What was the purpose of the split brush technique used by Xia Gui?

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Pure and Remote View of Streams and Mountains, detail of hand scroll in ink and paper by Xia Gui, early 13th century (Southern Song); in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan. — Xia Gui *Pure and Remote View of Streams and Mountains*, detail of hand scroll in ink and paper by Xia Gui, early 13th century (Southern Song); in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.

The "split brush" technique used by the Southern Song dynasty artist Xia Gui involved dividing the brush tip to create two or more strokes simultaneously. According to historical accounts of his style, this technique was primarily employed when painting tree foliage.1

In addition to this method, Xia Gui was noted for other deliberate stylistic choices, such as using a brush with a worn tip. The purpose of these techniques was to avoid the over-refined, "slick" appearance that characterized the work of many other Imperial Painting Academy artists of the period, allowing him to achieve a more spontaneous and mature effect in his landscape painting.1