In the mid-1340s Wang Meng left government service and his home and moved to the region around Suzhou. a centre for the self-exiled literati. When this painting was made, the victory of the rebels seemed all but certain, but that is not the case for the future of the coterie of artists and poets residing in Suzhou. As in most of his paintings, there are still figures in his landscape, but they are the only fixed points in a landscape twisted by violent convulsions.
His concern was well-placed. He upset the first Ming emperor and spent the last five years of his life in prison.
141x42.2cms
Shanghai Museum