Paying
tribute to the legacy of an enormously influential scholar
and collector, the exhibition on view in Galleries C and D
this May features selected works acquired by the Berkeley
Art Museum during the tenure of UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus
James Cahill, who taught in the Department of History of Art
from 1965 until his retirement in 1995. Cahill began collecting
Chinese paintings in the 1950s, while completing his dissertation
on Yuan Dynasty (1260–1368) painting. During this time
he earned the studio name Ching Yüan Chai—roughly
translated as “Studio of One Who Is Looking Intently
at the Yuan Dynasty.” For more than four decades, Cahill’s
writings and work—including seminal exhibitions he organized
for BAM/PFA—have attracted the attention of a wide range
of Asian art enthusiasts, from Western scholars to dedicated
collectors.
In addition
to works from the Ching Yüan Chai Collection, the exhibition
features many paintings that Cahill encouraged local collectors
and BAM/PFA staff to acquire for the museum, adding significant
depth to its collections. The superb ten-leaf album by Shitao
(1642–1718), Reminiscences of Nanjing (1704), was acquired
by exchange with the noted connoisseur and collector C. C.
Wang. This is a late work by the great Individualist painter,
who indeed had roamed the hills around Nanjing but probably
painted this in Yangzhou. Having descended from the Ming imperial
line, Shitao was deeply affected by the rise of the Qing Manchus
during his lifetime and spent much of his youth wandering
from place to place. This unsettled lifestyle may have led
him to explore a decidedly unorthodox style in his painting,
as well. The brushwork, application of light wash, and unique
compositions reflect the artist’s mature style. The
album is among his finest paintings.
The Berkeley
Art Museum is widely recognized as holding one of the most
important Chinese painting collections in the country. This
selection of great paintings from the permanent collection
demonstrates why.
Julia
M. White
Senior Curator of Asian Art
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