Landscape with Figures
Zha Shibiao pays homage to the sparse composition and dry brushwork of masters Ni Zan (1301-1374) and Hongren (1610-1664), yet with a fresh look that is distinctly Zha's style-enriching the rock surface with subtle textural strokes akin to ink wash. The painting's theme is revealed in the inscription: "In myriad gullies, the pine sounds chime like jade pendants clinking together. A waterfall hangs in the distance at the end of white clouds. When the day is long, I roam with my cane and shoes. A sea of peaks and a clear sky of mountaintops thus enter the painting."
Ink and color on paper
Overall: 57 1/2 x 24 7/16 in. (146.1 x 62 cm)
Floyd A. Naramore Memorial Purchase Fund
75.10
Provenance: Alice Boney (1901–1988)
Photo: Elizabeth Mann