Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk
Xiao Zhao (fl. 1126–c. 1162) was a direct disciple of the renowned landscape painter Li Tang (c. 1050–post 1130) who was celebrated as a key figure in landscape paintings during the Northern and Southern Song dynasties. This painting, signed with the characters “Xiao Zhao” in regular script at the edge of a cliff, is recognized as one of his representative works. The style reflects the influence of Li Tang’s Wind in Pines Among a Myriad Valleys (painted in 1124), with steep and angular mountain rocks in the foreground outlined using heavy strokes and dense ink. The surface texture is rendered with axe-cut texture strokes. On the rocks, slanted trees perch precariously, while the mountain peaks are covered with dense thickets. The painting employs a subtle green-and-blue color scheme, with mineral-based malachite green pigment used to enhance some foliage. The composition transitions from a frontal depiction of the mountains to a more oblique perspective, shifting from dense forms to open spaces. The diagonally oriented layout integrates elements such as sky, water, clouds, and mist, creating a sense of atmospheric haze and emptiness and reflecting the artistic evolution found in Ma Yuan and Xia Gui’s landscape paintings, the latter of which played a significant role in the stylistic transformation of the early Southern Song dynasty.