Shi Tao (1642–1707) (also known as the Bitter Melon Monk, core figure of the Four Early Qing Buddhist Monks) produced multiple celebrated versions of Dwelling in the Mountains, with two definitive masterpieces: a 1691 (Xinwei year, age 49, during his northern tour in Beijing) handscroll (ink on paper, 28.5 cm × 283 cm, formerly in the Chen Rentao collection, sold at Christie’s) and a 1701 (Xinsi year, age 60, at his Great Purification Studio (Da Di Tang) in Yangzhou) hanging scroll (ink and light color on paper, a late‑career classic, also titled Grass Hut in the Yellow Mountains). His 1701 version bears the colophon “Painted for Mr. Baoxiao’s return to his thatched cottage in the Yellow Mountains at the 15th day of the third lunar month, Xinsi. By Ji of the Qing Xiang, the Great Purification Hermit, at Qinglian Cottage,” sealed with “Old Man of Qing Xiang” and “Stored in the Famous Mountains.”
The composition of the 1701 Yangzhou version is a masterclass in layered serenity and dynamic brushwork: a cluster of thatched cottages nestles among ancient pines and jagged crags in the midground, with a scholar visible through the cottage window, immersed in reading. Winding mountain paths, mist‑shrouded waterfalls, and distant peaks fading into pale ink washes form the background. Shi Tao uses his signature sludge‑carrying texture strokes (tuo ni dai shui cun) for the rock faces, wet‑brush washes for the mist and streams, and dry‑brush dotting for pine needles and moss. The gradation from dense, dark ink in the foreground to faint, ethereal washes in the distance creates profound spatial depth, while the sparse, lively lines for the figure and the cottage convey the peace of literati seclusion. Light ochre and blue mineral colors add subtle warmth without overwhelming the ink’s dominance.
This late‑career work synthesizes Shi Tao’s lifelong artistic philosophy of “My Own Method (Wo Zi You Wo Fa)” and learning directly from nature, firmly rejecting the rigid academic formulas of the Four Wangs school. Beyond a mere landscape, it embodies the dual nostalgia of a Ming imperial descendant (for his lost homeland) and the literati ideal of spiritual freedom through retreat. The seamless integration of poetry, calligraphy, and painting (the Three Perfections) elevates its cultural weight, while its technical innovation—especially the bold interplay between wet and dry ink, and the expressive texture strokes—makes it a benchmark of early Qing innovative literati painting, and a poignant record of Shi Tao’s mature vision in his final years in Yangzhou.