RiverscapeWen Cheng-ming (1470-1559)Ming Dynasty Wen Cheng-ming, a native of Ch'ang-chou, Kiangsu, was originally named Pi. His style names were Cheng-ming and Cheng-chung, and his sobriquets T'ing-yün-sheng and Heng-shan chü-shih. He later used “Cheng-ming” as his personal name. Excelling in poetry, belles-lettres, calligraphy, and painting, he is one of the “Four Great Masters” of the Ming dynasty. He created his own style and greatly influenced artists of the late Ming period. Wen Cheng-ming used colors to paint a riverscape in which the distant islands are shrouded in mist and the sails of boats are on the far horizon. The coloration of the entire fan painting is clear and elegant. His brushwork for leaves and moss is light, lively, yet sure. The composition is divided into three parts with the bluish mountains in the background and the tall pavilion in the foreground separated by a watery expanse. The water and sky blend into a vast continuum punctuated only by sailboats. Wen Cheng-ming has created an unusually fine work which is simple yet evocative of boundless space. This painting is the eleventh leaf in the album P'i-hsün ch'i-ku.