Landscape

Rugged strokes of deep black ink define a fleeting glimpse through stalactites into a cave paradise, a scholar’s retreat hidden fast in the mountains. The expressive brushwork calls to mind the works of China’s seventeenth-century individualist painters, especially Shitao (also known as Daoji; 1642–1707). The artist did not sign this painting, but impressed his seal near the lower right corner. The inscription on the painting is not by the artist, but by Rao Zongyi, a scholar. The inscription reads, “Emerald layers cover old trailing branches. The sky, with stars densely packed, is revealed. Chu-tsing asked Ximing to paint this.” The artist, who received his training at the Shanghai Academy of Art, spent the war years in Sichuan province and later moved to Hong Kong, where he taught painting in an academic setting. Traditionally, it was common for a literati artist to paint a work for a friend and ask a fellow scholar-artist with expertise in poetry and calligraphy to inscribe it. Peng and his colleague Rao continued that tradition here.