Catalogue Note
This landscape depicts mighty mountains in the distance with clear outlines. With highly limited brushworks the spirit of prosperous plants is transmitted in a subtle yet flavorful manner. Zha puts great importance on the composition of the far away, the middle land, and the foreground, in order to achieve exquisite balance in the image. Viewers’ eyes, after appreciating the wood bridge in the foreground, drift naturally through the middle land of small villas into the far away mountains rising towards the sky. The effortless and elegant use of brushworks and ink makes this piece a representative works of literati’s paintings and a valuable addition to the collection of Zha Shibiao’s works.