李士达是正直的、有正义感的画家。明代后期，社会矛盾急剧加深，苏州为全国有名的工商业城市，纺织业尤为发达，所受的封建掠夺也最严重。万历二十九年(公元1601年）皇帝派来亲信宦官、税监孙隆等，在苏州横征暴敛，任意增税，激起广大失业织工的反抗。在这之前，有一次孙隆召集苏州名流众吏，气焰不可一世，吓得这些人“咸屈膝”，只有李士达不买帐，“长揖而出”。这件事使孙隆大为脑火，马上派人追捕。幸亏有人庇护他，才免于一场灾难。从此，李士达就隐居在新郭。不久，苏州爆发了有万余人参加的织工和市民反税监斗争，给明朝统治者以沉重打击，使李士达也受到了激烈的震动。这—年，他创作了《浔阳琵琶图卷》，以唐代诗人白居易贬官江州时所作的长诗为题材，当是寄托了对黑暗社会的不满与愤慨。

李士达在画上署名很特别，三个字都是只写左边一大半，也可能别有含意，至少从一个侧面反映出他的孤傲性格。他的作品多数是表现文人高士的闲适、放达的生活，如《松阴搔背》，《松竹高士》、《坐听松风》、《蕉阴独酌》、《西园雅集》；另—类是佛道鬼神，如《寒林钟馗》、《罗汉卷》、《仙山楼阁》；还有一类具有风俗漫画的性质，如《三驼图》。
《三驼图》(故宫博物院藏)作于万历四十五年(公元1617年)冬，画面无背景，只用白描法勾勒出三个姿态生动传神的驼背人，其中一人策杖提盘，一人拱手相问，一人拍手大笑。这是寓意深刻的讽刺画。画上有钱允治题诗道；“张驼提盒去探亲，李驼遇见问缘因，赵驼拍手呵呵笑，世上原来无直人。”可见，此画用曲折的讽喻手法，对当时社会现实进行了辛辣的嘲弄。画家用极其简略的似乎漫不经心的线条，栩栩如生地勾画出三个人的形体、神态和动作，可以看出他非常熟练地掌握了唐宋以来的白描人物技法。

李士达由于处境的关系，把自己的见解、感情、理想，以幻想的神仙境界寄寓之。《仙山楼阁图》描绘春天来到，山岭一片青绿，桃花盛开，成群结队的老人们在云烟飘渺的山间闲步欢语。仙山桃源这类题材，古人也画过，但赋予主题各不相同，有的寄托长生不老的梦想，有的表达信奉神仙的虔诚。而在李士达的笔下，“仙山”与“凡山”并无大异；活动在其中的并不是道貌岸然的“神仙”。而是平平常常的市井凡人。这不能不说是在审美理想方面的一个变化。

李士达最熟悉的还是文人雅士的日常生活。比如《西园雅集图》(苏州博物馆藏)刻画了二十二个人物，在山林野外的自在生活，分为五组，或挥毫作画．或吮笔构思，或谈禅论道，或弹琴遣兴。各组之间以树石或小桥自然分隔，又以僮仆的回首返顾使各组之间呼应联系。山石、人物造型多为圆形，线条柔韧，神态极生动。

李土达对绘画美的要求有“五美”——“苍、逸、奇、远(一作圆)、韵”；反对“五恶”——“嫩、板、刻、生、痴”，被评为“深得画理”。所谓“苍”美，是指笔墨成熟老练，既刚劲挺拔，又精气内含，达到苍劲、苍茫、苍润的效果。所谓“逸”美，是要求挥洒自如，放纵超脱，意趣为主，反对矫揉做作，呆板无味。所谓“奇”美，通指画面新奇，不同凡响，自出心裁。明代后期，画坛流行师古之风，提倡平淡无奇，稍有一点新奇气息，便斥为“野孤禅”、“邪派”。在这种风气之下，李士达能打破常规，提倡独创，是尤为难能可贵的。

Li Shida [Ming], life is about the middle of the sixteenth century to the early seventeenth century, No. Yang Huai, a recollection, Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province. The first year of Wanli (1573) Guiyi provincial examinations held in Wanli two years (AD 1574) examination of Scholars, Taichang first year (AD 1620) also painted a "GuanShan wind and rain map", live eighty How old. Painting figures, landscape world. Wanli seclusion between the new Guo. Try to draw a five beautiful clouds: "Cang, Yi, Qi, far, rhyme." Five evil cloud: "tender, board, carved, raw, crazy." Life to eighty outside. The first year of Taichang (1620 o) as a mountain rain and wind taste. "Ming painting", "silent poetry history", "Wu County", "National Palace Weekly". The main works "Songyin scratching", "Songzhu Goldsmith", "sit listening to the wind", "banana Yinzhuo", "West Park Accor", "cold forest Zhong Kui", "Luohan volume" "Three camel map."

Li Shida is upright, a sense of justice of the painter. The late Ming Dynasty, social contradictions deepened, Suzhou is the famous industrial and commercial city, the textile industry is particularly developed, the feudal looting suffered the most serious. Wanli twenty-nine years (AD 1601) the emperor sent a trusted eunuch, tax supervisor Sun Long, etc., in Suzhou, extortion, arbitrary tax increase, aroused widespread unemployed weavers of resistance. Prior to this, there is once a crowded Suzhou celebrities Sun Long, arrogance arrogance, scared these people "salted knees", only Li Shida not buy it, "long bow out." This incident so that Sun Long as a brain fire, immediately sent to chase. Fortunately, someone shelter him, was saved from a disaster. Since then, Li Shida seclusion in the new Guo. Soon, Suzhou broke out more than a thousand people participated in the weavers and public anti-tax supervision struggle to the rulers of the Ming Dynasty to a heavy blow, so that Li Shida has also been a fierce shock. This year, he created the "Xunyang Pipa Volume" to the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi demoted to Jiangzhou when the long poem as the theme, when the sustenance of the dark society of discontent and indignation.

Li Shida because of the relationship between the situation, their own views, feelings, ideals, to the fantasy of the immortal realm of Jiyu. "Mountain Pagoda" depicts the spring came, a green mountain, peach blossom, groups of old people in the clouds misty mountain leisurely step Huan language. Xianyan Taoyuan these themes, the ancients also painted, but given the theme of different, and some sustenance of the dream of immortality, and some expression of gods believe in piety. In Li Shida's pen, "mountains" and "where the mountain" is not different; activities in which not pious "gods." But ordinary people often marketplace. It can not be said that in the aesthetic ideal of a change.

Li Shida is the most familiar or literati 's daily life. For example, "West Garden Elegant Figure" (Suzhou Museum) depicts the twenty-two characters, free living in the wild in the mountains, divided into five groups, or brush painting. Or suck pen ideas, or talk about Zen on the Road, or playing the piano. Between the groups of trees or bridges to the natural separation, but also to look back child care servants to make contact between the various groups. Rock, character modeling for the circular, flexible lines, very vivid expression.

Li Duda's "Five Beauties" in Painting: "Cang, Yi, Qi, Yuan (rhyme), Yun"; opposed to "Five Evils" - "tenderness, plate, carving, life and foolishness" "Won the painting." The so-called "Cang" the United States, is the ink mature and sophisticated, both bold and upright, and refined gas containing, to vigorous, vast, Cang Run effect. The so-called "Yat" beauty, is required to sway freely, indulgence detached, interest-based, against artificial rubbing contrived, dull and tasteless. The so-called "odd" the United States, refers to the screen novel, extraordinary, ingenuity. In the late Ming Dynasty, the popular style of the ancient popular painting division, to promote bland, a little novel atmosphere, they dismissed as "wild solitary Zen", "evil". In this atmosphere, Li Shida can break the routine, to promote the original, is particularly valuable.