The Artful Recluse

I went to see an exhibit at the Asia Society called "The Artful Recluse".  The subject was Chines art in the mid 17th century, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the invasion by the "barbarian" Manchus.   Artists retreated from the chaos of regime change to the countryside, and concentrated on landscapes and otherworldly thoughts.  

What intrigued me most in the exhibit were the scroll paintings; more precisely, images painted on very long rolled up pieces of scroll paper.  You can't actually look at these in a single focus; you need to actually move your eye to see the whole thing.  (Though actually, the whole thing is not usually visible; usually only about 10 feet or so is shown at the most.)   Needless to say, you can't easily find an image that would fit on your computer screen.  The scenes themselves are impossible in some ways; like a widescreen panorama that makes sense from moment to moment, but represents something which could not possibly exist in reality.   (Like the long panning shot at the beginning of Peter Greenaway's film of the Tempest.)   No pictures to be found...