Created during the Yuan Dynasty, Zhao Mengfu’s painting Sheep and Goat (二羊圖) depicts the two animals in a state of balance and contrast. The goat is stiff and angled, with lines of dry ink used to create its hair strands, while the sheep is stately and rounded, its coat covered in patterns formed of wet ink. Composition-wise, the two animals are depicted facing opposite directions, yet their heads turn back to look at each other, within which a sense of balance is created between the sheep’s raised head and the goat’s lowered head. In addition, the coat of the sheep is mostly white, while the goat’s fleece is dark in colour. Combined together, the animals form a single composition that alludes to the ying-yang symbol in Daoism. This reflects how Zhao’s geometric structuring within his paintings is believed to be connected to his Buddhist and Daoist influences.
Above the depicted animals, Zhao’s inscription in the painting mentions that although his work is beneath ancient masters in technical skill, he believes that he has captured the essences of the animals. Such sentimentality relates to Zhao’s status as an early master within the tradition of literati painters (文人畫), which prioritises personal expression over verisimilitude. This tradition speaks to a trend in Yuan dynasty art, where painters turned away from the artistic conventions of the previous Song dynasty in favour of a painting style that regarded representational likeness as less important. Instead, paintings during this period often alluded to earlier styles, as well as employ calligraphic brushwork.
Zhao eliminated every contextual backdrop. There is no landscape, no architecture, not even a grounding line, only the animals, suspended in the void. This emptiness forces the viewer's eye to lock onto the contrast between the two creatures and the two techniques. But it also suggests a barren, unspoken spiritual wasteland.
Later, the Qing emperor Qianlong placed his seal on the painting: "Qianlong chenhan" (Seal of the Qianlong Emperor). A ruler who had conquered the very territory, he too could not resist the painting's interrogation about power, loyalty, and the impossible choices of individual conscience.
