Solitary Colors of the Autumn Woods

About the Artwork

Two gentlemen stand outside a thatched hut in a dense forest; some trees have bare branches indicating that the season is early autumn. Wang Jianzhang’s inscribed poem refers to a chapter called “Autumn Water” from Zhuangzi, a famous Daoist text written in the 3rd century BC: "Cold frost falls on the fences, / Solitary colors scatter the maples. / Reciting the chapter of “The Autumn Water,” / I cannot still the emotion in my old heart." Wang Jianzhang lived through the collapse of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and the rise of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), when China was governed by the Manchus, an ethnic people from Manchuria who were traditionally viewed as “barbarians” by the Chinese. The poetic reference to Zhuangzi’s “Autumn Water” seems to discreetly convey Wang’s feelings about his country being taken over. “Autumn Water” was about learning to take steps in the foreign way, but not acquiring a foreign tongue. Perhaps Wang was lamenting his conflicted situation. For survival he had to adapt to the new political and social climate, while still trying to maintain his own identity and Chinese traditions.

Inscriptions

Artist's inscription, signature, and 2 seals: Cold frost falls on the fences, Solitary colors scatter the maples. Reciting the chapter of "The Autumn Water," I cannot still the emotion in my old heart. After the style of Fan Hua-yüan [Fan Kuan], Wang Chien-chang . [seals] Wang shih chih yin; Chien-chang. (translated by LYSL/HK/WKH)

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973). Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Nara National Museum (organizer) (February 21-March 29, 1998); Suntory Museum of Art (April 28-June 21, 1998). Chinese Gallery 240a Rotation – August 2016. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 1, 2016-February 6, 2017).

Quick Overview

Artist: Wang Jianzhang (Chinese, active 1621–1662)
Date: first half 1600s
Medium: hanging scroll; ink and color on satin
Dimensions: Image: 117.8 x 51.2 cm (46 3/8 x 20 3/16 in.); Overall: 227 x 81.3 cm (89 3/8 x 32 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Chinese Art
Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession no.: 1972.68

Provenance

?–1972: (Shogoro Yabumoto, Hyogo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1972–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

More by Wang Jianzhang in museum collections

Spring Rain Thatched Hut
Wang Jianzhang
1650 · Drawing
Museum collection · via the Cleveland Museum of ArtAT-00011170

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.