Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700-1900

Stunning exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum of Chinese painting.

I must admit I went along thinking it would be leave mw cold but I was entranced by the wonderful images and by the early dates when some of them were made with the earliest I spotted being 780-840! I loved a picture from 800-900 of an itinerant monk travelling with a tiger and a brazier on his back. The quality of the face was portrait like.

I particularly liked the scrolls and how many of them told a story. There was fun one of dragons in swirling black brush stokes which were almost surreal.  My favourite was a long townscape called “Prosperous Suzhau” by Xu Jong which showed a city in amazing details. You just wanted to walk down the streets and look in the little shops.

It is well worth getting the tape tour, if like me you know nothing about the subject, but many thanks to the guide who warned me that if you listen to all of it it takes two hours! I dipped in an out!

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