This exhibition highlights over thirty paintings ranging widely in brushwork, size, color, composition, and intensity, yet sharing the common theme of the vast natural word in which we live. Through these paintings, the viewer is drawn into the landscapes, traversing land and water, even when no surrogate figure with which we might identify is depicted. From intimate miniatures to monumental masterworks, seeking out the hidden figures becomes a secret challenge among the many stylized conventions of this painting school. Yet the overriding desire to find a place for ourselves within the spectacle of the natural world strikes a chord that can be appreciated by all viewers.

With the exception of two or three earlier works serving as an historical reference, the paintings in this exhibition belong to the Nanga School of literati art, considered one of the five major schools of later Japanese painting. The Lee Center now houses the largest combined collection of Nanga art and resource materials in the world, including over 400 paintings, approximately 600 books, almost 13,000 photos of artistsŐ seals, and almost 28,000 reference slides. The current exhibition will draw from this major collection of Nanga artwork and will feature additional loans from Seattle-area collector Terry Welch and Los Angeles-area collectors Dr. Peter and Doris Drucker. Featured artists include major representatives of the Nanga School, such as Nukina Kaioku, Uragami Gyokudo, Ike Taiga, Tani Buncho, and Yamanaka Shinten'o, and range in dates from the early 18th to the early 20th centuries.