Without question, the delicate brush strokes that brought the mystical beauty of mountains, forests, and water to life in the guise of landscape paintings are one of the most representative forms of Chinese art. Masters of this traditional painting form (known as "shan-shui hua") imbued these works with a magical flavor that has helped distinguish them from most other forms of art. This distinctive style has also made landscape painting with its component scenes of mountains and waters appropriate art forms that are representative of the Chinese culture. Having enjoyed such a lengthy artistic tradition, however, makes an adequate discussion of this artistic school impossible within the confines of one short article. Therefore this column will look at some of the significant artistic origins of the landscape style from another angle.
Most people appreciate the traditional landscape form from an aesthetic standpoint, which has also been influenced through the centuries by the literary class. The Taoist ideal of being one with nature, escaping the confines of daily life to a solitary existence among the forests and mountains has long played an important part in the general appreciation and popularity of traditional landscape painting.
But long before this artistic appreciation became prominent, the natural forms of the mountain and the river were held in great esteem by the early Chinese. The ancient Chinese had a deep interest in the mystic form of mountains.
K'unlun Mountain was one of the earliest mountain forms to be revered by the Chinese. According to legend this mountain was the home of the Hsi Wang Mu as well as many animal spirits. It was also widely believed that this was the place to which the souls of the departed journeyed. Many Han dynasty (206 B.C. to 219 A.D.) grave paintings depict scenes of the dead going to the mountain. Another legendary mountain, the Tungshan (East Mountain) represented the sacred mountain of the eastern part of the world. (K'unlun Mountain being the sacred mountain of the west). The Ch'in Shih Huang Ti (246-214 B.C.), the first emperor to unite all of China sent men out to search for this legendary eastern mountain in the hopes of finding the magic elixir of immortality reputed to be hidden in its slopes.
No matter if it were the east or west, the early Chinese were awed by the mountain form. Rugged peaks shrouded by mists and fogs, they were the mysterious, terrifying abodes of supernatural beings. During the Tsin dynasty (265-420 A.D.) Ke Hung wrote a treatise on the best methods to enter these sacred mountains. These principles later became incorporated into the general tenets of Taoist philosophy.
Mountains also represented the beauty of nature, and many paintings depicted the Taoist ideal of the solitary hermit, his grass house set against the mystic splendor of nature.
(Gerald Hatherly)
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