Wen Zhengming's Clearing After Snow

The painting Clearing after snow in a wintry grove of trees is a masterpiece of the Ming dynasty painter Wen Zhengming (1470-1559). This painting depicts a peaceful scene of mountains and trees after snow, with the inscription of Wen’s close friend, Wang Chong (1494-1533). By analyzing the imageries and allusions of the poem and the pictorial meaning of the painting, this short essay will interpret the identity of Wen Zhengming as a virtuous scholar and amateur painter.
This painting was Wen Zhengming’s gift for Hua Xia, who was a philosopher and art collector. He finished this painting after an excursion to a mountain valley after snow in the year (1533) when he secluded from the court. The painting depicts a graceful snow landscape of Suzhou
Since Daoists believe that a human should indulge in nature, release their heart, and meditate in peace to find the meaning of life, their central belief agrees with the pursuit of reclusion. Therefore, the practice of Daoism, the indigenous religion and philosophy, became a necessary part of the hermit culture. In painting’s foreground, several villas locate amidst a wintry grove of trees and two Daoren sit apart silently and peacefully. One looks upward, appreciating the trees covered with snow while the other leans down, enjoying the sound of the water. On the other side of the veranda-bridge, another villa hides among trees. The villa might be the “pavilion” mentioned in the verse, “Daoren are sitting in the lofty pavilion”. However, as the trail extends further, valley, water, and trees gradually disappear in the cloud, leading our sight to the snow-covered mountain behind. At the vanishing point, a group of temple roofs is still discernible (fig.2). What would be the mysterious temples and how is the hidden scenery evokes people’s interests of exploration. Actually, none of those is important because the most precious thing is the reclusion itself. Though there was a remarkable development of Daoism during the Yongle (1402-1424) and Jiajing (1507-1567) reigns because of imperial support, the force that drives scholars to seclude is the political
All of these make him deserves the title of Shaowei Star, the name of the most respected scholar. Moreover, regarding the brushwork and ink applied, there is sensible freedom in the painting. Wen Zhengmin’s classical loose brush depicts the mountain and lots of places were kept white to represent the snow. Sky and water are in light ink, creating the pleasant calmness and quietness while ocher the trunks and rocks contrast sharply against the light background. Since Wu School painters did not need to meet the requirement of the patron, the free spirit in their painting could not be imitated by Zhe School painters easily. When mentioned Wu School, it is Shen Zhou who established Wu School, but Wen Zhengming who promoted it to its peak. Considering the function, or say, the meaning of the painting, Wu School and Zhe School shared different ideas. The former believed the painting should be a pure form of art pursuit, so people named the Wu School painters as an amateur painter. On the contrary, painting for making money was widely accepted by Zhe School painter, which is the reason why people sometimes think they are artists. An art critic of Ming Dynasty named Wang Zhideng once said: . 王穉登又评论：（文征明）笔力扛鼎，非仇英辈所能梦见也。意思是文征明画中的风格气质，仇英这种画家做梦都梦不到。.”This free spirit is and essential trait of a true Shi Da Fu and Wen Zhengming also deemed it as a key point that enhances an artwork. A great painting should be full of Shiqi, the