Zhang Shunzi
Vigorous Yuan landscape and cypress master
Zhang Shunzi(张舜咨) (birth and death dates unknown) was a painter during the Yuan Dynasty. His courtesy name was Shikui(师夔), and his art names were Lishan(栎山) and Zhezuiweng(辄醉翁). He was from Hangzhou, Zhejiang. He once served as a professor of Confucian studies on Ningguo Road. In the second year of the Tianshun era (1329), he was assigned to the Jiangsu-Zhejiang provincial administration as a commissioner and later transferred to Xiuning County as an assistant secretary. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he also served as the magistrate of Longxi in Zhangzhou and Putian County in Xinghua. He was skilled in painting landscapes, bamboo, and rocks, with a steady brushwork full of vigor. He was also proficient in calligraphy and poetry, carefully studying the techniques of various schools and combining the strengths of each to develop his own style. When creating paintings, he paid attention to layout. Whether large scenes or small ones, he had his own methods. His landscapes give viewers the feeling of being there in person. His depictions of ancient, towering cypresses are particularly striking. He was also good at poetry and calligraphy, earning him the nickname “the master of three arts.” Some of his works include 'Chu Clouds and Xiang Waters', 'Travelers on the Pass', 'Ancient Cypress', 'Duquan', 'Cloudy Mountains with Cypress and Rocks', 'Dead Tree', 'Autumn Fields', 'Farewell at the Painted Tower', 'Small Scenery', 'Poetic Ideas', 'Xie Family Pond', 'Listening to Rain on the Spring River', 'Trees and Rocks', 'Homeward Thoughts', and 'Eagle and Cypress', among others.