Escaping to a Better World: Eccentrics and Immortals in Chinese Art at The Cleveland Museum of Art

 

Zhongli Quan Crossing the Ocean, 1368-1644. Zhao Qi (Chinese, active early 1500s). Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk; image: 135 x 57.5 cm (53 1/8 x 22 5/8 in.); overall: 233 x 71.6 cm (91 3/4 x 28 3/16 in.); with knobs: 233 x 77.5 cm (91 3/4 x 30 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1976.13

 
 

Escaping to a Better World

Eccentrics and Immortals in Chinese Art

May 13, 2022 — November 6, 2022

 

In times of a pandemic, migration crises, and frequent natural and humanitarian disasters, the theme of “Escaping to a Better World” may resonate with many of us. In fact, this idea has long been part of China’s culture, embedded in the country’s religious and philosophical thinking. China’s legendary eccentrics and immortals often exhibit unconventional appearances and behaviors, expressing supernatural power and a rejection of everyday norms. By doing this, they embody the longing for an ideal world.

This installation presents paintings, porcelain, and metalwork, all mediums in which these popular figures and their stories were depicted throughout the ages, including today.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Exhibition Preview

 

Mirror with Xiwangmu, c. AD 317–400. China, Six Dynasties Period (AD 317–581). Bronze; diameter: 18.5 cm (7 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1983.213

The Poet Lin Bu Wandering in the Moonlight, late 1400s. Du Jin (Chinese, 1446-c. 1519). Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper; image: 156.4 x 72.4 cm (61 9/16 x 28 1/2 in.); overall: 286.4 x 99 cm (112 3/4 x 39 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1954.582

The Immortal Li Tieguai, 1500s. Su Wennan (Chinese). Bronze; overall: 41.8 cm (16 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cornelia Blakemore Warner Fund 1973.158

Zhongli Quan Crossing the Ocean, 1368-1644. Zhao Qi (Chinese, active early 1500s). Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk; image: 135 x 57.5 cm (53 1/8 x 22 5/8 in.); overall: 233 x 71.6 cm (91 3/4 x 28 3/16 in.); with knobs: 233 x 77.5 cm (91 3/4 x 30 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1976.13

Octafoil Mirror with Two Immortals Crossing the Ocean, mid-900s–late 1200s. China, Song dynasty (960-1279). Bronze; diameter: 17.6 cm (6 15/16 in.); overall: 1 cm (3/8 in.); rim: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee 1995.378

The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream, 1400s. Dai Jin (Chinese, 1388-1462). Hanging scroll; ink and slight color on silk; painting: 138.2 x 75.2 cm (54 7/16 x 29 5/8 in.); overall with knobs: 232.5 x 96.3 cm (91 9/16 x 37 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1974.45

Dish with Zhang Guolao, 1662–1722. China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Kangxi reign (1662-1722). Porcelain with famille verte overglaze enamel and painted gold decoration (interior) and powder blue glaze with painted decoration (exterior); diameter: 4.6 x 19.8 cm (1 13/16 x 7 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1989.306

Dish with Laozi Riding a Water Buffalo (interior); Pavilion and Immortals in Rocky Landscape (exterior), 1723–35. China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Yongzheng reign (1723-35). Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration; diameter: 19.9 cm (7 13/16 in.); overall: 7.2 cm (2 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1989.315

Li Tieguai; Liu Haichan, 1300s. China, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Pair of hanging scrolls; ink and color on silk; overall: 106 x 38.6 cm (41 3/4 x 15 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1982.29

Octafoil Mirror with Lunar Palace, early 1100s–mid-1200s. China, Jin dynasty (1115-1234). Bronze; diameter: 21.3 cm (8 3/8 in.); overall: 0.9 cm (3/8 in.); rim: 0.8 cm (5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee 1995.375

Xu Jingyang Moving His Family, 1644. Cui Zizhong (Chinese, 1574-1644). Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk; overall: 268.2 x 66 cm (105 9/16 x 26 in.); painting only: 165.3 x 64 cm (65 1/16 x 25 3/16 in.); overall with knobs: 268.2 x 74.1 cm (105 9/16 x 29 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1961.90

 
News 9, Exhibitions 2Editorial TeamArt of the Ancestors, Steven G. Alpert, Asian Art, Island Southeast Asian Art, Oceanic Art, Asiatica, Ethnographica, Ethnographic Art, Art Collection, Fine Art, Primitive Art, Indonesian Art, Tribal Art, Eyes of the Ancestors, Dr. Reimar Schefold