Shane McCausland

Zhao Mengfu (hereafter ZMF) is important as one of the Northern Song literati who 'went over' to the Yuan Dynasty and worked in their court after the N. Song fell (1126...and for a corresponding work on the last N. Song emperor, Huizong, I recommend Patricia Ebrey's excellent book, [b:Emperor Huizong|17804384|Emperor Huizong|Patricia Buckley Ebrey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367223693s/17804384.jpg|24906363]). It was originally ZMFs's paintings that motivated me to read this volume as I'm an enthusiastic admirer of his work (for an example, see one of his most famous paintings 'Sheep and Goat'--the jacket design), as well as more information about his marriage and wife, but it was in the end the story of his life and transition to the Yuan Court, his relationship to those literati and artists who followed him, and those who did not, that intrigued me and kept me reading.

My biggest disappointment was a shortage of material on his wife (Guan Daosheng), who is believed to have been a major contributor not only to his life but also to many of his works. Both are credited with the scroll in the Palace Museum in Beijing known as 'Elegance Emerging from a Bamboo Thicket' dated 1321, as well as several other works. A renowned calligrapher as well as artist, she is remembered in women's studies as the poet who upon receiving a poem from her husband revealing his musing over taking a concubine, responded with a poem of her own entitled 'Song of Me and You' (he changed his mind). Some scholars consider her "the most famous female painter in Chinese history", so a little more of her contribution to her husband's life and works seemed in order. But to be fair to author McCausland, Chinese history was recorded by men so to even have her name known today is a minor miracle.

Not for the casual reader, nor someone looking for an introduction to Yuan art, as it assumes a familiarity with 12th century political-historical as well as art-history leitmotifs, but for someone who has a fairly good background in Chinese history and is looking for insights into the life and times of the aristocracy and literati of the period, and of course of the artist Zhao Mengfu himself.… (más)