Ten Great Landscape Paintings of the Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty in China lasted for more than 300 years, and its painting continued to develop on the basis of the Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties. Folk painting, Court painting, and Literati painting each formed their own systems, while influencing, absorbing, and permeating each other, thus creating the beautiful and fantasy landscape of Song Dynasty painting.
1. Li Cheng (919-967)
A master landscape painter of the Northern Song Dynasty in China, his works established a unique artistic tradition. He was particularly adept at depicting the natural scenery of the Chinese countryside. In Li Cheng paintings, you can feel a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere, allowing your body to completely relax. Li Cheng excelled at depicting scenery with light ink. His technique was restrained yet exquisite. Later generations praised his ink painting style as "precious ink like gold."
Representative works include "Reading the Stele by the Rocks", "Winter Forest and Plains", "Clear Peaks and Temples", and "Dense Forest and Distant Peaks".
2. Dong Yuan: (934-962)
Dong Yuan was the founder of the Southern School of landscape painting, and his ink wash landscape paintings had a great influence on later generations of painters. He is historically known as one of the Three Great Painters of the Northern Song Dynasty, along with Li Cheng and Fan Kuan.
His extant works include "Waiting for Ferry at the Mountain Pass in Summer", "Xiao Xiang Tu", "Summer Mountain", "Stream Bank", and "Clear Colors in the Forest".
Xiao Xiang Tu
collection of the the Palace Museum
3. Fan Kuan (950-1032)
Fan Kuan was free-spirited, fond of wine and Daoism. He is historically known as one of the Three Great Painters of the Northern Song Dynasty, along with Li Cheng and Dong Yuan.
The mountains in Fan Kuan's paintings are majestic and magnificent, with a grand and imposing presence that evokes a sense of awe.
Travelers Among Mountains and Streams
206.3 x 103.3 cm Ink on silk
Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
4. Guo Xi（1000-1090）
Guo Xi emphasized a deep understanding of life when painting landscapes, and was able to realistically, meticulously and subtly express the characteristics of different regions, seasons and climates, capturing "the differences in distance, depth, time of day and night, wind and rain, light and darkness," creating an extremely rich, beautiful and moving artistic conception.
Guo Xi was also good at shadow sculpture, using mud to build relief-style landscapes on the walls, which was quite interesting.
His works include "Early Spring", "Spring Snow on the Mountain Pass", "Rocks and Distant Views", "Secluded Valley", and "Ancient Trees and Distant Mountains".
Early Spring
Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
5. Li Gonglin（1049-1106）
Li Gonglin was skilled in appraising ancient artifacts. However, he was best known for his paintings, particularly his figures, horses, landscapes, and flowers and birds. Li Gonglin greatly developed and popularized the figure painting style of the Northern Song Dynasty and was hailed as a "master of line drawing."
Longmian Mountain Villa
6.Li Tang (1066-1150)
He is known as one of the "Four Great Masters of the Southern Song Dynasty" along with Liu Songnian, Ma Yuan, and Xia Gui. He excelled in landscape and figure painting.
Landscape in the Four Seasons
32 x 515 cm
Takatōin Collection, Kyoto, Japan
7. Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145)
Zhang Zeduan once served as a Hanlin Academician, excelling in painting pavilions, buildings, trees, and figures. His genre paintings, depicting markets, bridges, streets, and city walls with meticulous detail and precise boundary lines, rendered figures as small as beans and horses as lifelike.
Along the River During the Qingming Festival is one of the ten most famous paintings in Chinese history. Measuring 9.76 inches wide × 208.15 inches long, it is a genre painting from the Northern Song Dynasty and the only surviving masterpiece by the Northern Song painter Zhang Zeduan. it is currently housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
8. Liu Songnian (1131-1218)
Liu Songnian was a court painter in the Southern Song Dynasty who served three emperors.
His works include "Four Seasons Landscape Painting", "Meeting Guests at the Stream Pavilion", "Celestial Maiden Offering Flowers", and "Four Generals of the Restoration".
9. Ma Yuan
Ma Yuan excelled in painting landscapes, figures, and flowers and birds. His landscapes were modeled after Li Tang, characterized by vigorous and bold brushstrokes.
Representative works include Treading the Song, Waterscape, Plum Blossoms, Rocks, and Ducks, and Elegant Gathering at the Western Garden.
A detail of Ma Yuan's "Solitary Angler on a Cold River"
10. Xia Gui
Xia Gui was one of the "Four Great Painters of the Southern Song Dynasty." His landscape paintings followed the style of Li Tang, while also absorbing the strengths of Fan Kuan, Mi Fu, and Mi Youren, thus forming his own unique style.
Xia Gui's brushwork is concise yet profound, capturing the spirit rather than the form, which aligns well with the literati painting's pursuit of "simplicity and naturalness."
Clear and Distant Landscape with Streams and Mountains
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