China Popular Itineraries |
|
|
|
|
Shen Zhou (in the Ming Dynasty): The High Mountains of Lushan |
Shen Zhou(1427-1509), style name Qi Nan, assumed name Shi Tian, was a native of Changzhou. He was talented in poetry, painting and calligra-phy. He inherited and developed the traditional method of the Yuan literati painters. His painting is characterized by his forceful, vigorous and broad brush, manifesting his great mind and rich imagination. He was a typical scholarly painter and a prominent representative of the Wu Men School. Landscape was the main subject of his painting. Taking over the mantle of the literati painters of Yuan Dynasty, he depicted the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River and the gardens of scholars using elegant light blue and green and refined ink and wash. He stressed the expression of the ink and brush, emphasized emotional and quiet conception and sought a tranquil and peaceful quality. His style set the fundamental tone for the Wu Men school.
The High Mountains of Lushan (picture No. 14, see p.684) was one of his early works and was done in celebration of the 70th birthday of his poetry teacher, Chen Kuan. Painted after the style of Wang Meng, the picture pre-sents a prosperous view and is fine work of art. He depicted the spectacular mountain of Lushan from his imagination and compared its loftiness to his master's great learning and character, thereby congratulating on his master on his birthday through the grandiose mountains and waters. It was he who first made use of the mountains and waters to symbolize a person's character. |
|
