Landscape in the blue-green manner

The dominant influence of Orthodox literati painting in ink monochrome inspired a new approach to the blue-green landscape style in the late Qing dynasty. Zhao Wei’s painting breaks free from the brilliant mineral colors and traditional decorative effects of this ancient landscape manner. After applying ink monochrome brushstrokes to create the shapes of the mountains and texture of the rocks, the artist added light blue and green watercolors to evoke an archaistic feeling. In his long inscription, Zhao aligns himself with the Orthodox tradition by referring to the Yuan-dynasty painter Huang Gongwang’s theories of landscape. Zhao’s deliberately eccentric and somewhat clumsy calligraphy reflects his interest in earlier stone and bronze inscriptions as a source of creative inspiration.