Biography of Shi Tao

Author: Yan An
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features:
Shitao was a painter of the Qing Dynasty, originally surnamed Zhu, named Ruojie, and was from Quanzhou, Guangxi. His dharma name was Yuanji, styled Shitao, and had various aliases such as "Keku Huoshang" (Bitter Melon Monk), "Dadi Zi" (Great Master), "Qingxiang Laoren" (Qingxiang Old Man), "Mazhuangzhe" (Blind Sage), and "Lingding Laoren" (Lingding Old Man). Shitao's landscape paintings were renowned and unique, drawing inspiration from the strengths of ancient masters while advocating for "searching for all extraordinary peaks to draft," emphasizing external learning from nature. His landscape compositions were novel and extraordinary, with bold and unrestrained brushwork, full of variation. His scraping techniques primarily derived from Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, Huang Gongwang, and Wang Meng, adapting techniques like "peeling hemp scraping," "untying rope scraping," "cloud head scraping," "lotus leaf scraping," and "broken belt scraping," varying in density and wetness, creating a sense of randomness and transformation. He particularly favored wet brushwork, using clear and unrestrained ink to blend brushstrokes, expressing the vastness, mistiness, and richness of mountains and rivers. His composition broke from ancient conventions, arriving unexpectedly and winning through novelty. Shitao emphasized the spirit in his paintings, blending bold and vigorous, grand and extraordinary realms with a serene atmosphere. Many of his landscape paintings have been passed down, with representative works such as "Landscape with Clear Sounds," "Draft after Searching for All Extraordinary Peaks," "Ink Wash Landscape," "Cloud and Mountain," and "Harmony of Sea and River." Shitao was also skilled in painting flowers, fruits, orchids, and bamboo, often using ink wash in a freehand style. His brushwork was brisk and sharp, ink application was lush and unrestrained, and his forms were rich and fresh. Works like "Ink Lotus," "Banana and Chrysanthemum," and "Plum and Bamboo" are all outstanding masterpieces. Shitao was one of the most creative and outstanding painters of the Ming and Qing dynasties, making unique contributions to painting art and becoming one of the most accomplished painters of the Qing Dynasty. This book collects the life story, representative works, and related critical texts of Shitao, a painter of the early Qing Dynasty, reviewing his unique contributions to painting art.