Man on Horseback

Zhao Mengfu(1254-1322),also called Zi'ang, the Taoist of Songxue and the Taoist of Shuijinggong, was a descendant of the imperial family of Song who grew up in Wuxing, Zhejiang Province. He was a painter of landscapes, figures, birds,flowers and ink bamboos, accustomed to using a wet,flowing brush and painting in steady, delicate strokes. His rocks, however, were executed with a dry brush.His bamboos were painted in a style resembling calligraphy. Dissatisfied with the artistic style represented by the Academy of Painting of Southern Song, which had been the vogue for many years, he advocated changes that led to the formation of the Yuan Dynasty school of painting.