"Distant Mountains and Valleys"

Artist: Qiu Yan
Medium: Gold foil on cardboard
Theme: Landscape
Technique: Gongbi (meticulous brushwork)

Artwork Description:

Distant Mountains and Rolling Hills is a traditional Chinese landscape painting executed in the gongbi style on gold foil-mounted cardboard. Drawing upon classical composition techniques from ancient masters, the work is presented in the form of a traditional fan. The painting features layered mountains and verdant forests, composed with precision and rendered in fine, expressive brushstrokes.

The scene conveys a sense of depth and tranquility unique to Eastern landscape painting, infused with a literati aesthetic. Peaks rise and fall with natural rhythm, while trees and rocks interplay in harmony. The brushwork is both refined and powerful, and the use of traditional blue-and-green pigments is elegant, avoiding any sense of excess.

The gold foil background shimmers under light, adding a majestic and luminous quality to the painting. It evokes a mood of solemn beauty and timeless serenity. A red seal and inscription in the lower right corner reveal the artist’s identity and enhance the piece’s cultural and collectible value.

This work is a rich fusion of the disciplined precision of gongbi technique and the luxurious texture of gold foil, offering not only visual delight but also a poetic meditation on nature and time as seen through the lens of Eastern art.

Artist Introduction:

The artist specializes in both Eastern and Western traditional painting techniques, with experience spanning oil painting, Chinese painting, and calligraphy. With many years of art teaching, their works—such as Along the River During the Qingming Festival and Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains—have been collected by high-end collectors. The artist was also awarded the “Outstanding Humanistic Spirit Award” in the New Tang Dynasty Realistic Oil Painting Competition.