Mountain Landscape exemplifies the revered style of landscape brush painting that was first developed and perfected during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). It was painted around 1663 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) by a well-known Chinese artist named Kuncan (c.1612-1675). Kuncan, also known as Shiqi, was a Chan (Zen) Buddhist monk painter who used both religion and nature as inspirational models in his paintings. Mountain Landscape, a 41 5/8 x 11 1/8 inch hanging scroll, is painted on paper using ink and light colors. The painting is located in Gallery 113 of the Dayton Art Institute and its acquisition number is 1976.277. The viewer begins his journey at the foot of the Mountain Landscape, passing over rocks and shrubs as he contemplates the tranquil repose of nature. The viewer's eye then winds through the trees towards a small figure who has assumed a sitting or kneeling position. The figure appears to be in a meditative state, drawing inspiration and peace from its natural surroundings. A closed cabin stands a short distance from the figure, a mere speck in the vast desert. To the left of the cabin, a group of trees remains shrouded in fog, adding a mysterious and ethereal quality to the painting. A towering mountain looms in the background, swallowing up the tranquil scene below. Streams of languid waterfalls cascade from crevices in the mountain, providing a stark contrast to the severe sheer rock of the mountain. A small village sits nestled into the mountainside, partially hidden by a mix of fir and jagged, bare trees. The viewer's journey through the painting ends with a wide range of protruding mountains, which appear to fade into the distant skies. The top right corner of the painting is in the center of the sheet, about China's tumultuous history. The Qing Dynasty began when the Manchurians, foreigners from the north, overthrew the weakened rulers of the Ming Dynasty in 1644. Kancun, a young man during the fall of the Ming Dynasty, was deeply troubled by the Manchurians' seizure of political and economic power. This resentment was shared by other literati painters and led to the formation of a group of artists known as the Individualists. In the book Art Beyond the West, the Individualists are described as “Ming loyalists who resented the hegemony of the new foreign dynasty” (M. Kampen-O'Riley 141). As a result, they sought to distance themselves from its corrupting influence by fleeing to mountain sanctuaries. Mountain Landscape personifies Kuncan's disappointment with modern civilization and at the same time describes his revered love for nature and the strength he received from the natural forces of life.