Shi Tao Landscape Album. 2

Author: Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features:
Shitao (1642－c. 1707) was originally surnamed Zhu and named Ruojie, with the childhood name A Chang. He had many aliases, such as Daitizi, Qingxiang Laoren, Kugu Huoshang, and Xiashizhu, among others. He was from Quan County, Guangxi. Shitao was one of the most outstanding painters and painting theorists in the history of Chinese painting and a representative figure of the Huaxinluo school in the early Qing Dynasty. Due to his mastery of landscapes, he "sought out all the strange peaks to draft from," forming a unique style characterized by its profound and vigorous brushwork. Shitao excelled in the use of ink and brush. He combined dry and wet, thick and thin strokes, particularly favoring wet brushwork. In terms of technique, he was agile with his brush. Sometimes he used fine lines with minimal scraping, or bold lines with both cutting and dotting. Shitao's compositions were unconventional. Whether depicting Huangshan mist, Jiangnan ink wash, cliffs and precipices, or Zhe trees and winter crows, or scenes of flat, deep, or high distances, he always strove for novel layouts and refreshing artistic connotations. His greatest contribution to Chinese painting theory was his "Kugu Huoshang's Painting Talks," which summarized his long-term painting practice and embodied his artistic spirit. It is a classic work in the history of Chinese painting aesthetics, renowned for its theoretical individuality and innovative spirit. The 20 landscape works published in this collection are all held in museum collections, fully reflecting his lifelong pursuit of art.