This album presents Shitao’s interpretations and transcriptions of travel poems by his patron-friendHuang Yanlü (Huang You, 1661–ca. 1725), a wealthy merchant of considerable cultural sophistication. The places mentioned in the poems include famous sites in Guizhou, Hunan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian provinces. The album exemplifies Shitao’s extraordinary originality and versatility. Done in his old age, thelandscapes demonstrate the entire spectrum of his stylistic sources and innovations through decades of experimentation. Whether sketched in monochromes or meticulously finished in refined colors, they represent the perfect union of fresh observation and imaginationwith art-historical awareness. cat. no. 75
