On the occasion of
Bird's eye view
Mountains, rivers, fog:
landscape in Far Eastern art
In Chinese language the word landscape has many variations one of which is shānchuān (山川, “mountain-river”). The link between landscape and art in Far East is ancient and the f
irst attestations appeare in Chinese painting during the IV century. Unlike Western concept of art as copy from nature, Far East painting is mainly feeling of nature, an imagination born in the artist soul’ depth. Far Eastern painters don’t paint real landscapes but soul settings like visions of mountains, rivers, solitary monasteries on the top of unreachable peaks which give a message of emotion and remark. Contours are shaded, painting becomes attached to calligraphy. In these paintings human beings are absent or they are simple, reduced, small apparitions on a stage of which nature and its violent beauty are the only protagonists.
Western perspective is unknown for Far Eastern artists who prefer give spectators not only one point of view but severals, a look which enables eyes to “fly” in the painted landscape. This kind of perspective is called bird’s eye view.
Chinese painting of landscape culminates during Song Dynasty (960-1279). In this period painting style called shan shui (山水, “mountain-water”) develops. This style is characterized by images of steep mountains, inaccessible gullies and impetuous rivers. During Song era two painting schools develop: Northern Song and Southern Song painting schools. Northern School paintings present harsh landscapes with rocky mountains and twisted rivers which leave no space for sky’s light emptiness. Southern School aka Literati painting present lower and less steep mountains which make possible to look at sky or at misty valleys or lakes whose contours are faded. Looking at these paintings, it seems we can listen to landscapes’ silence.
Painting of China during Song Dynasty influences Korea art as well. Korean artists develop Chinese painters’ austere landscape models in a more vivacious way. Korean painting’s brushstrokes are more marked and less shaded than Chinese. Korean landscape painting is more corporeal, less foggy, its clashes are stronger.
Japanese artists hark back to Chinese landscape paintings to create their own style. First Japanese landscape painters are Buddhist monks and they stay for a short or long time in Chinese Buddhist monasteries where study Chinese paintings. Otherwise they get inspired by paintings which Chinese monks bring into Japan. Japanese painters direct their attention above all to Southern painting style’s emptiness, a characteristic influenced by Chán Buddhism, which is called Zen in Japan. Japanese panting’s landscape is more delicate and less severe than Chinese. There are two styles in Japanese painting, kara-e (唐絵) and yamato-e (やまと絵), “Chinese style painting” and “Japanese style painting”. Yamato-e will develop and it
will give orgin to other painting schools, like Tosa (土佐派, XV century), Kanō (狩野派, XV-XVI centuries) and Rinpa (琳派, XVII century). These schools will subsequently originate ukiyo-e style (浮世絵). Ukiyo-e are the last movement of Japanese traditional art and they represent maybe the most complete example of Far Eastern art conception of a “felt”, “evoked” landscape more than a “seen”, “described”, “portrayed” landscape. A landscape which is never real but imaginative and ambiguous also if it is drawn on real places indicated with their real names.
irst attestations appeare in Chinese painting during the IV century. Unlike Western concept of art as copy from nature, Far East painting is mainly feeling of nature, an imagination born in the artist soul’ depth. Far Eastern painters don’t paint real landscapes but soul settings like visions of mountains, rivers, solitary monasteries on the top of unreachable peaks which give a message of emotion and remark. Contours are shaded, painting becomes attached to calligraphy. In these paintings human beings are absent or they are simple, reduced, small apparitions on a stage of which nature and its violent beauty are the only protagonists.Western perspective is unknown for Far Eastern artists who prefer give spectators not only one point of view but severals, a look which enables eyes to “fly” in the painted landscape. This kind of perspective is called bird’s eye view.
Chinese painting of landscape culminates during Song Dynasty (960-1279). In this period painting style called shan shui (山水, “mountain-water”) develops. This style is characterized by images of steep mountains, inaccessible gullies and impetuous rivers. During Song era two painting schools develop: Northern Song and Southern Song painting schools. Northern School paintings present harsh landscapes with rocky mountains and twisted rivers which leave no space for sky’s light emptiness. Southern School aka Literati painting present lower and less steep mountains which make possible to look at sky or at misty valleys or lakes whose contours are faded. Looking at these paintings, it seems we can listen to landscapes’ silence.
Painting of China during Song Dynasty influences Korea art as well. Korean artists develop Chinese painters’ austere landscape models in a more vivacious way. Korean painting’s brushstrokes are more marked and less shaded than Chinese. Korean landscape painting is more corporeal, less foggy, its clashes are stronger.
Japanese artists hark back to Chinese landscape paintings to create their own style. First Japanese landscape painters are Buddhist monks and they stay for a short or long time in Chinese Buddhist monasteries where study Chinese paintings. Otherwise they get inspired by paintings which Chinese monks bring into Japan. Japanese painters direct their attention above all to Southern painting style’s emptiness, a characteristic influenced by Chán Buddhism, which is called Zen in Japan. Japanese panting’s landscape is more delicate and less severe than Chinese. There are two styles in Japanese painting, kara-e (唐絵) and yamato-e (やまと絵), “Chinese style painting” and “Japanese style painting”. Yamato-e will develop and it
will give orgin to other painting schools, like Tosa (土佐派, XV century), Kanō (狩野派, XV-XVI centuries) and Rinpa (琳派, XVII century). These schools will subsequently originate ukiyo-e style (浮世絵). Ukiyo-e are the last movement of Japanese traditional art and they represent maybe the most complete example of Far Eastern art conception of a “felt”, “evoked” landscape more than a “seen”, “described”, “portrayed” landscape. A landscape which is never real but imaginative and ambiguous also if it is drawn on real places indicated with their real names.
No comments:
Post a Comment