Yuan dynasty Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322)
Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains
- Handscroll, ink and colors on paper
- 28.4 x 93.2 cm
Zhao Mengfu, style name Zi'ang and sobriquet Songxuedaoren, was an eleventh-generation descendant of the first Song emperor (Emperor Taizu of Song). He lived in Wuxing (modern-day Huzhou, Zhejiang). In 1286, the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan ordered the Imperial Preceptor Cheng Jufu to travel south to Jiangnan and search for "left-over subjects," or loyalists, to serve the court. Zhao Mengfu was chosen and ordered to serve as an official. Under three emperors, he became a prominent scholar and was rewarded with noble rank and a posthumous title. Zhao was also particularly renowned in the arts of poetry and prose, painting, and calligraphy. In painting, he was gifted in many subjects, including landscapes, figures, horses, bamboo-and-stones, and birds-and-flowers, becoming an early Yuan leader in painting and calligraphy circles. His theories of stylistic revivalism and the commonality of painting and calligraphy had a major impact on later generations.
This scroll was painted for a close friend Zhou Mi (1232-1298) in 1295 after Zhao Mengfu had returned home from Yanjing down south. Zhou Mi, born in Wuxing, was a famous literary figure and a connoisseur of the late Song and early Yuan whose family was originally from Jinan in Shandong near Mt. Hua-pu-chu (Hua Mountain). His great-grandfather had followed the Emperor Gaozong of Song to the south after the fall of the north. In the Yuan dynasty, Zhou assumed "left-over subject" status lived a life of reclusion in the Hangzhou and Huzhou areas without pursuing office. He never traveled to his ancestral homeland of Jinan, but in his writings often referred to himself as from that area (using terms such as "Man of Huabuzhu Mountain" and "Man of Qi"). Even the title of one of his books refers to his homeland, which shows just how nostalgic he felt about times and places of old. It was during the period from 1292 to 1295 that Zhao Mengfu had served as Assistant Commander of the Jinan Circuit, a post that allowed him to become quite familiar with the scenery there. Thus, after returning home to the south, he did this painting for Zhou Mi to appease Zhou's nostalgic longings.
This painting of two famous mountains in the vicinity of Jinan in Shandong (i.e., the Qiao and Hua Mountains) stand prominently in the vista portrayed here. The pointed peak represents Huabuzhu Mountain , and the rounded one is Qiao Mountain .Between them lies an expanse of winding waters with trees and cottages scattered across the marshes.
Skiffs on the river appear here and there with fishermen at work. Reeds grow lushly by the banks as a fisherman works the nets . The everyday work of countryside life embodies the ideal peace and tranquility. The mountains and shoals were done with "hemp-fiber" texture strokes over which was added blue-and-green coloring. Ochre and red were used to dot the leaves, clearly imparting the sense of autumn (and symbolizing the past). The forms of the objects and motifs here are simple and plain with the composition filled with archaism. The brushwork derives from that of Dong Yuan (fl. first half of 10th century), and Zhao Mengfu's strong revivalistic spirit is found everywhere in this work, one of his most famous surviving masterpieces.