Shen Hao

CHINA, Jiangsu, Suzhou; Ming dynasty

Shen Hao, also known as Langqian or Shitian, was an artist from Wuxian (present day Suzhou, Jiangsu). He had an unrestrained character and was skilled in the areas of poetry, literature, and calligraphy. In calligraphy, he was proficient in most scripts, and in painting he was adept in depicting landscapes, being capable of copying the works of many other artists such as Shen Zhou. In his old age, he adopted an elegant and detailed style of brushwork. He also authored several books on painting theory, such as Painting Dust and Burning Ink-Slab.
In Painting Dust, Shen wrote of the similarities and differences between Chan Buddhism and painting schools in China. He also mentioned his enlightenment that occurred while painting, clearly showing the high state he attained by incorporating Chan into his work. His extant paintings, Waterfall Over the Hanging Cliff is kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, while Landscape of Jingguan and Colored Landscape are kept at the Shanghai Museum.