Living Aloft: Master Liu's Retreat 1543 Wen Zhengming Wen Zhengming painted Living Aloft for his friend Liu Lin (1474–1561), who, at the age of seventy, had retired from government service but had not yet built a home suitable for his new life. Wen's painting presents an idealized vision of life in retirement: separated from the outside world by a stream and a rustic wall, two friends enjoy each other's company in a two-story hall that is further isolated in a tall grove of trees. Wen elaborates on the pleasures of such a life in his accompanying poem:Immortals have always delighted in pavilio

Living Aloft: Master Liu's Retreat 1543 Wen Zhengming Wen Zhengming painted Living Aloft for his friend Liu Lin (1474–1561), who, at the age of seventy, had retired from government service but had not yet built a home suitable for his new life. Wen's painting presents an idealized vision of life in retirement: separated from the outside world by a stream and a rustic wall, two friends enjoy each other's company in a two-story hall that is further isolated in a tall grove of trees. Wen elaborates on the pleasures of such a life in his accompanying poem:Immortals have always delighted in pavilion-living,Windows open on eight sides-eyebrows above towers and halls well up,Down below, clouds and thunder are vaguely on a dais, a glimpse of Japan,Leaning on a balustrade, the sight of worldly affairs shift and change,In their midst a lofty man is at ease.(After Ling-yün Shih Liu, trans., in Richard Edwards et al., The Art of Wen Cheng-ming [1470–1559] [Ann Arbor: Museum of Art, University of Michigan, 1976], p. 150) Listen to experts illuminate this artwork's story Listen Play or pause #7608. Living Aloft: Master Liu's Retreat Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. We are working to make it available as soon as Living Aloft: Master Liu's Retreat 39536

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