Four Landscapes of Infinity

These four landscapes each depict a magnificent landscape with white, infinite spaces diffused throughout each composition. Features such as the pine leaves and ripples of each painting are depicted with painstaking, meticulous detail. Two noblemen can be seen having a chat amid the impressive landscapes. Infinite spaces fill most of the compositions of these four majestic paintings by Wen's talented nephew Wen Boren. The landscapes may represent the four seasons, four scenic sites in China, or four different styles by renowned scholar painters. This set consists of four paintings mounted on hanging scrolls. In the upper part of each scroll is a title starting with the word “infinite,” which is why this set was named Four Landscapes of Infinity. The scroll showing light rain falling on bamboo thickets by the shore is titled Infinite Bamboo in Misty Rain; the scroll depicting wind blowing through a thick pine forest on tall mountains is Infinite Valleys with Pines in the Wind; the scroll depicting endless ripples spreading across the lake and a small boat is titled Infinite Lake with Clear Ripples; and finally, the scroll depicting snow falling on the peaks of rugged mountains is known as Infinite Mountains Covered with Snow. Within these four grand landscapes, small figures of people looking out and enjoying them can also be seen.

Each scroll is thought to represent one of the four seasons, but there are also scholars who view each scroll as a representation of a famous landscape in China. Others view the scrolls as works based on the styles of four famous scholarly painters. This is a complex and deeply interesting set of paintings, to which many different interpretations can be applied. Wen Boren was born to a renowned family of scholars that was active from the 16th to the 17th century in the Jiangnan region of China. In his lifetime, he was already a renowned scholarly painter who was praised for the large and detailed works he produced. The pine needles in Infinite Valleys with Pines in the Wind and the mesh-like ripples in Infinite Lake with Clear Ripples in particular make this a magnificent set of paintings. These four landscapes each depict a magnificent landscape with white, infinite spaces diffused throughout each composition. Features such as the pine leaves and ripples of each painting are depicted with painstaking, meticulous detail. Wen Boren (1502–1575) explored new possibilities in landscape painting as he took inspiration from literati painter Wang Meng (1308–1385).

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.