@@Chao Yung, a native of Chekiang province, was the
son of the famous painter-calligrapher Chao Meng-fu. In
landscape painting, he followed the style of Tung Yuan and
was especially gifted at painting figures and horses. In
fact, almost all members of the Chao clan were renowned
for horse painting.
@@In this work done in 1352, large trees and
five leisurely steeds are shown by the water. A herdsman
dozes off at the base of the pine. Heavy blue-and-green
colors reveal Chao's faithful revivalist style, and the
two banks split by a river, as well as the Tung-Chu hemp-fiber
strokes with moss dots in the distant mountains, all belong
to a new style of painting in the Yuan. Though the steeds
follow the ancient T'ang manner, they are more revivalistic
than realistic. The brushwork, however, has a scholarly
beauty and elegance prized in aesthetics of the period.
