Description

Fine white dots drift as dense snowfall across the entire picture surface. Behind them rises a massive, snow-covered mountain ridge, its rounded folds glowing through in warm ochre, while on the left a dark green lake reaches between snow-covered shores. Bare, delicately drawn trees stand before it like silhouettes.

At the lower edge of the picture, a homestead with snow-laden roofs crouches behind a bamboo fence; a small dog stands in the yard, and at the far left a tiny figure in red robes wanders along the rocky path. This single spot of red is the warmest point in the entire picture and inevitably draws the eye. The bamboo fence, too, is rendered stroke by stroke, revealing how carefully even the secondary elements of this winter scene have been treated.

Winter scenes of this kind are among the most demanding tasks in East Asian painting, because the snow is not painted but left blank, made visible only through its surroundings. Executed as a screen print, this hanging scroll combines a cool overall mood with surprisingly warm earth tones and is especially effective during the winter months.