In this painting, the complex layers of ink and colour and the seemingly ‘unskilled’ (zhuo) strokes, have a rustic quality that captures the scholar’s idyllic retreat in a simple setting. The artist uses heavy brushstrokes with layers of dark ink, typical of his style in his later years. Huang Binhong (1865–1955) also known as Zhi or Pucun, named himself Binhong in memory of the Binhong Pavilion in his birthplace, in She County, Anhui Province. He was a dedicated landscape painter. Through his fifties, he sought to learn from the works of ancient masters. He travelled widely throughout the country to admire and study the splendour of nature. His landscapes bear tribute to the landscapes of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). He was one of the first Chinese artists to make an overall study of brushwork, in theory as well as in practice.
