2-738-812 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Pure Tones among Hills and Waters, 1664. Painted by Xiao Yuncong at an advanced age, this work exhibits a spontaneous effect of effortlessness, with a rough boldness that differs from the artist's other style depicting striated mountains with carefully articulated brushwork. A humble retreat amid planted pines is set against the backdrop of grand mountains and rivers. A mood of quietude echoes these poetic lines in the artist’s inscription: The myriad sounds for a time fall silent, and a trifling breeze drops a pure tone. No one can describe this feeling, and who could appraise this scene?