Wang Meng (1308-1385), known as Shuming, Huangheshanqiao and Xiangguang Jushi, was a famous painter in the Yuan Dynasty, and was known as the "Four Yuan Families" together with Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen and Ni Zhan.
"Autumn Mountain Thatched Cottage" was created in the Yuan Dynasty. Dimensions: 123.3 cm long, 54.8 cm wide. Current collection: National Palace Museum, Taipei.
"Autumn Mountain Thatched Cottage" depicts a quiet and peaceful autumn scene in the south of the Yangtze River. In the picture, the autumn mountains are densely wooded, the autumn leaves are gorgeous, and the thatched huts and thatched cottages are hidden in the middle, where village women are working and children are playing, and on the thatched cottages, there are Gao Shiju sitting on the couch to read the scrolls. The picture transitions from the trees in the near background to the village houses in the middle view, and then pushes from the peaks in the middle view to the mountains in the distance, reproducing the artistic conception of Guo Xi's "flat and far-reaching". The water surface is vast, the mountains are undulating, and the typical scenery of the Jiangnan hills.
Wang Meng used thick ink and dry brushes in "Autumn Mountain Cottage", which is the characteristic of Yuan painting. The leaves are either dotted with leaves, or as hooked circles, and the ink pen dots the leaves with ochre, and the leaves are first covered with ochre, and then dyed with thin sand color from light to dense, so that the sand color of the leaves has obvious shade changes, highlighting the three-dimensional sense and layering of the leaves. The earth, rocks and trees are dotted with dense wet brush ink, and then mixed with pale sand color to render a heavy autumn mood.
Wang Meng's paintings are characterized by their complexity, with mountains and mountains, pine trees, and many changes. He likes to use the solution and the cow hair, dry and wet are used interchangeably, and the beauty is fresh and fresh in the thick and muddy. This work also reflects his early clean painting style.
"Autumn Mountain Thatched Cottage" is not only a painting of natural scenery, but also a manifestation of a state of mind. The characters in the picture, such as Gao Shi, village women, and children, as well as the quiet and peaceful life scenes in which they live, all reveal a romantic and comfortable life atmosphere that is indisputable with the world. This breath of life is everyone's spiritual yearning.
"Autumn Mountain Thatched Cottage" is one of Wang Meng's representative works, which not only shows Wang Meng's superb painting skills and unique artistic style, but also conveys a profound artistic conception and emotion through the picture. With its delicate brushstrokes, elegant colors and profound artistic conception, this work has become a classic in the history of Chinese painting. Whether in terms of technique, style or artistic conception, "Autumn Mountain Thatched Cottage" is a masterpiece worth savoring.
