Ming Shen Zhou, "Lushan High Map"

Author: Shen Zhou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: "View of Mount Lu," ink and light colors on paper, 193.8 cm in height, 98.1 cm in width, now preserved in the Taipei Palace Museum. The composition employs the high-distance perspective method, with overlapping mountains, intricate stone textures, lush vegetation, cloud trails, and flying springs—all present. In the upper right corner, there is an inscription in seal script reading "Mount Lu High," accompanied by an ancient-style long poem, with the signature at the end: "On the Dragon Boat Festival day of the Dinghai year of the Chenghua era, the poet and painter Shen Zhou of Changshu, respectfully dedicated this work to Master Chen Kuan of great learning and virtue." It is known that this painting was created by Shen Zhou at the age of forty-one to celebrate his teacher Chen Kuan's seventieth birthday. The entire work imitates the style of Wang Meng, with meticulous, delicate, and refined brushwork, a powerful yet melancholic and lush atmosphere, thick yet lively rock textures, skillful arrangements of black and white and (), and a style that falls between Wang Meng's "Residence in Qing Bian" and "Summer Mountain Residence." However, the composition is more complex than Wang's works, the scene more vibrant, and the brushwork clearer. In this painting, Shen Zhou vividly portrays the majestic and ethereal image of Mount Lu, symbolizing the profound gratitude he felt toward his teacher. At the lower part of the water's edge, standing on the slope, is a figure—his teacher Chen Kuan. Chen was from Jiangxi, and using Mount Lu to symbolize his teacher's noble character and deep erudition was highly appropriate. In his early works, Shen Zhou's brushwork was meticulous, often in small formats. Wen Zhengming said, "(Shen Zhou) only began to expand into large-scale works after reaching the age of forty." This statement refers not only to the increased scale of his works but also to the liberation of his brushwork and the (vast and profound) atmosphere. "View of Mount Lu" marks a milestone in Shen Zhou's transition from his early style to a phase of transformation.