Dwelling in the Mountains

Compared to famous mountains and rivers, Li Huasheng was more interested in depicting lesser-known natural scenes of his home province of Sichuan in southwestern China. Here, the saturated ink in the foreground group of rocks and the trees provides an interesting foil to the diluted washes that form the mountains and low hills. The artist was skilled at using dynamic ink and expressionistic brushwork to convey his spirit. His compositions are innovative and whimsical, often with a touch of equally eccentric calligraphy. Li rose from poverty to national acclaim in the 1990s and his art became more abstract and meditative since then. An avid writer on the nature of Chinese painting and its role in society, his liberal opinions in public forums were often disagreed with by conservative art critics.