Repeated mountain forms relate to his theory of circulating breath in nature and painting.

An open villa nestles among trees left of centre. The poet’s dwelling belongs to a broad, rhythmically arranged landscape.

A narrow bridge joins rocky banks. The crossing connects separate areas of the imagined estate.

A boat with a small figure floats in the foreground. Human movement supplies a measure of space.

A pavilion and fence stand among trees on the right. Places for rest and observation are distributed along the banks.

Rounded ridges repeat around the villa. Their sequence relates to the theoretical movement of vital breath.

Blue-grey peaks form the distant skyline. Changing colour completes the transition from nearby buildings to a larger natural environment.

Wang Yuanqi learned from his grandfather Wang Shimin and developed Dong Qichang’s theory. Reconstructing a garden through engraving and verse reveals artistic memory travelling across media and periods.