Artist: Xie Shichen (1487-after 1567)
Date: Ming (1368-1644), dated 1555
Dimensions: Height 169.7 cm, Width 91.5 cm
Material: Ink and color on paper
Xie Shichen, also known by his zi (courtesy name) Sizhong and his hao (literary name) Chuxian, was a native of Wu County (present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu). Skilled in landscape painting, he was particularly adept at composing large-scale works. His brushwork and ink techniques drew from both the Wu and Zhe Schools, forming a unique style. This painting depicts a scene of traveling through a winter forest. The brushwork is rustic and vigorous, evoking a desolate and melancholic atmosphere. It was created in the Yimao year of the Jiajing era (1555), when the artist was sixty-nine years old.
