Analysis of the Scroll “Ba Bridge in the Snow”: The Results of the Creative Journey of Shen Zhou (1427–1509)

Abstract

Shen Zhou is the founder of the Wumen-Pai movement, which was prominent in southern China in the XV–XVI centuries. Shen Zhou became famous as a poet, painter, and calligrapher. In the article, the late stage of his creative work is investigated by the example of the vertical scroll “Ba bridge in the snow”. The technique of monochrome writing and the composition of the winter landscape are analyzed. The article examines the influence of biographical and social factors, Confucian teachings and Taoist practices on Shen Zhou’s painting. A comprehensive study of the scroll makes it possible to reveal the master’s worldview. The scroll, without any topographical accuracy, depicts an imaginary view of the bridge on the Bashui River. The study of the poetic inscription demonstrates the discrepancy between the poetic rhyme and the rhythm of calligraphic forms. The gradations of ink tone in calligraphy combine it with the color of painting. Shen Zhou transfers the calligraphic technique of working with the wrist and holding the brush to painting. The scroll uses the composition type “one river three banks”, in which the elements mirror each other upside down. The artist creates a dynamic balance of empty and filled spaces. The most valuable quality of Shen Zhou painting is considered by Chinese experts to be its “desalination” (tribute), which implies a balanced mental attitude, sublime clarity of thoughts and heartfelt sincerity of their expression. Behind the simplicity and naturalness of Shen Zhou’s painting are effective energetic practices and a high mastery of hidden stylistic quotations from masterpieces of previous eras. By the end of his life, Shen Zhou realized the utopian ideal of unlimited longevity and, as the analysis of the scroll shows, found humility before the inevitability of death. Shen Zhou’s art has made his name famous for centuries.