Chao Meng-fu, (1254 - 1322)

Zhao Mengfu (Chinese: 趙孟頫; pinyin: Zhào Mèngfǔ; Wade–Giles: Chao Meng-fu; courtesy name Zi'ang (子昂); pseudonyms Songxue (松雪, "Pine Snow"), Oubo (鷗波, "Gull Waves"), and Shuijing-gong Dao-ren (水精宮道人, "Master of the Water Spirits Palace"); 1254–1322), was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, and scholar during the Yuan dynasty. He was a descendant of the Song dynasty's imperial family through Emperor Xiaozong's brother Zhao Bogui who married a lady surnamed Song who was the granddaughter of Emperor Huizong. Zhao Bogui was a descendant of Emperor Taizu, through his son Zhao Defang.

He was recommended by the Censor-in-chief Cheng Jufu to pay an audience with Kublai Khan in 1286 at the Yuan capital of Dadu, but was not awarded an important position in office. His work was however, greatly appreciated later by the Confucian-inspired Yuan Emperor Renzong. Zhao was a member of the "Academy of Worthies".

He was married to Guan Daosheng, who was also an accomplished poet, painter and calligrapher. His rejection of the refined, gentle brushwork of his era in favour of the cruder style of the eighth century is considered to have brought about a revolution that created the modern Chinese landscape painting. He was known for his paintings of horses. His landscapes are also considered to be done in a style that focuses more on a literal laying of ground. Rather than organizing them in a foreground, middle ground, and background pattern he layers middle grounds at various heights to create a sense of depth. This pattern of organization makes his paintings appear very simple and approachable. It was this characteristic that so many people valued about his style.

One of his most celebrated landscape paintings is exhibited at the Princeton University Art Museum with the title “The Mind Landscape of Xie Youyu” (幼輿丘壑), an allusion to the nature-loving scholar-official Xie Youyu (280–322). However, in 2019 Dutch scholar Lennert Gesterkamp argued that the colophon attached to the painting and mentioning Xie Youyu is a forgery, and that in fact Zhao Mengfu's intention was to honor his own spiritual master, Daoist scholar Du Daojian (1237–1318), who also celebrated nature.

Zhao Mengfu had several sons with his wife Guan Daosheng. His second son, Zhao Yong, also became a famous painter and calligrapher. He was also the maternal grandfather of Wang Meng, another famous painter. Zhao Mengfu was related to the later Ming dynasty literary figure Zhao Yiguang and his son Zhao Jun.

För kratern, se Chao Meng-Fu (krater).

Zhao Mengfu, född 1254, död 1322, var en kinesisk målare, kalligraf, statsman och furste med härkomst från Songdynastins kejsarhus.

Han fick tidigt hög ställning, men drog sig vid Songdynastins fall 1279 tillbaka till privatlivet. Han återkallades emellertid till hovet av Yuan, var verksam under fem mongolkejsare och åtnjöt stor aktning. Han var utpräglad traditionalist och studerade Song-målarna, men än mer de äldre konstnärerna från Tang, i synnerhet Wang Wei. Han hade en ovilja att följa det förfinade, försiktiga målerisättet som var vanligt på hans tid och föredrog istället den grövre stilen från 800-talet. Detta anses ha gett upphov till en revolution som skapade de moderna kinesiska landskapsmålningarna.

Han är berömd som hästmålare och anslöt sig som sådan till Han Gan och Li Gonglin. Som landskapsmålare står han med sina ofta torrt och precist utförda bilder i skarp kontrast till de inspirerat expressiva föregångarna. De honom tillskrivna hästmålningarna torde vanligen vara senare imitationer. Med större sannolikhet kunna vissa framställningar av andra djur och figurer i landskap betraktas som original av Zhao, t.ex. en horisontalrulle med ett får och en get, enligt påskrift utförda efter naturen (Freer Gallery of Art, Washington), och ett par stora, färgrika kompositioner med historiska scener i traditionellt behandlade landskap (Nationalmuseet, Peking).

Nedslagskratern Chao Meng-Fu på planeten Merkurius är uppkallad efter honom.

Zhao var gift med Guan Daosheng, som också var en framstående konstnär.