Chinese art - From the Foundation-fount of Painting - Essay Example

Chinese Art and Analysis of a Chinese Painting The rich Chinese art can be compared only to the European art in terms of longevity and dynamics. However, unlike European painters who strived to advance and expound their art and outshine their predecessors, the Chinese were more concerned with preserving their heritage. European paintings were predominantly affected by the events at a particular point in time and therefore different eras had different themes in paintings. The themes went from politics to paintings of nude women. Chinese painters were a conservative bunch. They did not see the relevance of exploring other themes aside from their culture until the Europeans came to their land. However, this does not mean that the Chinese art of painting did not evolve at all. Initially, the painters were tied to making frescoes on temple and palace walls. The frescoes’ themes were mostly religious in temples while in palaces, the paintings were meant to celebrate the ruling family at that time. From frescoes, painting shifted to silk surfaces and paper. Artists relied on their own inspiration and pleasures to come up with the paintings. Painters concentrated on the beauty of landscapes and also strived to keep the memory of prominent leaders and individuals from disappearing once their eras came to a close. From literati paintings that concentrated on landscapes, humans and physical things, the craft shifted to formless beings and creatures. The painters became conscious of the spiritual world and they tried to enjoin the visible and invisible world through their paintings. At this point, art was acknowledged as a power to explore both the physical and spiritual world. They believed that physical creatures depended on these formless creatures for survival. Quoting from the text: what has form must rest on the without form. This means that physical life is a continuation of the formless or invisible world. Painters used their craft to advance the Tao myth of ‘there-is and there-is-not’. For instance, a painter may draw a mountain top appearing and disappearing at the same time to bring out Taoism in his art. The critics were very skeptical of an art if it did not encompass the Tao mythology. Taoic paintings were held with high regards while those that did not meet the criteria were not considered art at all. Source of physical objects and beings was the main inspiration in the Taoic logic. If a painter was to draw a tree for example, then he was not to draw it as it is perceived by the eyes, but as ‘it receives its nature/form’. From then on, the artist develops it to its original/physical form. As an ancient Chinese proverb states ‘To attain knowledge add something every day and to attain wisdom remove something every day’, the concept of nothingness is very important in the Chinese culture. Chinese art did not dwell on the physical aspect of things like politics and revolution and as such may have played a major role in the subjugation of the Chinese people by tyrant dynasties for many generations. This is because painting is an expression of the artist’s inner self, desires, ambitions and inspirations. That is to say, if an artist is not contented with the way a ruler/emperor is governing the subjects, he/she may come up with a portrait that describes his/her resentment towards the ruler. This act of rebellion may open the eyes of masses and influence them to oppose the oppressive regime. The Chinese paintings were instead used to advance and safeguard their heritage while immortalizing their leaders. Though this is not entirely wrong, it becomes unethical when a tyrant leader uses this craft to dupe the masses into believing that he/she is good. Artists in general are perceived as eyes or mirrors of the society, from where people acquire knowledge and wisdom from. The artists concentrated on the invisible aspect of things that was mostly confusing and shifted the minds of people from the realities of things. Even though the Taoist ideology, encouraged the artists to explore their arts beyond the realms of reality, it also facilitated confusion as the people were/are unable to fathom what message the artist was trying to convey. The message of an art should be clear to the people, because if it is not, then it is not different from noise. On the flip side of the coin, Chinese artists invented an art that eclipses both the ancient western paintings and the modern forms of photography and painting. Apart from being the longest living genre in human history, it is also the only art form that unifies nature, the human spirit and the universe. The paintings were created through silence, reflection and self awareness. Through paper and ink, the ancient Chinese painters collided art and spirit and made them one. Though the paintings were predominantly monochrome, they spectacularly blended with scrolls and the end products still amaze people several millennia later. The concept of Tao may seem absurd to many, especially in an intellectual point of view. Critical reasoning, pondering and analysis that is evident in intellectual reasoning leads to inability to view things at a higher or spiritual level, this is according to Taoism. The adherers of this ancient teaching are advised to empty their minds completely and in so doing, they remain at peace. Emptying the mind of everything makes the mind and body relax and through this state, people are able to connect with the spiritual world. Maybe this is the secret that the Chinese painters put into effect prior to their paintings. They would remain in a state of nothingness and then when the stroke of artistry hit them, they would be given their equipment to start their craft. Analysis of Two Hawks in a Thicket Two Hawks in a thicket is a painting by a Cantonese painter, Lin Liang. This was in the Ming Dynasty that is dated back to the 15th century. Lin used pale color and ink on a vertical silk scroll to create this masterpiece. It was given as a gift to the Bel Shan Tang Foundation in 1993 and it is still in the foundation’s custody. Just like in his other works, Lin uses two hawks to depict his message. However, unlike his other paintings where hawks are out and about in the sky surveying the Chinese landscape at that time, in this piece he chose to perch two hawks in a thicket far away from civilization. Carefully concealed in a thicket against a backdrop of blowing wind and shaking and rattling leaves, the two hawks are an embodiment of courage and heroism. Courage in the sense that the two birds live in isolation from the rest of the world and heroism is seen when they inhabit a place that is inhabitable or unconquered. During the Ming Dynasty, the bird and flower paintings were very common. Flowers or trees symbolized virtue and benevolence while the birds represented moral values that were held in high regard at that time. The Lin painting therefore was a commemoration to the Ming Dynasty. This masterpiece is an admiration of the ruling family as being courageous and benevolent. Lin specifically used the hawks as the embodiment of courage, honor and power. Due to the overreliance of birds and flowers/trees during the Ming Dynasty, we therefore believe that they were held in high regards, both in the artistic and real world. That would explain why Lin and other painters chose to use them to describe the ruling family and to convey important information. Though Lin used this painting to show and cement his allegiance to the Ming family, the portrait may somehow be used to showcase betrayal, rebellion or revolution. His other works reveal birds flying above the sky surveying everything that goes on below, and then he suddenly shifts to isolated birds. The flying birds spy on the ruling family and then disappear to an isolated area free from prying eyes and ears to discuss their agendas in secrecy. The concept of courage and heroism is still prevalent in this scenario. The two birds are heroes as they plan to overthrow a tyrant ruler. They are also courageous as they decide to face powerful individuals. It is also worth noting that artists tend to use secretive or encrypted themes in their arts using images and symbols present in their societies. Sometimes one painting is not enough to reveal the intentions or the message that a painter is trying to convey. This may be the case with this piece. While the theme of courage and heroism is clear, it is not easy to decipher what inspired him to come up with the two themes. He may have been loyal to the ruling family or he may have been a member of a rebellious group. He therefore may have used this piece to either praise the Ming Dynasty or used it creatively to mock his rulers. References 1. Kohn, Livia. Daoism and Chinese Culture. Florida: Three Pine Press, 2001. PDF e-book. http://hermitmusic.tripod.com/daoism_and_chinese_culture.pdf. 2. “Culture.” Exploring Chinese History. Accessed December 4, 2014. http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/02cul/c04s05.html. 3. “Painting in Ink on Silk from china.” HEILBRUNN TIMELINE OF ART HISTORY. Accessed December 5, 2014. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hi/hi_painseac.htm. 4. Reynolds, Elizabeth, “Chinese Painting: Philosophy, Theory and the Pursuit of Cultivation through the Dao.” Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2009. http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1805&context=isp_collection. Read More