The Pine Spring among Misty Peaks

Hua Yan is considered one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, a group of professional artists attracted to that port city by the generous patronage of its wealthy salt merchants. These merchants had the governmental monopoly on the sale of salt in China, and as a result were immensely wealthy. To show their new taste, they particularly liked to sponsor artists who experimented with unorthodox styles and innovative compositions.

Hua is best known for his loose and spontaneous brushwork and bold composition. But as this painting demonstrates, Hua is also capable of creating highly detailed landscapes in styles practiced by the literati painters. This painting is closely related in style to the works of orthodox painters who served at the court. In addition to landscapes, Hua is also known for painting birds, animals, and plants. His inscription reads:

A pine spring, blue kingfisher barricade.
Vines on jutting boulders make smoky hollows,
And elsewhere there are actual ravines.
Green, green is the ink.