Spring River

 Much of the painting’s success lies in its convincing arrangement of boats floating along the water. Chao used sharp, dark patches of ink to draw the scattered boats. He added a tiny figure to each of the two boats in the foreground, leading the eye back and forth across the boats through the figures’ red and blue clothing. The man in the red robe who has gone ahead is now resting. The blue-clothed man behind him paddles strenuously to catch up. To enliven the spring scene around the islands, the artist applied gray, blue, and pale greens to the islands in the center.

Inscribed:

The misty river and the spring grass,

For ten thousand miles, share the same color.

—In the lunar Yichou year [1985], spring, third month.

Shao-an.