Long Conversation in Green Shade

Wen Zhengming was a leading artist of the individualist Wu school that flourished in his hometown of Suzhou in southeastern China during the fifteenth century. After a brief, unsatisfying political career, Wen returned to Suzhou and lived a life of painting and other scholarly pursuits. His precocious talents in painting, calligraphy, and poetry earned him high esteem from his contemporaries.

Here, Wen depicts an ideal reclusive life spent in harmony with nature. Two sitting scholars engage in a conversation by a river at the foot of a mountain. In composition and execution, the artist demonstrates the elegant style of the scholarly painting tradition and his skillful mastery of ink and brush in rendering details. He used a characteristic approach to convey a peaceful and relax atmosphere, combining elaborate, dry brushwork with subtle tonal variations.