Li Zhaodao

Li Zhaodao was the son of the famous Tang administrator and artist Li Xixiun . Unlike the “older Lee,” historical information about the “younger Lee” is more scarce. The Sun critic and theoretician Guo Zhuyu in his Notes on Painting: What He Saw and Heard reports the following: "... Little commander Li was the son of Li Sysyun. Sysyun ... rose to the rank of Great commander Wuyi. His son Zhaodao held the post of chungshe at the heir to the throne. Both father and son were talented painters. When the father died, people began to call Zhaodao “Little Li Leader.” ^[2] That is, the younger Li followed in his father's footsteps, made a good administrative career and continued the family tradition of the “blue-green landscape.”

After Empress Wuhou (624–705) renounced the throne, Li Zhaodao and his father took an active part in restoring the rule of the Li clan to which they belonged. This activity contributed to rapid career growth, and in 713, Li Zhaodao received the rank of general (da-jiangjun). His further appointments are known from the chronicles of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong (713-756), in which Li received posts in central departments, including the Imperial Secretariat.

The name Li Zhaodao in the history of Chinese painting is usually mentioned together with the name of his father as one of the founders of the blue-green style of the landscape. In addition, according to the classification introduced by the renowned art theorist and critic of the Ming Dong Qichang era, Li's father and son are the founders of the “northern school of landscape” - one of the two main directions of this genre, which is characterized by careful elaboration of details, and a clear ink outline.

The real works of Li Zhaodao have not been preserved. His name is usually associated with the painting "The Travel of Minghuan to Shu", which is stored in the National Museum of Taipei. This outstanding example of a “blue-green landscape” is perhaps the best that has been preserved from the Tang landscape painting. Unlike the early landscape, which was just a scene for any event, the landscape dominates and suppresses in this picture. The huge mountains are the main characters, and the emperor and his retinue are lost in a wide valley. The majesty of the landscape inherent in this work will be continued in the works of artists of the Five Dynasty and Song period .

The Chinese tradition attributes the “Journey of Minghuang to Shu” to Li Zhaodao’s brush, but experts have virtually no good reason to believe so. The fact is that the picture does not depict a “journey”, but the flight of Minghuang (Emperor Xuanzong ) south of An Lushan’s troops; The "journey" in this case is only a euphemism befitting the Son of Heaven. However, this event occurred 15 years after the death of the artist, so he could not depict him. Modern experts believe that this is a Suna copy of the painting, which was created around 800 by an unknown Tang artist who worked in the style of the Lee family.

In addition to the famous painting by Li Zhaodao, several more works are attributed to our days in later copies, among which there is the painting "Travelers in the Spring Mountains" from the Taipei National Palace Museum, copying the composition "Travel of Minghuang to Shu." This copy of the Ming era imitates a more archaic landscape.

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  The journey of Minghuang to Shu, the left side.

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  The journey of Minghuang to Shu, the right side.

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  Dragon boat racing. Gugong, Beijing.

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  Luoyang Tower. Album sheet. Gugong, Taipei.

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  Travelers in the spring mountains. Gugong, Taipei.

(by Prince James Cahill "An index of early Chinese painters and paintings: Tang, Sung, and Yüan" University of California Press. 1980)

• Dragon boat racing. Fan painting. Attributed. Yuan or later work. Beijing Gugong
• Chu River. Wooded mountains. An extensive palace amidst wind-blown waters. The poem is written by Emperor Qianlong. Taipei Gugong
• Travelers in the spring mountains. Late work in the manner of copying the composition of the journey of Minghuang to Shu. Taipei Gugong
• Luoyang Tower. Album sheet. Colophon written by Dong Qichang. Yuan or Early Minnan work. Taipei Gugong
• The horseman near the lake. Minsk work in an archaic manner. Gugong, Taipei.
• Lianchang Palace. Album sheet. Attributed. South Song?
• Mountains in the spring. Scroll. Gold and green colors. Colophon signed by Xi (Li Dongyang of the Ming period). Late imitation. Fuji Yurinkan Collection, Kyoto
• Jucheng Palace. Fragment of late imitation. Boston MII
• Dawn over the islands in the ocean. Scroll, silk in a blue-green manner. There are several other versions of this composition and all are attributed to Li Zhaodao. Freer, Washington
• Two archaic paintings - scrolls in a blue-green manner. Late imitations. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• River landscape with houses covered by snowy mountains. Attributed. Late darkened silk work. Laufer catalog.

• Guo Zhuyu . Notes on painting: what he saw and heard. - M.: Science, 1978 p. 50
• Vinogradova N. A. Chinese landscape painting. - M.: Fine Arts, 1972 p. 46-48
• The spiritual culture of China. Encyclopedia. V.6, M. 2010, pp. 617-618
• Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting. Yale University Press. 1997 pp 66-68