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Wen Chang-Shuen (1925–2005) was an important eastern gouache artist in the history of Taiwanese art. As his Mandarin name suggests, his style is characterized by warmth and smoothness combined with elegance and excellence. Wen even established the “Taiwan Greenwater Gouache Painting Association” in 1991 with senior artists Huang Ou-Po and Hsieh Jung-Fan to actively promote eastern gouache. Besides attracting more people to learn and understand eastern gouache, the society has enabled eastern gouache to gain a foothold in Taiwan’s art learning. In this work, the artist creates a visual flow with an inverted C. The sea of clouds is surrounded by towering mountains rising up and down to contend in beauty and fascination. A withered tree standing alone in the foreground strikes a contrast against the towering mountains in the rear to make a sense of desolation stand out. It is like what the poet Li Bai said in his poem: “Distance matters not as I visit the five eminent peaks hoping to find sages, for I have loved climbing renowned mountains all my life. The Lu Mountains divide the land with the Archer drawing its bow overhead, and the landscape expands like a screen of nine folds embellished with clouds in the sky.” Earth colors such as coffee, green, and indigo are used to present a classical and elegant temperament.

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