Home Amidst Strange Peaks and Auspicious Clouds (Jia Ju Qi Feng Xiang Yun Zhong) Landscapes In Watercolor

Strange peaks appear and disappear amidst the shrouded clouds, creating an ethereal, almost aura of being "surrounded by auspicious clouds." Scattered among the mountains are houses (a tower on the left, residential buildings on the right), suggesting the leisurely feeling of "living" amidst the peaks. Trees in the foreground, including a red-flowered tree, add vitality and color to the austere rock formations. The overall image conveys a sense of harmony between man and nature, a tranquil and detached dwelling, embodying the traditional pursuit of "livable and immersive" landscapes in traditional landscape painting.

The Qilu School of Painting, founded by the Northern Song Dynasty painter Li Cheng (from Qingzhou, Shandong), focuses on the landscapes of Shandong. He employs light ink and the "rolling cloud texture" technique to convey the ethereal and vigorous nature of the landscape, pursuing the artistic conception of "rocks moving like clouds." The artist of "Living Among Strange Peaks and Auspicious Clouds," Li Shan ("Luren" refers to his Shandong origin), possesses a subject matter and brushwork style that aligns closely with the regional DNA of the Qilu School.