Monk Painter Shi Tao and His Innovative Paintings

A Painting of Huangshan

According to renowned contemporary artist and painter Li Yimang, the painters residing on Huangshan Mountain who were inspired by the connotative beauty of the mountain created typical landscape paintings, featuring “compact touches, graceful outlines and elegant styles".

The late Ming and early Qing artists Shi Tao, Jian Jiang and Mei Qing were the three representatives of the school. Although categorized in the same school, they have different characteristics and styles. It is said that Shi Tao managed to capture the soul of Huangshan Mountain.

Nowadays, whenever Chinese landscape painting is mentioned, Mt. Huangshan comes to mind, which is attributed to the efforts of the Huangshan School painters such as Shi Tao.

Shi was noted for the painting series “Eight Scenic Spots of Huangshan Mountain” that carved deep impressions in people’s minds.

A Painting of Orchids

He also excelled in painting plants such as orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums. These were also based on his own careful observations. To better understand the image of the orchid and learn its growth habits, he visited orchid areas in Lushan Mountain and Huangshan Mountain several times.