Chinese painting is usually divided by subject matter: figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, and rocks and bamboos; their historical development followed that order.
Landscape painting formed the main tradition in Chinese painting. Most people believe that there was a strong literary influence of seclusion and meditation among the forests. Misty mountains supplemented by Taoism's and Buddhism's love for nature provided further impetus for development of landscape art.
Landscape painting developed during the Han dynasty, founded in 202 B.C., and flourished in following dynasties.
Two magnificent works from the Sung dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) are reproduced.
Soughing Wind among Mountain Pines (left) is the work of Li Tang, an outstanding painter of this period, who fled to southern China in order to escape the impending Mongolian invasion. He was best known for his landscapes—the figures, buffaloes, and large panoramic views. During the latter part of his life, he developed a style which made his pictures refreshingly original. Note his strong brush strokes, the use of ink especially with respect to boulders, which give a strong, indomitable, three-dimensional feeling.
Egrets on a Snowy Bank was painted by Sung dynasty artist Ma Yuan, who followed in his family's artistic tradition. When showing a soaring mountain he did not depict its top, and when painting a precipitous cliff he omitted the sight below. His unique composition earned him the sobriquet "Ma One-Corner." This painting shows a barren tree extending its branches from a snow-covered cliff and two egrets crouching on a snow-covered ground. It is a fine piece, rich in quiet, poetic in mood.
Sung Dynasty Landscape Paintings.
