Li T'ang: Whispering Pines in the Gorges

Sung Dynasty

Hanging scroll / ink and color on silk

Artwork : 187.5 x 138.7cm

Hanging scroll : 212.0 x 141.1cm

Li T'ang (1049-1130) was a native of Ho-yang, Honan province. His style name was Hsi-ku. He first followed the landscape style of the T'ang painter Li Ssu-hsun, but later changed to a newer style. This piece, produced when Li T'ang was seventy-six years old, confronts the viewer with its overwhelming voluminousness. Depicted in adept brushstrokes, it is the most complete and the unparalleled masterpiece among the paintings attributed to him.