Untitled is a 1477 ink by Shen Zhou, depicting Landscape, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This image shows a quiet mountain scene with sharp, jagged rocks and a few small trees clinging to the slopes. The ink lines are precise, almost like sketching, with some faint color added to the rocks and sky. A tiny village sits tucked into the valley, barely visible. The artist used thin, layered lines to build up shadows and texture—this is called *cross-hatching*. It gives the scene a sense of depth without heavy shading. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists create shading with just lines.
Shen Zhou spent his life in the Suzhou region of China, where his family’s money and connections mattered more than art—until it did.
See the richer artist page
