Piece By Piece; Landscape in Hand Scrolls
Wound up, stored away, and only to be viewed individually; this is the nature of a hand scroll. A hand scroll offers an intimate experience to a viewer. Bit by bit, the painting gets unraveled until the entire artwork is shown. The succeeding details are hidden, the previous is open to admire until it is time to unravel more. In a way, hand scrolls offer the person a position that is both viewer and active participant in the story being told.
At the time of the Ming dynasty, the artistic direction of painters often called back to many centuries of masters. Their hands are trained in such that each brush stroke is confident in its place.
As you engage with the following artworks, think about how it might feel to uncover the painting piece by piece. You are meant to focus on the brushwork, the colours, the painter’s decision on the depicted scene.
Landscape with Mountain Village, Wen Zhengming.
As a student of Yuan Master Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming painted in the style of the Wu school; the school of literati artists. They focused on traditional details of how rocks, mountains, and trees must be drawn. Mountains, for example, are resilient, strong, and seclusive. They offer recluse, respite; they are a physical barrier between civil and natural life.
Journey to Shu; Long, Qiu Ying.
This artwork measures around six feet long. Qiu Ying gives us an enormous distance to ponder on, and many details to admire. The blues and greens used are a part of a style that dates back to the Tang dynasty. We see travelers partaking in a seemingly never ending journey.
East Garden, Wen Zhengming.
Character gives a painting its language to speak. Sometimes, it’s the way the trees, rocks, and mountains are drawn. Sometimes, it’s the colours chosen. Wen Zhengming makes tactical use of the colours; these bright yellows meet your eyes and they stay with you until the end. And maybe, it makes you happy.
Saying Farewell at Xunyang, Qiu Ying.
Once again, Qiu Ying seems to use space and distance as something both visual and physical. This piece is thirteen feet long, and viewing it as a whole, the empty space takes over the painting. But we might interact with the character of the painting with more fervour as it unravels. The distance, then, can make one feel lonely.