Reminiscences of Nanjing: Riding the Clouds

This painting of a horseback rider ascending a cloudy peak, with a torrent below, projects a theme of perseverance. Painted in the last year of Shitao's life, the image was probably self-reflective. From the outset, Shitao's life was beset with difficulties. He was orphaned as an infant when most of his family was murdered in a violent dynastic overthrow. Because his father had been a prince of the conquered dynasty, it was assumed that Shitao would never deign to serve the new dynasty's government. He became a reclusive Buddhist monk and lived for a period in Nanjing, whose sites he recorded in the twelve paintings that comprise the album Reminiscences of Nanjing. The emotional tone in Reminiscences of Nanjing ranges from happy to melancholy. In each painting Shitao used the strong, blunt brushwork that is his signature style, and sometimes he interjected a visually exciting, fresh approach to the natural world. The overall economy of description of Riding the Clouds characterizes Shitao's innovative painting style. He created an approach to painting that, at first glance, seems naively simple but is, in fact, a deliberate and difficult-to-achieve look-one which perhaps resonates with the Daoist view that awkwardness can be the greatest skill.