Landscapes of the Four Seasons
Shitao frequently employed the album format to give full play to his imaginative use of brush techniques and compositional designs. In this series of eight leaves, datable stylistically to the last decade of the artist's life, he explores the theme of landscape. Working in a free, wet-ink manner, Shitao reveals his independence from conventional models and methods in these highly personal images. As he observed in his Recorded Sayings on Painting of about 1700:
Even if my brush does not resemble brush and my ink does not resemble ink and my painting does not resemble painting, I make sure that my self is always present in my work.
(Wen Fong, trans.)
Even if my brush does not resemble brush and my ink does not resemble ink and my painting does not resemble painting, I make sure that my self is always present in my work.
(Wen Fong, trans.)
Artwork Details
- 清 石濤(朱若極) 四季山水圖 冊
- Title: Landscapes of the Four Seasons
- Artist: Shitao (Zhu Ruoji) (Chinese, 1642–1707)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Culture: China
- Medium: Album of eight leaves; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: 5 7/8 × 10 3/4 in. (14.9 × 27.3 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988
- Object Number: 1989.363.155a–h
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Shitao (Zhu Ruoji)
19th–early 20th century
Shitao (Zhu Ruoji)
ca. 1700
Shitao (Zhu Ruoji)
ca. 1700
Shitao (Zhu Ruoji)
dated 1699
Shitao (Zhu Ruoji)
dated 1705
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.