Misty Landscapes

明朝盛糾燁繪水石松晚圖冊柿五枚紙本痓綎

These five works belong to a series of mountain scenes painted by Sheng Maoye, a native of Suzhou, in Jiangsu province. Located in southeastern China, Suzhou was known for its gardens and arts. A devout Taoist, Sheng followed the teachings of local scholar-artists who theorized that a gentleman's spirit corresponds to natural elements such as mountains and water. Sheng depicted nature in ways to suggest the ideal life for educated gentlemen, and imbued his landscapes with a sense of peacefulness, as he suggested in the inscription on the last image of this scroll:

Stone is visible in the deep through cold water;
Wind is whistling at night through pine trees.

Artitist's bibiography:
Little is known about the life of Sheng Maoye; contemporary sources describe his painting style but provide no details about his official career or his family. This suggests he was a professional painter rather than a member of the educated elite.