232 - In the style of Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), Mountain Landscape, 1933

In the style of Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), Mountain Landscape, 1933 Ink and light colors on paper mounted as a kakemono, depicting a landscape of rugged mountains, in a vertical composition, with tall rock formations rendered as steep, overlapping masses, punctuated by pine trees and a few architectural elements suggesting structures or pavilions set into the landscape. The various mountain planes are rendered with ink washes and touches of brownish and greenish colors, with misty effects that deliberately leave certain parts of the paper unpainted, while the lower portion is dominated by a large rocky outcrop topped with pine trees. A calligraphic inscription in the upper right corner includes a poem followed by a date in the Chinese sexagenary cycle and a signature, accompanied by two red seals. The inscription reads as follows: Returning from Mount Heng, my spirit has not yet subsided / Once more I sail the Yellow Sea, dreaming of Tiandu / A world of rat livers and insect limbs / Gathering the vitality of life into a painting / Spring of the Year of the Rooster / Painted beneath the Great Wind Hall / Zhang Daqian of Shu, which could be translated as: “Returning from Mount Heng, my spirit settles of its own accord; / once more, I sail the Yellow Sea and dream of Tiandu. / In the human world, rat livers and insect arms, / I gather nature’s vitality and bring it into the painting. / On a spring day in the year of Guiyou (癸酉), / Zhang Daqian, a man from Shu, / painted at Dafengtang.” The painting has a white silk mount with numerous flecks of discoloration. 92 x 28 cm