River Village: Fisherman's Joy

Zhao Mengfu descended from the defeated Southern Song imperial family but accepted service at Khubilai Khan's court. The landscape combines a flat southern water setting with sharper trees and rocks associated with northern painting. Its blue-green palette recalls older models central to his artistic program under the new dynasty.

Two narrow boats carry standing figures across the water. The small people indicate river activity and give scale to the open surface.

A cottage and fence stand on the farther bank. The buildings belong to a quiet lowland setting characteristic of southern landscape painting.

A pointed peak rises behind the blue-green ridge. Color and elaborate rock drawing reflect the study of older pictorial models.

Tall thin trunks fill the near bank. The museum connects their spiky branches with the northern landscape tradition.

Blue-green rocks gather at the trees' feet. The colored areas maintain the landscape's overall scheme from the foreground to the mountains.

Khubilai recruited Zhao Mengfu to the court at Dadu in 1286. He was also a calligrapher and connoisseur of older art. His position as a Song descendant serving the Yuan helps explain the importance of the past in his practice.