Spring Plowing at the Mouth of a Valley

Wang Meng (sobriquet Huanghe shanqiao) was a native of Wuxing in Zhejiang and grandson of Zhao Mengfu. With Huang Gongwang, Ni Zan, and Wu Zhen, he was one of the Four Yuan Masters. 

 

Here is a field at the mouth of a valley below soaring peaks. Texture strokes for the landscape follow the manner of Dong Yuan and Juran, but the composition lacks the conservative stability of Wang’s early landscapes. Rather, he has experimented in transforming a monumental landscape by piling and compressing forms into a narrow, vertical format. Compared to later works, the "ox-hair" texture strokes are not as writhing and the spatial structure not as boldly from nature. It is nonetheless still an important early work done before his "Dwelling in the Qingbian Mountains" and from the ages of 40 to 50.