Poet on a Mountaintop

Examining the words in the poem, it is clear that Shen Zhou is purposely shining a light on the magnificent views around the man in the painting.

The poetry found in the painting makes observations that undermine concepts of Anthropocentrism, which views humans as the primary and/or only dictators of morality.

During a time period before such technological advances, Poet on a Mountain Top expresses a separation between meaning distilled in established society and the wisdom found in nature, which pushes a posthumanist ideology in its spirit.

Due to the level of wealth this family experienced, Shen Zhou had a significant length of time to practice his craft.

Shen Zhou's father and uncle had been taught by Chen Kuan (1398 – c. 1467), a teacher who was principal in demonstrating the style of the Wu School.

This deep intermingling of family and scholars is what eventually formed Shen Zhou into the model student, referenced throughout history as an exemplification of the Wu School style.

[5] Much of his landscape art was based heavily on Yuan artists, borrowing their simplicity and intricate texture strokes to make a pure and refined style.

[5] Similarly, the influence of the Song dynasty on Shen Zhou's art can be seen in the de-emphasis of humans by drawing them as a small part of the painting instead of at the center.

Poet on a Mountaintop
This is an example of the topography Shen Zhou experienced during his travels locally around Suzhou. It's likely Shen Zhou was depicting mountains very similar to these in Poet on a Mountaintop .
This is an example of the light brushstrokes used by many artists during the Yuan dynasty. Shen Zhou used a similar technique when creating his works.