| 内容简介（英文） | Liu Sung-nien, a native of Hangchou, Chekiang, lived at Ch'ing-po-men, and so acquired the names Liu Ch'ing-po and An-men Liu. He was a student in the Imperial Painting Academy during the reign of Emperor Hsiao-tsung (r. 1162-1189) and later served as a Painter-in-Attendance during the Shao-hsi period (1190-1195). He was skilled in landscape and figure painting, having studied the painting methods of Chang Tung-li. Liu’s paintings possess a pure and exquisite spirit, and his fame surpassed that of his master. Towering willows shade the cool pavilion on the bridge which leads to a peaceful, quiet courtyard. The tightly structured composition draws attention to the rich green foliage which indicates that it is the height of summer. The sloped embankments, the distant mountain peaks, and the leaves of trees have been limned with malachite and azurite. In the Southern Sung, there was a taste for landscapes which where lightly colored with washes of blue and green. There are no signatures nor seals on this painting, but there is an old label attributing it to Liu Sung-nien. However, the style is inferior, so this must be a later work. |
