〈輞川圖〉는 盛唐의 시인화가 王維(701~761)가 藍田에 있는 그의 별업을 이룬 경물을 시로 읊고, 그것을 그림으로 묘사한 것이다. 輞川은 왕유의 은일사상과 산수에 대한 농후한 흥취와 애착을 토로하는 창작의 주요 장소였다. 이러한 왕유의 輞川詩畵는 盧鴻의 「嵩山十志」를 그림으로 옮긴 〈草堂十志圖〉와 유사한 형식으로 그 영향관계가 주목된다. 노홍과 왕유의 山莊圖 계보는 후에 北宋 李公麟의 〈용면산장도〉를 비롯한 북송 문인들에게 계승된다. 唐代 기록에 의하면, 왕유는 輞川圖를 청원사 벽에 그렸고, 唐代 御史大夫 李栖筠은 적어도 776년 이전 제작된 망천도를 소장하였다. 북송 黃庭堅과 원대 黃公望에 의하면, 망천도는 횡권의 형식과 축 형식화면을 이용하여 제작되었다. 그러나 축 형식은 송대 이후 제작된 것으로 화면의 경물이 너무 조밀해지는 한계로 극히 드물게 전한다. 『망천시』 20수의 구성은 현전 망천도의 구성 순서와 다소 차이를 보이며, 그림에만 등장하는 ‘輞口莊’은 송대 이후 추가된 것으로 추정된다. 현전 망천도 중 양식적으로 가장 古式은 1617년 모각한 〈郭忠恕臨王維輞川圖〉이며, 대부분 명대 吳派 화풍을 반영하는 작품으로 왕유의 망천시에 준한 詩意圖 형식으로 제작되기도 하였다. 왕유의 〈망천도〉는 중국회화사의 흐름에서 그 형식에 화가를 구속하는 한계도 있었지만, 망천도의 시대별 임작과 방작을 통하여 중국 문인화의 표상으로 재창조되었음을 확인할 수 있었다.
Wang Chuan Villa was the private estate of Wang wei (701~761), as the greatest poet and painter of Tang Dynasty. It was in Lantian county of the southeast of Chang’an, the capital city. Wang retired to the countryside villa, where he described in a painting and in a poem of 20 quatrains. Wang’s poetry are rhyming couplets with the poems of fellow poet Pei Di along the natural landscapes of the Wang Chuan (輞川, “Wheel River”). Wang Chuan tu of Wang Wei is related to Caotang Shizhi tu, which depicted the poem of a sequestered life in Song Shan Mountain, by Lu Hong of Tang Dynasty. These works had a decisive effect on Longmian Shan Zhuang tu by the eminent artist Li Gonglin (1049~1106). After the deaths of his wife and his mother, Wang went deep into the study of Buddhism at his country villa. According to some records, Wang Wei painted the original pictorial composition of Wang Chuan Villa on the wall of Qingyuansi temple. Imperial counsellor (御史大夫) Li Xijun (李栖筠, 719~776) had a Wang Chuan tu that was presented from chief monk of Qingyuansi temple, depicted the temple and the grave tower of Wang’s mother. Huang Tingjian, who was a poet in the Song Dynasty, analyzed two types of Wang Chuan tu, i.e. horizontal scroll and hanging scroll. Huang concluded that the type of horizontal scroll is suitable to paint the landscapes of Wang Chuan Villa. After Song Dynasty, hanging scroll type of Wang Chuan Villa began to appear. Even if Wang stands foremost among the artists to develop the Chinse landscape painting, Wang Wei’s original works can only be inferred from some records and remakes of his paintings. Wang Wei’s combination of masterful painting and poetic skills placed him in the mythic ranks in later generations. In the 17th century Dong Qichang (1555~1636) established Wang Wei as the founder of the Southern School of painter-poets, who concerned with personal expression. Although Wang’s original pictorial composition is not preserved, there are over 30 copies by later artists including Guo Zhongshu depicted the scenic spots in Wang’s poetry. The compositions provide a journey through a spectacular garden filled with sites designed to encourage quiet contemplation. The stone rubbing of Wang Chun composition in 1617 by Guo Shiyuan is the oldest style among the copies of Wang Chuan tu. Names of the special scenic features of the garden are written above each scene, such as Hollow at Meng’s Wall, Apricot-Grain Cottage, Bamboo-Midst Cottage, Magnolia Park, Bamboo Hills, Deer Park, North Lodge, South Lodge, Vagary Lake, White Stone Shallows and so on. Even though Wang Chuan composition of the Art Institute of Chicago is considered by Li Gonglin, thickly contoured rocks, tight spatial recession, and other aspects stylistic features are associated with Chinese artists acted in the 15th century. Most existing Wang Chuan tu were reflected the painting style of Wu School in Ming Dynasty rather than Wang’s original style. Wen Zhengming had left a painting expressed with poetic ideas of Wang Wei and fellow poet Pei Di. Wang Chuan tu by Jin Xuejian described scenes of Qingyuansi temple and the grave tower of Wang Wei’s mother. Wang Yunqi referred to Wang Wei’s painting and poetry to guide his inspiration as well as the stone rubbing of Wang Chuan composition in 1617. While Wang Chuan tu was continuously recreated by painters for centuries, it was established itself as the origin of the literary artist’s style in Chinese art history.