| Summer
Mountains, attributed to the mid-eleventh century artist Qu Ding, a court
painter employed by Emperor Renzong (r. 1023–63), presents a vast, panoramic
landscape of a summer evening following a rain shower. By juxtaposing immeasurably
high mountains with minute details of human activities, the artist conveys the
Daoist belief of the primary importance of nature,
and of man's small yet harmonious existence within this orderly universe. The
contrast of the dark, velvety ink washes
and brushstrokes that define the mountains
and trees with the empty, unpainted areas that suggest clouds, mists, and water
is a visual reference to the rhythmic flow of the opposing forces of yin
and yang (dark/light and wet/dry) found in nature.
The concept of
traveling through time and space in one's imagination is exemplified in this painting.
Beginning at the right, imagine unrolling this handscroll slowly toward the left
about a foot or so at a time, identifying with the tiny human figures in the landscape
so that you can walk along its pathways and relax in its pavilions and temples.
In this way you focus on small sections in sequence, creating a visual journey
through the dense wet foliage and mountain passes on this summer evening.
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