Album of Landscapes and Calligraphy for Liu Songfu

Xugu · Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 1895/96

Medium

Album of 25 leaves; ink and light color on paper

Original size

Each leaf: 30.5 × 36.3 cm (12 × 14 1/4 in.)

Currently held

Art Institute of Chicago

Movement

Impressionism

This intimate album, composed across 25 leaves of ink and delicate color, represents one of the most personal works from Xugu's final years — a gift crafted with quiet precision for a close associate, Liu Songfu. Xugu occupies a singular place in Chinese painting history. A former military officer turned Buddhist monk, he spent his later decades in Shanghai, where his spare, introspective style set him apart from the ornate tastes of the period. His landscapes carry a restrained energy — brushwork that feels both effortless and considered, with light color washes applied just enough to give depth without overwhelming the underlying ink. His ability to distill a scene to its emotional core rather than its documentary detail is what makes his albums especially compelling. The work dates to 1895 or 1896, just before his death, placing it among his last recorded gifts to a named recipient — a quiet testament to the personal relationships that shaped literati culture in the late Qing. This hand-painted oil reproduction translates Xugu's composition onto canvas, preserving the rhythmic balance of his brushwork and the restrained palette that gives the original its contemplative mood.