Song Xu (, born 1525), was a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...

landscape painter Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compo ...

. His

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China China, officially the People's R ...

was Chuyang (初炀) and pen name was Shimen (石门, "Stone Gate"). Song eventually became a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

priest and adopted various religious names. He was, according to some sources from Jixing in Zhejiang province, but others assert that he was from

Huzhou Huzhou (, ; Huzhounese: ''ghou² cieu¹'') is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provi ...

in Zhejiang Province. Song was and extremely well read and well versed individual who was greatly influenced by

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

teaching. He was an expert landscapist, but also excelled at human figures. During the late 16th century, he traveled throughout China. A 1543 scroll shows his study of the

Song period The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

painter

Xia Gui Xia Gui (; fl. 1195–1224), courtesy name Yuyu (禹玉), was a Chinese landscape painter of the Song dynasty. Very little is known about his life, and only a few of his works survive, but he is generally considered one of China's greatest ...

. He is said to have studied the works of the master artist

Shen Zhou Shen Zhou (, 1427–1509), courtesy names Qi'nan () and Shitian (), was a Chinese painter in the Ming dynasty. He lived during the post-transition period of the Yuan conquest of the Ming. Luckily, his family worked closely with the government a ...

. Song's eccentric paintings are often characterized by inscriptions in characters of an archaic style. He was largely individualistic and independent, working for the most part outside the major painting schools of his age. An extant painting of Buddhist

Arhat In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved '' Nirvana'' and liberated ...

s bears a date of 1605. Other works show a still active painter at eighty-one.

''Eighteen Views of Huzhou''

Song Xu's series '' Eighteen Views of Huzhou'' ('湖州十八景圖) was produced . These annotated landscapes are of scenic locations renowned for their beauty around the city of Wuxing, southeastern China. The album is held by

The Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptia ...

Gallery

MET DP159127.jpg MET DP159130.jpg MET DP159134.jpg MET DP159135.jpg

References

*James Cahill, ''The Distant Mountains'', Weatherhill, New York and Tokyo, 1982, pp. 63–66. *Yu Lianhua, ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Artists'' (Zhongguo meishu jia renming cidian), Shanghai, p. 323. {{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Xu 1525 births Ming dynasty landscape painters Year of death unknown Painters from Zhejiang Buddhist artists