Expressive Landscape

Author: Wang Shunxing / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-02-01
Features:
1. "Observing the small from the large" is an observation method for landscape painting proposed by Shen Kuo in Dream Pool Essays during the Song Dynasty. This method elevates the dynamic observation of landscapes during travel, envisioning it as a panoramic bird's-eye view, thereby expanding the painter's freedom and flexibility in depicting natural scenery. It allows for a more active expression of inner imagery, making it widely adopted by landscape painters.
2. When observing scenery, moving forward or mentally receding enhances the perception of the foreground, making distant elements clearer. This is known as "pushing and pulling distances" in perspective.
3. When viewing scenery, whether on flat ground or high mountains, the observer's viewpoint should slightly rise above the varying heights of the scenery, aligning with perspective of scattered points.
4. "Near large, far small" resembles linear perspective, but in some cases, it deviates from it. For example, in painting a building, the parallel eaves form a parallelogram, applying isometric perspective.
5. Parallel objects in linear perspective may converge at vanishing points, such as straight roads or railway tracks. In landscape painting, this is intentionally avoided, favoring diagonal lines (e.g., from right to left or left to right) instead of triangles.
6. When painting buildings, the viewpoint is slightly elevated, while depicting figures inside requires a frontal perspective to avoid making them appear short. This combines bird's-eye view with frontal view.
7. When observing higher peaks in the background, the viewpoint is slightly elevated, mentally raising the observer's position. However, for foreground peaks, the habit is to gaze upward, combining bird's-eye view with frontal view. In summary, landscape painting achieves harmony in near, far, and side views, largely due to the absence of a fixed vanishing point. Thus, various formats—long scrolls, vertical scrolls, small works, and albums—can be arranged unrestrictedly for optimal effects.
### Composition Principles
"The rivers and valleys of true landscapes are best appreciated from a distance for their grandeur and from close range for their details." (Linquan Gaozhi) This painting theory summarizes the two core elements of landscape composition: overall structure and local structure. Local structure focuses on the expressive meaning of form, richness in variation, and the necessary brushwork techniques, which are not the primary focus of composition. Overall structure, however, is the main concern.
Overall structure refers to the thoughtful arrangement of scenery and scenes within the frame, directly influencing the final artistic effect. How to arrange elements for greater rationality, expressiveness, and aesthetic appeal involves several key principles:
1. Main and Secondary, Layers
- Main and secondary involve establishing the hierarchy of subjects and objects. Ancient painting theory states: "The main mountain stands tall, while subordinate mountains are lower or farther away." "Viewers first grasp the grandeur, then discern clarity, determining the hierarchy of subjects and the majesty of peaks."
- In composition, the main and secondary refer to the visual weight of objects, including their position, size, shape, and contrast (light/dark). A painting should neither lack a main subject (making it lonely) nor lack secondary elements (making it chaotic). A balanced interplay between main and secondary elements ensures harmony. However, the main subject is not always the most important. Secondary elements also have their own hierarchy.
- Layers refer to spatial depth, aiming for an ethereal yet distinct arrangement. Mountains and rivers are vast, with significant depth and distance, making five layers insufficient to convey their scale. Thus, layers must be emphasized.
- To depict layers, mist and fog play a crucial role. Peaks should have varying concentrations—brighter tops and lighter bases, as if shrouded in mist. However, avoid rigidity; instead, maintain rich variation, with interplay between light and dark, creating a cohesive and dynamic composition.
- Second, observe near large, far small and near dense, far light (though this is not absolute—dark ink can also depict distant mountains).
- Third, focus on brushwork effects. As Li Xian remarked: "Landscape painting values atmosphere; an ethereal touch makes dense strokes seem sparse, while sticky handling makes simple strokes heavy." Thus, brushwork should be lively and evocative, embodying strength and form—vivid, moist, thick, and substantial.