Tai Chin took the traditional
ink style of the Chekiang area as his foundation, to which he added the Southern Sung
(1127-1279) academic mode and the essence of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) Li-Kuo School,
forming the basis for the Ming court style and ultimately that of the Che School.
The foreground shows a water kiosk
with rocky slopes on either side done in "axe-cut" strokes.An old fisherman in a
skiff sits with a fishing rod. The arrangement of
solid and void is no longer like the one-corner composition of "Returning Home Late
from a Spring Outing." It is now centralized with the background dominated by solid
forms and not too far away. Seemingly connected together, the effect is that of multiple
layers, leaving void only in the foreground. The main
peak in the distance rises in the middle of the composition, much in the Northern Sung
(960-1126) monumental landscape style. In terms of brush and ink, the short yet moist
axe-cut strokes form the main texturing method of the slopes. The brushwork is quite free
and varied distinguished by the liberal interstices. The axe-cut strokes in the foreground
are supplemented by washes of ink to suggest form and volume.
Painting histories state that Tai Chin
learned from many previous landscape styles, indicating the varied sources of his own
style. In terms of composition, this work seems to have much of the "Li-Kuo"
manner, perhaps being influenced by Li-Kuo School painters of the Yuan dynasty. Although
Northern Sung artists emphasized "mountains in the mind," they still placed
their focus on the representation of nature. Tai Chin's mature handling of brush and ink
allowed him to give full expression to his ideas, leading him to emphasize more on
handling the surface of the painting rather than suggesting space and distance. This trend
towards surface treatment was adopted by later followers, who increasingly became more
decorative in their approach.
In the mid-upper left is the artist's signature ("By Tai Wen-chin
of Ch'ien-t'ang") and his seal ("Ching-an"). "Wen-chin" and
"Ching-an" are Tai Chin's style name and sobriquet, respectively. |
