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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
In the absence of any signature or colophon by the author, an inscription by Prime Minister Cai Jing indicates that the handscroll was painted by Ximeng when he was only 18 years old, with some guiding tips from Emperor Huizong. This quintessential blue-and-green landscape painting uses azurite and malachite as the primary pigments. It can be traced back to the earlier dynasties of Sui and Tang. Building upon this technique, the scroll embodies the Song Neo-Confucian philosophy of observing and understanding the natural world, resulting in a more intricate painting style. The entire composition uses extremely precise and delicate brushwork to depict the vast and diverse "thousand li of mountains and rivers." It includes towering mountains and flowing rivers, winding paths leading to secluded areas, and scattered houses and buildings in the midst of the vast landscape. The mountain villages, thatched cottages and grassy shelters nestled in the hills add some elements of a happy human life. There are numerous analytical viewpoints among scholars regarding the fundamental features of this masterpiece, some identifying it as a picture of southern China as part of a prosperous empire, some seeing it as unifying social engagement and natural retreat, while others suggest a Daoist reflection in pictorial realism and a possible depiction of a hermit life inspired by a more ancient poetic tradition.
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