In
the eventful age of the Five Dynastic, Ching Hao, a native of Shênshui,
Honan, lived as a hermit on the Taiheng Mountain and devoted himself
to the painting of landscapes. Author of a famous essay entitled The
Secret of Landscape Painting, he was critical of the great T'ang masters,
maintaining that Wu Tao-tzÛ
knew how to use his brush, but not his ink, while the contrary was true of
Hsiang Yung, another renowned T'ang artist. Kuan T'ung was his disciple,
and his style was followed and developed by Fan K¡¦uan
and other masters of the early Sung period.
The
picture here portrays the scenic spots of Lu Shan, the mountain resort in
Kiangsi.
On
the picture, Emperor Kao Tsung of the Southern Sung Dynasty wrote: "A
Genuine Master-piece by Ching Hao." There are several
other inscription, including one by the Yuan
art critic, K'o Chiu-ssÛ.
Few
of Ching Hao's works survive today. This one has long been recognized as a
genuine and fine piece.
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