4.Landscape of the soul

Landscape of the soul
Nathalie Trouveroy 

About the lesson 
The chapter is about how different the Chinese Art form is, from the European art form. The writer uses two stories to make a contrast. European art is about reproducing an actual view whereas Chinese art is about not creating a real landscape. European art is an artist’s way to let viewers show exactly what he wants them to see in the landscape. Chinese art is the artist’s spiritual and inner voice where you can travel from any point and it lets the viewer creates a path for their imagination.
Summary 
The writer contrasts two forms of art – Chinese art and European art by using two different stories. In China during the eighth century, the Tang emperor Xuanzong commissioned a painter Wu Daozi to decorate a wall in the palace.Upon seeing the wall painting, the Emperor started noticing the outer appearance of the painting but the painter drew his attention to a cave at the foot of the mountain. The painter told the Emperor that he would take him inside.The painter entered the cave and the entrance closed behind him. As soon as the painter clapped his hand, the painting on the wall was gone and so was the painter.In another story, a painter wouldn’t draw an eye of a dragon as he feared that the dragon would fly out of the painting. In another story to represent a European art form, a master Blacksmith falls in love with a painter’s daughter. The father didn’t approve of him because of his profession. The blacksmith sneaked into his painting studio and painted a fly on the painter’s latest panel.The fly seemed so real that the painter tried to hit it first before realizing it was in the painting. The painter accepted him as a trainee in his studio. The blacksmith married the painter’s daughter and later became one of the famous painters of his time.These stories revealed as to how art form is believed to be followed in two different regions in the world. In Europe, an artist wants the viewer to see a real viewpoint by borrowing his eyes. The art must be perfect and must be illusion likeness.Whereas, in China, the artist doesn’t paint a real one but uses his inner and spiritual voice to create an abstract piece. The viewer can enter the painting from any point and can travel according to his own imagination. The artist wants the viewer to enter his mind and create a path of its own.
This concept is called ‘Shanshui’ which means ‘mountain water’. When they are used together, they make the word ‘landscape’.

Lesson's explanation 
A WONDERFUL old tale is told about the painter Wu Daozi, who lived in the eighth century. His last painting was a landscape commissioned by the Tang Emperor Xuanzong, to decorate a palace wall. The master had hidden his work behind a screen, so only the Emperor would see it.
For a long while, the Emperor admired the wonderful scene, discovering forests, high mountains, waterfalls, clouds floating in an immense sky, men on hilly paths, birds in flight. “Look, Sire”, said the painter, “in this cave, at the foot of the mountain, dwells a spirit.”
The painter clapped his hands, and the entrance to the cave opened. “The inside is splendid, beyond anything words can convey. Please let me show Your Majesty the way.” The painter entered the cave; but the entrance closed behind him, and before the astonished Emperor could move or utter a word, the painting had vanished from the wall. Not a trace of Wu Daozi’s brush was left — and the artist was never seen again in this world.

Word meaning 

Dwells – live; stay
Splendid – very impressive; superb
Astonished – greatly surprised or impressed

A painter named Wu Daozi who lived in the eighth century was assigned to decorate a Palace wall by the Tang Emperor Xuanzong. It was his last painting. The painter hid his work behind the screen so the only emperor would see it. The Emperor upon looking at the painting admired many things into that painting like discovering forests, high mountains, waterfalls, floating clouds, men on hilly paths and birds in flight. The painter then made him look at a cave in the painting which was at the foot of the mountain and compared it with a living spirit. As the painter clapped his hands, the entrance of the cave opened and he let the emperor know how beautiful the inside of the cave was and he asked him to show all this to him. The painter entered the cave and the entrance closed behind him. The Emperor couldn’t enter the cave, as the Emperor was greatly surprised, the painting vanished from the wall. After that, the painter was never seen again.

Such stories played an important part in China’s classical education. The books of Confucius and Zhuangzi are full of them; they helped the master to guide his disciple in the right direction. Beyond the anecdote, they are deeply revealing of the spirit in which art was considered. Contrast this story — or another famous one about a painter who wouldn’t draw the eye of a dragon he had painted, for fear it would fly out of the painting — with an old story from my native Flanders that I find most representative of Western painting.

Word meaning 

Disciple – a follower or a pupil of a leader, teacher
Anecdote – a short interesting story of a real person
Flanders – a medieval country in Western Europe

These stories played an important role in classical education in China. Similarly, like the books of Confucius and Zhuangzi are full of such stories as they help the master to help and guide his followers in the right direction. These stories were considered to be deeply revealing of the spirit just like the art. There was another famous story, in contrast to the previous one, where the painter wouldn’t paint the eye of a dragon. He feared that the dragon would fly out from the painting. It was one of the stories from many others which came from a medieval country Western European.

In fifteenth-century Antwerp, a master blacksmith called Quinten Metsys fell in love with a painter’s daughter. The father would not accept a son-in-law in such a profession. So Quinten sneaked into the painter’s studio and painted a fly on his latest panel, with such delicate realism that the master tried to swat it away before he realised what had happened. Quinten was immediately admitted as an apprentice into his studio. He married his beloved and went on to become one of the most famous painters of his age. These two stories illustrate what each form of art is trying to achieve: a perfect, illusionistic likeness in Europe, the essence of inner life and spirit in Asia.

Word meaning

Antwerp – a city of northern Belgium
Delicate Realism – the quality of art that makes it seem real
Swat – hit or crush something
Apprentice – trainee; learner
Illusionistic Likeness – an illusion created which resembles something

During the fifteenth century in Antwerp, a master blacksmith named Quinten Metsys falls in love with a painter’s daughter. Since the father was not accepting their relationship because of his profession, the blacksmith sneaked into the painter’s studio and painted a fly on his latest panel. The painting was so real that the master tried to hit the fly away before he realized that it was just a painting. The blacksmith was accepted into the studio as a trainee. He married the painter’s daughter and later became one of the famous painters of his age. The two stories told above are trying to illustrate the form of art in two different regions. In Europe, the art is perfect and like an illusion which resembles something; In Asia, the art gives an essence of inner life and spirit.

A classical Chinese landscape is not meant to reproduce an actual view, as would a Western figurative painting. Whereas the European painter wants you to borrow his eyes and look at a particular landscape exactly as he saw it, from a specific angle, the Chinese painter does not choose a single viewpoint. His landscape is not a ‘real’ one, and you can enter it from any point, then travel in it; the artist creates a path for your eyes to travel up and down, then back again, in a leisurely movement. This is even more true in the case of the horizontal scroll, in which the action of slowly opening one section of the painting, then rolling it up to move on to the other, adds a dimension of time which is unknown in any other form of painting. It also requires the active participation of the viewer, who decides at what pace he will travel through the painting — a participation which is physical as well as mental. The Chinese painter does not want you to borrow his eyes; he wants you to enter his mind.

Word meaning

The landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space.
Figurative painting – metaphoric representation of an art
Leisurely – unhurried or relaxed
Conceptual Space – relation with an abstract representation

The Chinese landscape painting is not made with a real viewpoint but it is a representation of the artist’s thoughts. The western painting in Europe is a figurative art form. The European painter paints a landscape to show you a specific scene of the landscape whereas the Chinese painter doesn’t choose a real viewpoint. You can enter the painting from any point and can travel anywhere where your thoughts and imagination take you. The Chinese artist wants you to travel by creating your own path and then come out in a relaxed movement. In China, this mode of seeing a painting is more enjoyable. A horizontal scroll is a form where one section of the painting is opened one by one by rolling it up to move on the other side. It creates a dimension which is not practiced in any other form of artwork. It requires both mental and physical participation of the viewer. The Chinese painter wants you to enter his mind and see the painting from his thoughts. The landscape created by Chinese artists is spiritual, inner and of conceptual or abstract space.

This concept is expressed as shanshui, literally ‘mountain water which used together represent the word ‘landscape’. More than two elements of an image, these represent two complementary poles, reflecting the Daoist view of the universe. The mountain is Yang — reaching vertically towards Heaven, stable, warm, and dry in the sun, while the water is Yin — horizontal and resting on the earth, fluid, moist and cool. The interaction of Yin, the receptive, feminine aspect of universal energy, and its counterpart Yang, active and masculine, is of course a fundamental notion of Daoism.
What is often overlooked is an essential third element, the Middle Void where their interaction takes place. This can be compared with the yogic practice of pranayama; breathe in, retain, breathe out — the suspension of breath is the Void where meditation occurs. The Middle Void is essential — nothing can happen without it; hence the importance of the white, unpainted space in Chinese landscape.

Word meaning

Daoism – a Chinese philosophy based on the writings of Lao-Tzu
Void – empty; vacant

The Chinese concept of art is also expressed as ‘Shanshui’ which also means mountain water. It is used together to represent the word ‘landscape’. The two complementary poles of an image reflect the Daoist view. The mountain in the landscape is Yang which means to reach vertically towards heaven, stable, warm and dry in the sun. Whereas the water is the Yin, which is receptive and feminine aspect of universal energy. The Yang is active and masculine, and the opposite of Yin. There is a third essential element which is a Middle Void which is the place where they interact. This middle void can be compared to Pranayama which means to breathe in, retain and breathe out. Here, the suspension of the breath is the void in this meditation process. It is an essential part as nothing can happen without it. Hence the white unpainted space in Chinese landscape is equally important.

This is also where Man finds a fundamental role. In that space between Heaven and Earth, he becomes the conduit of communication between both poles of the Universe. His presence is essential, even if it’s only suggested; far from being lost or oppressed by the lofty peaks, he is, in Francois Cheng’s wonderful expression, “the eye of the landscape”.

Word meaning

Conduit – channel; tube
Oppressed – burdened; worried
Lofty – tall or high

The middle void is where a man finds an important role. Man is the channel of communication in the space between Heaven and Earth which are the two poles of the universe. Man’s presence is essential. It is not being lost or suppressed due to high peaks but he is the eye of the landscape (Francois Cheng’s expression).