Expert answer:3 pages of Chinese Arts Essay
Expert answer:Write an Chines Arts essay. Purely Visual Experience, no research or any citations required. Follow the instructions in the document.
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In this assignment, you will examine two Chinese landscapes painted during periods of political
disharmony. This topic explores the use of nature as a metaphor for the human.
All works are located at the Met, in the Chinese and Japanese painting galleries.
This is an exercise in visual analysis; no research is necessary. If you do use reference
materials, however, be sure to cite sources, including web sources such as Wikipedia, and
museum text labels and panels and online entries.
A few points to remember:
–In Chinese names, the last name precedes the first name (e.g. Tang is the last name in Tang Di); in
Japanese names, the last name follows the first name (e.g. Hoitsu is the last name in Sakai Hoitsu.)
–Chinese and Japanese calligraphy is read from top to bottom and from right to left.
Write an essay of 3 pages long.
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TWO CHINESE LANDSCAPES AS MIRRORS OF THEIR TIMES
Unidentified artist
Gall. 216
Waiting for the Ferry
Southern Song dynasty, early 13th century
Fan mounted as an album leaf; ink on silk
13.100.117
Picture Link: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/36007
&
Tang Di (ca.1287-1355)
Gall. 210
Landscape after a poem by Wang Wei
Yuan dynasty, dated 1323
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
1985.214.147
–The artist’s inscription on the upper right states that he painted this image after a poem by
the 8th century Tang poet Wang Wei.
Picture Link: https://metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/41194
The anonymous artist of the 13th century fan lived during the Southern Song dynasty, a time of
national division and flight of Chinese loyalists from the north. Recall that the Chinese empire
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was torn asunder by the Jin Tartars, who overthrew the Northern Song court and established
their own dynasty in the north, while the remainder of the Chinese court fled south and
established a new Southern Song court in Hangzhou.
Tang Di lived under the rule of the Mongols, who conquered the whole of China in 1279 by
vanquishing the Jin in the North and the Southern Song in the south, and who established the
Yuan dynasty, which lasted until 1368. For the first time in Chinese history, the entire empire
was ruled by a foreign power. The Mongols were suspicious of native Chinese scholars, many of
whose loyalties remained with the fallen Song dynasty. As a result, the Mongols did not accept
Chinese scholars into government positions, nor did the scholars wish to serve what they
considered to be an illegitimate regime. Many of them went into reclusion, turning to
literature and painting as a means of expressing their sense of alienation.
Note that the theme of pine trees was popular in Yuan dynasty painting. The fact that they are
evergreens made them a potent symbol.
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How can nature portray a state of mind? The point of this exercise is to compare how a
Southern Song artist and a Yuan dynasty artist conveyed their reactions to the instability of
their times through paintings of nature. Do they express despair, or do they convey a sense
of resoluteness?
To write your paper, think about the following elements and, importantly, their implications:
-Format:
Is the painting small or large? What is the implication of the size of the format? Why is the
Tang Di painting closer in format to N. Song landscapes than the Southern Song fan? Consider
in this regard the following questions about the representation of nature.
-Representation of nature:
What is the general atmosphere conveyed by the painting? What is the character of the natural
scene? Is it imposing, stable, intimate, welcoming, unstable, etc?
To help answer this, consider the following:
What is the scope of vision? What is the scale of the image? Is there a predominant landscape
element or not? Why? You may find it helpful to recall the appearance of Northern Song
landscapes, painted during a period of unity and self-confidence.
Is the landscape cut off anywhere in the composition? Is there a hierarchy in terms of which
parts of the landscape are more important? Is the focus on the background or foreground?
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-Solid vs. void:
In the representation of nature, are clear distinctions made between solids and voids such as
rock, water and sky? If not, why not? Which elements have the most “substance”? Which
elements have the least substance? What is the role of “blank” space?
-Realism vs. abstraction:
Is the scene painted realistically or abstractly? How are surfaces of motifs rendered? Detailed
or not? Is there a sense of texture?
-Role of ink and brushstrokes:
In order to answer all the questions above, it is important to consider the character of the
brushwork and the ink effects. Is the ink used dark or pale? Wet or dry? Which parts/motifs
of the painting are rendered in dark ink and which in light ink? Does the artist convey “bone
strength” in his brushwork or not, and what does this imply? Is there balance between inked
areas and “empty” space?
-Figures in the landscape:
Are there human figures present? Or any non-human creatures? Where are they placed, and
how do they relate to their natural surroundings? Are the figures aware of the viewer?
-Relationship to the viewer:
What is the relationship of the viewer to the scene as a whole? To the figures in the scene? To
the painter?
-Symbolic/metaphoric meaning:
What might the metaphoric significance of the scene be? What might old pine trees symbolize?
Does the painting appeal to the emotions? The intellect? Consider who the intended viewers
might have been.
-Presence of artist:
Are you meant to be aware of the painter’s presence in the work? If so, how does he make his
presence known, and what is he trying to convey to the viewer about himself? Is he appealing
to the viewer’s intellect or emotions, and how? What is he saying about his times? Is he
painting an image of despair or does he convey resilience?
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