Couched in the Northern Song idioms of Yan Wengui (active ca.
970–1030) and Fan Kuan (active ca. 990–1030), this small
landscape by Zhao Yuan exemplifies late Yuan and early Ming
scholar painting in which ancient models were transformed by
calligraphic brushwork. Late Yuan scholar-artists saw painting
as a vehicle for personal expression: painting, it was said,
should be like handwriting—a “heart print” of the artist.
Executed during a period of political and social turmoil, Zhao’s
handscroll reflects a common theme found in paintings of his
time: the reclusive life. A secluded mountain villa nestled at
the foot of a tall peak suggests a serene existence free from
worldly strife. Zhao Yuan, who lived in the south, re-created
the towering mountains of the north through his imagination. The
last fantastic peak near the far left of the composition was
probably inspired by a garden rock—similar to one on display
along the west wall of the Museum’s Astor Court.