Man Painting at Desk

Inscribed: Learning from Badashan ren and master Qi Baishi, I practiced brushwork for days. Now I try to put colors on the painting. March 21, 1995, at Nanshan Studio, Fang Zhaoling.

Two important artists are mentioned in the inscription on this painting. A talented and eccentric painter, Badashan ren ("Eight Great Mountains man"), also known as Zhu Da (1620–1725), was a member of the imperial family of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). He survived the fall of that dynasty to the Manchu-controlled Qing and spent much of his later life in exile. His painting style, which featured broad, loose and spontaneous brushstrokes in wet ink with great contrasts between light and dark, was very influential on many later artists. Qi Baishi (1864–1957) was one of the great Chinese painting masters of the twentieth century. His influence can be seen in many works by Fang Zhaoling.