Soughing Wind among Mountain Pines

Li T'ang (ca. A.D. 104%-1130), Sung dynasty (A.D. 960-1279)
Light color and ink on silk. Hanging scroll. 188.7 x 139.8 cm.

Li T'ang was a native of Honan. He served in the Imperial Painting Academy when the capital was in the north. When the court moved south, he continued to serve, receiving the highest honors and dominating the new Academy with his style till the end of the dynasty.
Deep in the valley a myriad pines cluster in majestic density against boulders carved and worked as if in iron. Waterfalls burble with pearls. Sombre in spirit and massive in form, the brushwork is pungent and inspired.
Dated A.D. 1124 and executed when the artist was seventy-six years of age, this work is truly Li T'ang's finest extant masterpiece.

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