SHEN ZHOU: “Lofty mountain”, c.1480 - ink on paper

Shen Zhou was one of the most important Chinese artists during the splendour of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and the founder of the Wu School. Working on small formats allowed Zhou to focus his interest in the textures and the well-balanced compositions.

“Lofty mountain” is a clear example of all this. Nevertheless, and contrary to many other works by the artist, the human figure is not explicitly present in the composition, and here the artist has preferred to dedicate exclusively to the formidable natural landscape. Really characteristic of Zhou's works is the small poem that accompanies the landscape, in addition to a list of the collectors who have owned the work.