Painting of Mount Lu
3 min readPainter: Jing Hao
Painting Year: the Five Dynasties
Material: silk scroll
Dimension: vertical length of 185.4 centimeters and horizontal length of 106.8 centimeters collection Place: the National Palace Museun in Taipei Painting of Mount Lu was created by Jing Hao,a famous painter during the Five Dynasties. It gets the name from inscription made by a scholar of the Song Dynasty in the painting. Mount Lu has another name of Kuanglu.
The scholar of the Song Dynasty believed this painting depicted Mount Lu.
This ink painting of landscape fully demonstrates the features of painting of landscape in northern styleoriginated by Jing Hao,i.e., grand landscape, rigorous composition and imposing and profound manner. In this artwork, peak towers, and waterfall drops from the cliff. Huts and compounds are secluded in the shade of forest. In order to show the quality of mountainous stone, minor fiber-like light-ink stroke method is used to vividly show the clear structure and rigid feature of mountainous stone in the northern region. Such sophisticated application of light-ink stroke greatly enriches the expression of the Chinese painting of landscape.
Brief Background
Light-ink stroke methods(Cun)
Cun refers to the chapping after the skin is frozen. In Chinese painting of landscape, texture and qualityof mountainous stones are similar to skin chaps. There are dozens of light-ink stroke methods for Chinese painting of landscape.
luts and compounds are located at the foot of mountain.Gulley and waterfall are behind the village.The features of traditional Chinese painting are fully enbodied with quiet atmosphere.
Rolling-cloud cun
Art Master
Jing Hao
Jing Hao was a painter in the Later Liang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties，who was a native of Qinshui（in today’s Shanxi）.He lived a secluded life in Taihang Mountain.He was good at painting of landscape.He originated and enriched the light-ink stroke methods for Chinese painting of landscape，and authoredBrushwork Record.
There is clear structure in mountainous stone. outlining, light-ink stroke, spotting and rendering are all applied. The”minor fiber-covering light-inkstroke method”is used to vividly show the quality of mountainous stones which are bold and upright in arranged layers.
Story Corner
Jing Hao Met with An Immortal
During the Five Dynasties, frequent wars broke out in the Central Plains. In order to escape from the wars, Jing Hao lived a secluded life in Taihang Mountain. He made sketches for mountainous stones and trees in Taihang Mountain every day. One day, when he passed by Shigu Rock, he met a man with white hair and ruddy complexion hale and hearty. The old man asked Jing Hao about painting skills. Jing Hao considered this old man ordinary people in the country，so he replied:”Good painting depends on similarity and favorable presence.
“The old man shook his head and said:”You make sketches here every day with admiring spirit.But similarity in form or appearance is not enough.Unity of form and spirit can only be achieved through careful observation and probe into feature and spiritual essence of object.”The old man also imparted Jing Hao with brushwork essentials.
Jing Hao knew that he met with a talented master.He saluted quickly and asked about the old man’s name.
The old man said nothing with a smile，and left away elegantly.
Under the guidance of the old man，Jing Hao was inspired and finally understood the painting theory.He diligently made paintings，and eventually emerged as a master for painting of landscape.
Bold and upright mountainou
This house can be aceessible with winding mountainous path.
