Mountain Trees after Rain

Wang Xuehao [Wang Hsüeh-hao], famous in the early decades of the 19th century, painted this landscape in the manner of the orthodox master Wang Hui (1632-1717) and dedicated it to his aunt. According to Wang Xuehao, Wang Hui said that the secret of cultivated painting was "writing." One must paint as one writes; "if it is simply to trace lines, it is a craft." Wang Xuehao took this to heart as he created this abbreviated yet powerfully expressive mountain scene.