The Road to Shu
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Road to Shu” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked October 12, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Liu Du was a pupil of the last Zhe school master, Lan Ying (1585-1664), also shown in this gallery. Both artists worked in Hangzhou. Liu was an important professional painter, skilled in many formats and accomplished in painting in the styles of the old masters. His favorites were Li Cheng (919-967) whose influence can be seen here in the bare trees, and Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322). The theme of this painting, the Road to Shu, is an historical reference to the temporary collapse of the Tang court in the 8th century and the emperor Xuanzong's self-imposed exile to the distant state of Shu (Sichuan province). Liu's colophon states that the painting was dedicated to the Daoist elder Quezhai and that he was influenced in this work by the ideas of Yuan dynasty painters (14th century).
The Tang poet Li Bai wrote the Road to Shu is
difficult, every time one reads it, it makes a man
Read on
sigh, exclaim at its precipitousness and be afraid
to travel there. . . how could he not sigh at the
difficulties of expressing all this in a painting. . .
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 89.53
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
