Zhao Zuo Landscape Map Fan Page

[Zhao Zuo’s landscape painting fan page]

The landscape painting fan page, Ming Dynasty, Zhao Zuo’s painting, gold paper, color setting, 14.8 cm vertically and 43.9 cm horizontally
The fan page has its own title: “On the first day of autumn, Zhao Zuo in Huating.” The seal of “Zhao Zuo’s seal” is white. “Jiachen” is the thirty-second year of Wanli (1604)
The picture shows the Jiangnan water town with willow streams and boats. The composition of the picture is based on Pingyuan. Through the method of pushing forward layer by layer, it shows the far, middle and close view. First, the reed in the close view pushes out the narrow and long river channel. On the rippled water, a high-ranking man rides alone in a boat, leisurely and comfortable, and points out the theme of free travel. The river stretches back to the sandy slope land, on which there are rows of dense willow trees. The willow leaves overlap each other, creating a scene of prosperity. Houses and distant mountains can be seen behind the willow trees, indicating that this is a habitable and tourable place for high scholars to hide. Although there are many scenes in the whole picture, they are scattered and orderly, showing the author’s control over the spatial level and the complex but not disorderly expression. It is Zhao Zuo’s masterpiece of fine brushwork landscape in his mature period