Reminiscences of Nanjing: Ancient Pine at the Nunnery of Hsu Mansion

Shitao's painting is noted for its innovative simplicity of expression and bold vigor. Unlike many acclaimed Chinese painters of his generation, he avoided conscious imitation of earlier masters' style. This painting and another, displayed on the opposite side of the doorway, belong to an album, Reminiscences of Nanjing, that Shitao created in the last year of his life. The artist had lived in Nanjing during the 1680s, serving as monk-in-charge of a Buddhist temple. 

In the poem in this painting, Shitao provide the location of the pine tree and suggest it was planted during the Six Dynasties (317-589). He weaves together thoughts about the hoary strength of the old pine--a symbol of integrity and steadfastness in Chinese lore--with a reference to the Buddhist Pure Land, where the souls of believers are reborn. These joint images of moral uprightness and salvation seem self-reflective.

The son of a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) prince, Shitao was an infant when his parents were murdered at the fall of the dynasty. He was raised incognito in a Buddhist monastery, and it was expected that, as a royal descendant, he would never serve the new Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Therefore, Shitao became a reclusive monk, but ultimately his success as a painter brought him wider social interaction, which helped sustain him psychologically and encouraged his exploration of a pathbreaking style.