Shan Shui – The Concept
Shan Shui is a Chinese painting style that uses brush and ink to create landscapes or natural scenes. The literal translation of the word is ‘mountain water’. This form of painting first became popular in China in the 5th century, during the reign of the Song dynasty (420-79).
The details
o Components: As the name suggests, mountains, rivers and waterfalls are the basic elements in all paintings of this style. These paintings can include trees, valleys with lakes or rivers, boats and bridges, mountains partially hidden by clouds, and even cabins by a river.
o Tools and techniques: The material, techniques and evaluation of the art used in Shan Shui is the same as that of calligraphy.
o Characteristics: In this style of painting, the painted objects and shapes do not have to resemble the real landscape. Shan Shui painters do not portray what they have seen. They paint their thoughts, as they perceive them.
o Colors: Unlike common paintings, Shan Shui does not have shadows and lights, nor many colors.
o Elements: In this Far Eastern style of painting, the placement of various elements and the use of colors are based on Chinese elemental theory. Each direction is associated with a particular color (or colors) and elements, such as metal, wood, earth, water, and fire. Elements that negatively interact with each other, such as water and fire, are not used together, and therefore color mixing is done accordingly.
The components
The following three essential, complex and meticulous sets of requirements for form, balance and composition characterize Shan Shui:
o Roads: Roads should never be straight. The path may be a river or a path along a river, but it must wind like a stream. This helps deepen the landscape by adding layers.
o The Threshold: The path must lead to a threshold, which exists to symbolize the welcome and embrace of the spectators. The mountain, the shadow of the mountain on the ground, or the cut of the mountain in the sky, can be the thresholds.
o The Heart: This is the central point of the painting and all the elements must lead towards it. The heart signifies the meaning of the painting.
Correlations and Symbolism
Like most other Chinese painting styles, Taoism also influenced Shan Shui. Whenever human figures are depicted in this style, they are usually quite small, indicating human triviality in nature. Elements often have symbolic meanings here, with bamboo representing loyalty, plum blossoms showing purity, and pine trees and cranes representing long life.
The artists, the artists
‘Early Spring’ by Guo Xi (1020-90 – Northern Song Dynasty), Chinese landscape painter Zhang Zeudan (1085-1145 – Song Dynasty), Gao Kegong (1248-1310 – Yuan Dynasty), Shen Zhou (1427- 1509 – Ming Dynasty), and Wang Hui (1632-1717 – Qing Dynasty).
The essence
Shan Shui paintings are used as an artistic representation of philosophy. They are more about incorporating stillness and movement, yin and yang, and time and space into art. Shan Shui has immensely inspired poetry, movies and animations (since 1988), and construction zones.