Description

An extensive inscription in several columns of text fills the upper left corner, accompanied by red seals, giving the work from the outset the character of a literati painting in which poetry and image belong together. Below it unfolds a lake landscape rendered entirely in ink, with tiered, softly modeled mountain ridges.

On a narrow stone bridge in the lower third of the picture stands a single figure in a long robe, gazing out over the water. Behind him, pines and an estate with a curved roof are grouped on the slope, while on the lake in the distance tiny sails appear as barely visible strokes. Further red seals appear at the upper right and lower right. The pine needles, too, are set in the radial cluster form typical of this school, which builds up each crown from within.

The composition follows the classical triad of near shore, middle expanse of water, and distant mountain range, as cultivated over centuries by Chinese-influenced painting. Executed as a screen print on silk, this hanging scroll is a restrained, scholarly work for lovers of pure ink landscapes.