Li Chao-tao

Li Chao-tao, the son of Li ssu-hsün, was born in T'ien-shui in Kansu province. He excelled in painting landscapes in the style invented by his father. The two Li's are equally famous and are usually referred to as the "Elder General Li" and the "Younger General Li". Landscapes in the Li family style are characterized by complex compositions filled with minute details. Often trees, rocks, and mountains are drawn with a steady, even line using a very thin brush. These outlines are then filled in with thick, opaque mineral pigments, such as iron red, azurite blue, and malachite green. Thin gold lines are often added on top of these colors to define the patterns on the surfaces of rocks and mountains, creating the impression of a brilliant, shimmering surface of precious materials. Later critics called this style the "Blue and Green" manner and considered it the beginning of the "Northern School" of Chinese painting. This painting belongs to the Li family tradition of painting and bears the signature of Li Chao-tao at the lower right.
Li Chao-tao, a member of the T'ang imperial clan, was active in Hsüan-tsung's reign (713-755). According to painting histories, Li Chao-tao's father, Li Ssu-hsün, specialized in landscape painting and served as Left General-in-chief of the Militant Guard, hence known as “Greater General Li” then. With his father's guidance, Li Chao-tao followed his study of painting, which is why he was praised as “Lesser General Li”. This blue-and-green landscape in the fine-line manner, with its even strokes, delicately delineates the outlines of various forms, such as the mountains and trees. They were then filled with hues of ochre, malachite, and azurite, leading one to imagine the bright and dazzling colors along with the brilliant brushwork when originally done.
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