Observing a waterfall in remote mountains

Reclusive life in the mountains is often depicted with waterfalls. Lan Ying, a renowned landscaper painter, combines fishing with watching waterfalls in this hanging scroll. Fishermen have anchored their boats and play flutes along the shore. At the top of the mountain sits a man in a cottage, watching a waterfall pour down from the peaks. This peaceful scene is rendered in a distinctive manner by its seventy-three-year-old artist through manipulation of ink and brush, with strokes that are dark and harsh or dry and soft.

As Lan states in his inscription on the painting, his work is influenced by that of the monk and painter Wu Zhen (1280–1354). Lan spent fifty years studying Wu’s landscapes. Wu, who referred to himself as Plum Monk, followed Tao Yuanming’s lifestyle of living in poverty and isolation. His lyrical style, as applied to the subjects of fishing and seclusion, influenced the sensibility of many later artists.