5 Artists You Should Know From China’s Renaissance Era (Pt. 1) | Tea with Erping

Welcome to Tea with Erping. Tell me, what does the word landscape make you think of? Maybe something like this? Maybe a seascape? An expanse of mountains? Or perhaps, the world's most-viewed landscape? The word landscape appeared in the English language in 1603. It has Germanic origins from the Dutch word Landschap, meaning region, or the German word Landschaft. In European traditions, landscape painting, thanks to the Dutch, became a major independent form of art in the 17th century. The Hudson River School in America produced some truly uplifting art and was largely influenced by European Romanticism in the 19th century. But did you know landscape painting has a much longer history? More than 1,000 years earlier in the late Tang dynasty, Chinese landscapes, paintings of mountains and rivers made from ink, also called Shanshui, became regarded as the highest kind of Chinese painting, and has remained so to this day. With so much history, how do we even begin to explore this topic? Well, behind every great piece of art is a great artist. So I hope the five artists we introduce today will give you a true experience of this amazing art form. It was a challenge to choose. I'm also curious to know what you think. Please leave a comment after watching and let me know if you agree. Many different types of painting emerged during China's long history. There's figure painting, landscape painting, and bird flower painting. Each of these is an experience of Chinese culture with many layers of symbolism and rich inner meaning. So firstly, why landscapes? And what's it all about? In my previous episodes, I introduced the four arts of life. Many of China's greatest artists were painters, calligraphers, poets, and musicians. They had talents that were just unthinkable to most of us today. In fact, the whole culture of art creation is unique. One viewer told me recently they felt learning about Chinese art made them feel the inner meditation. I think that's very insightful. Because Chinese scholar-artists or the literati were interested in the ideas of moral cultivation, self-improvement, and harmony between man and nature, scenes of nature became the ideal forms they chose to express themselves and a way to strive for excellence. Like the other three noble arts, Chinese painting embodies ideas from Chinese philosophy born from the three traditions of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. For this, they became highly admired. Yang Xiong, a Confucian scholar in the Han dynasty, wrote, Speech is the voice of the mind. Writing is the portrait of the mind. When this voice and portrait take form, the princely man and the noble man are revealed. Poetry was painting with sound, and painting was silent poetry. It was during the Song dynasty that this idea took off. And in that sense, Chinese landscape painting was transformed. It was during the Song dynasty that the term Artists revered nature. Looking at these inspiring scenes, it would be hard not to. They were especially interested in showing the ideas that nature represents, rather than the physical likeness or accuracy. The period of history known as the Northern Song gave rise to some impressive paintings. Let's take a look at this one by Fan Kuan. So why pick Fan Kuan as our first artist? I think Fan represents the spirit of the Northern Song. He was said to be big-hearted and straightforward, a cultural man who appreciated wine and practiced the Dao. This is Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, painted in 1000 AD, over 2 meters tall and over 1 meter wide. The steep mountains of Mount Hua dominate in a simple and yet bold composition. I think Fan's painting, inspired by this magnificent Daoist mountain, is incredible. In Chinese, there is a saying There is only one way to the top of Mount Hua. Today, tourists often go for the epic hiking trip. For Chinese, this place is one of the five sacred mountains. I was lucky enough to visit Bang Hua once. It was an experience I will never forget. Mountains have been featured in Chinese art as early as China's first dynasty. In both Buddhist and Daoist traditions, they are seen as sacred, a place of purity and self-cultivation, a gate between heaven and earth. Looking at the painting at eye level, we follow the footsteps of two travelers with their donkeys that emerge in the lower right. In the scale of things, these figures are so small, if we were to blink, we would miss them. I mean, that's it. In the waxing waning of dynasties, people come and go, the great mountains watch on. As mortals, we are a tiny speck of existence. But if we live in harmony with nature, it will be a meaningful one. What's our purpose? What is our place in the universe? Artists would contemplate these kinds of spiritual ideas. Fan Kuan decided on a spiritual path and followed the Dao in the mountains. To us, this may seem unconventional, but in fact, many Chinese scholars back then held the same sentiment as he did, particularly during the times of political turmoil. But how many could abandon everything they had and actually take the leap? Fan Kuan would have led a rustic and extremely simple life, and yet, perhaps he was also truly free. The ideas of Northern Song painters, Daoist principles, and monumental mountains would continue to inspire artists hundreds of years later and influence new styles. Like this piece, White Clouds on Xiaoxiang River, painted by Qing Dynasty artist Wang Jian in 1668. He admired Zhao Mengfu and liked the style from the 10th century, in particular, the styles of Ju Ran. This is a piece by Ju Ran. Do you see how they share the same featherlight brushwork? Not very much is known about Ju Ran. In fact, Ju Ran isn't his given name, it's his Buddhist name. So at the very least, we know he was a Buddhist monk. He is an important artist to note because his style is a typical one from an earlier time, the Southern Tang Dynasty. Ju Ran used round corners to paint mountains and a lighter touch, which gives an altogether different feel. If you were to look at Chinese paintings throughout the course of history, you'll see the combination of styles which Fan Guan and Ju Ran represent. You might be interested to know that the National Palace Museum in Taiwan is holding a special exhibition this coming fall called Zhen Yuan Guo Bao, or the National Treasures of the Museum. Which will feature three treasures of the Northern Song paintings. Travelers Among Mountains and Streams will be one of them. After being displayed for just 42 days, these three art pieces will need to rest for at least three years, given they are fragile silk pieces. If you have the opportunity to visit, I'm sure this will be a memorable exhibition. Confucius said, Indeed, China's next period opened new possibilities for the art of painting. Have you heard of the Chinese city called Kaifeng along the banks of the Yellow River? The Song dynasty capital of Kaifeng, known as Bianjing back then, was captured by Zhe Qing tribe in 1127. They invaded from the north, took over half of China, and established the Jin dynasty. The Song was forced to retreat to the south and set up a new capital in Hangzhou. There is a Chinese proverb which says, Hangzhou was famous for its southern scenic beauty and later for its silk and tea trade. While they lacked a military might, the Southern Song made up for in the development of culture and economy. By the year 1100 AD, the population grew to a healthy 100 million. Quality of life improved in leaps and bounds. From the reinvigorated Song dynasty, a new style of painting emerged. Perhaps inspired by the natural landscape, literati painted scenes of lakes and panoramas on hand scrolls. These create a very different experience from the monumental hunting scrolls of the Northern Song dynasty. Yet just as contemplative, here is one of the most famous paintings by our third artist Ma Yuan called Walking on Paths in Spring. Here we see a scholar stop to appreciate the beauty of nature by the water's edge. The poem in the corner reads, Reclusive birds make no sound as they sound the presence of people. Here the scholar, maybe Ma Yuan himself, leads us to an undefined empty space in between heaven and earth, flanked by trees and faint mountains in the distance. Our eyes see this as a lake, but we are also invited to see beyond the physical, where there is hope, imagination, and possibility. Paintings of this time are often described as romantic. I believe they also show something of greater meaning, that is, China's spiritual philosophy, something we might often consider mysterious and intangible. During the Song dynasty, paintings with poetry took off. Thanks to artists like Ma Yuan, we can step into that world. Speaking of worlds, now I want to introduce our next artist who most certainly inspired the imagination of landscape. Like Ma Yuan, Xia Gui was a prestigious painter from the Southern School. His painting Pure and Remote View of Streams and Mountains is a unique experience of the magic of landscape painting. It's a huge hand scroll measuring almost 9 meters long, half a meter tall. As you unfold the scroll, you travel horizontally through time and space between rugged mountains and soft water. He shows us harmony in all the variations of nature. Apparently Xia was a Hangzhou native, so he would have known such scenes like the back of his hand. By varying the tones of ink, Xia was able to convey incredible depth, and he played with unique brush techniques like the split hair brush, which he used to paint tree foliage. Critics have always admired his creativity, but very little is known of him. Judging by the way he painted, some say Xia would have a free and spontaneous nature. Why? As he painted on paper, he would have to work extremely quickly, especially with a complex composition as this. So no wonder he is regarded as the master of landscape painting. Ma Yuan's art carried a serene, quiet energy, while Xia Gui's style was dynamic and focused. Both painted many intimate scenes which set a southern style. Together, Ma and Xia would establish the Ma Xia school, which became a prominent school of art. You might be wondering why the landscapes we have seen so far don't feature color. Chinese art had in fact been using color pigments from the time of the Tang dynasty and earlier. Early pigments such as lobster lily and malachite green were also used in landscape paintings of the time, called 青绿山水 in Chinese. One of my favorite pieces from the Song dynasty is an unusually colorful piece. It's painted by our final artist for today. His name was Wang Ximeng. Wang lived during the Northern Song dynasty and was a painting prodigy. Legend has it he was taught to paint by Emperor Huizhong himself. He lived a very short life, passing at just 23 years old. But he left us with a staggering landscape that is widely regarded as one of the great masterpieces. One of the first things you notice is the size. And as you take it all in, there's the magic of the colors and the elegant details. The colors punctuating the scene give you the sense of another world, one far more sublime than the human realm. Actually, Wang was referencing the great ancient artists from the Tang dynasty and earlier. The earliest surviving landscape from the Chinese painting was in this style. This is Stroke About Spring, painted by Zhan Ziqian in the 6th century. Classical Song dynasty landscapes were influenced by the rising popularity of Taoist thought, in particular, expressing the true and unadorned spirit. Although color was pleasing to the eye, it was ultimately distracting for the mind. The philosophy of Chinese painting is fascinating. Artists thought about color in a different way. It's said that five degrees of black ink could cover everything in nature, heavy, light, dry, thirsty, and white. This was known as breaking the ink, or Po Bo, and become the mark of literati style. I think you'll agree when I say with or without color, Chinese landscape paintings are inspiring. Western and Eastern landscape traditions have given us magnificent paintings. Although they are different, they all inspire our wonder for the natural world and our own place in it. The Victorian art critic John Ruskin, who championed the Western landscape painting movement, wrote extensively on the topic of truth in art. He says, the greatest art shows us a deeper truth, more than objective reality can show us. What is this truth? It's the reality of spirit. He said that the imaginative, uplifting art comes from the expression of leading a sincere and spiritual life. And the greatest art is the harmony between three things, skill, beauty, and most importantly, truth. It was Lord Byron who said, a drop of ink may make a million think. Perhaps now is the time for a tea break. Join me for the next episode, when we'll go deeper into the world of Chinese paintings. We'll discuss the role painting plays in China today, and I'll share my own experience growing up in China. Until next time, peace and tea be with you.