This chapter is divided into two sections, each of
which tells a different storey about art and its history. We learn about
painting through two stories in this excerpt from 'Landscape of the Soul:
Ethics and Spirituality in Chinese Painting.' The first is about Wu Daozi, a
well-known Chinese painter. Around the eighth century, he was commissioned by
Tang Emperor Xuanzong to decorate a palace wall.
Beautiful scenery with mountains, waterfalls, woods,
clouds, and blue skies, as well as people living in harmony in a joyful
atmosphere, were painted by Wu. He did, however, depict a spirit-inhabited cave
at the foot of a mountain. Because it was hidden behind a screen, only the
Emperor could see the master's work. The painter made the Emperor look at a
cave at the bottom of the mountain in the image and tie it to a real spirit
when he was presenting his work to him. The cave's entrance opened after the
painter clapped his hands. Before the Emperor could move or say anything, the
painter entered the cave, but the door shut behind him and the painting
vanished from the wall. There was no sign of Wu Daozi’s brush, and the artist
was never seen again in this world.
After the author vanishes, he claims that this
implies knowledge of the mystical inner realm. As a result, only the masters
are knowledgeable of the path within and can travel beyond any tangible form.
In a similar vein, the second narrative is about a painter who believed in the
spiritual power and mysteries of painting. He was scared of bringing his work to
life and succumbing to a fire-breathing dragon because of his tremendous
confidence in it.
The third is about Quinten Metsys, a Master
Blacksmith who falls in love with the daughter of a painter. Although his
father did not approve of his son-in-occupation, the law's he continued to do
so. Quinten snuck into the painter's studio and painted a fly on the artist's
most recent panel with such deft realism that the master attempted to swat it
away before recognising what had happened. It resembled a real one because of
its subtle realism. These two stories show what each type of art seeks: in
Europe, a perfect, illusionistic similarity, and in Asia, the essence of inner
life and soul.
Furthermore, the author discusses Chinese
philosophy, Shanshui, which translates to "mountain water." According
to Daoism, the universe is made up of two opposing poles: Yin (feminine) and
Yang (masculine). The interaction between these two energies is what gives rise
to the cosmos. In Daoism, a landscape is known as "Shanshui." It does
not, however, show a genuine environment; rather, it depicts the Daoist
universe.
Finally, the second half of Brinda Suri's 'Getting
Inside 'Outsider Art' discusses the concept of 'art brut.' Art Brut refers to
art created by those who have "no right" to be artists. It's because,
despite their lack of formal training, they have artistic talent and
understanding. They are the ones who think outside the box and reject the
norms, according to her. Their work is referred described as 'unorthodox' art.
Jean Dubuffet, a French painter, questioned the concept of 'art brut' in the
1940s. Before that, the untrained visionary's work was considered secondary.
"An untrained genius was constructing paradise" around the same time.
She uses Nek Chand's work at Chandigarh's Rock Garden as an example of art
brut.
To summarise, we learn in the Landscape to Soul
summary that art is an infinite form with a rich history that does not fit into
any certain box or label; it has a life of its own.
Poem: The Voice of the Rain by Walt Whitman
The poem The Voice of The Rain honours rain and the
cyclic cycle that sustains all living things on the planet. In this poem, the
author recalls his dialogue with the rain. "And who art thou?" he
asks the rain, to which the rain responds that it is the Earth's poet. The rain
then goes on to describe that it originates in the Earth's water bodies and
then rises upward in the form of invisible vapours. It then ascends to the sky
in the shape of impenetrable clouds. Its core, however, remains the same as it
travels to the place where it was born. It returns to Mother Nature as rain,
washing away all the dirt and bringing life to the parched regions.
The poet connects rain to the song in Voice of the
Rain. He claims that there is a strong link and resemblance between the two. A
song written by a human is a manifestation of that person's soul. It was born
in the poet's heart. After going from one person to the next, it returns to the
one with the listeners' full love. Rain emerges from the soil and condenses
into vapour in the sky. The clouds then burst, resulting in the rain that
returned to its source.
2. 'We're Not Afraid to Die…if We Can All Be Together' summary | |
9. Note-making summary | 10. Summarising summary |
11. Sub-titling summary | 12. Essay-writing summary |
13. Letter-writing summary | 14. Creative Writing summary |
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