Hidden Valley, After Guo XiDang
Whispy
Calm
Deep
Foggy
Nostalgic
Earthy
Cascading
Intriguing
Captivating
Meandering
Mellow
Dark
Mysterious
Craggy
Vertical/stacked
I love the use of depth in this piece. The artist makes the viewers eye want to move up the composition and follow the stream through the mist, down the curling mountains. The composition is balanced and feels as though the clouds are stacked in a strange tense way. The mountains seem suspended in air and time-it is unclear whether these are real mountains trapped in a deep fog or figures from a celestial realm. The overall mood is dark, based on the somewhat monochromatic color palette; though the grays have alot of nuance in them, which keeps the otherwise dull color scheme interesting. The small use of red in the foreground draws interest to the piece and is used in a similar manor of that of the masters. Upon first glance, one might assume that this piece is much more ancient than it really is-which is also quite intriguing. The billowing clouds melt into the mountain forms, making them almost indistinguishable. A wondrous river flows in the background from the top to the bottom, which carries the composition well.
I have always had problems understanding compositions like these. The mountains look like faces, and and the faces look like clouds. They all seem to blur and swirl together as if sucked into a vortex and spit back out. This really is a fascinating piece, but it seems I have to refamiliarize myself with these Chinese compositions.
ReplyDeleteI like the crop of this piece. Your standing in the forground looking upon a vast mountain range. I wouldn't say its a balanced composition with most of the weight on the right hand side. I agree that the colors do give a dismal feel to the piece.
ReplyDeleteThe tone of the ink wash of the mountains and the translucency of the clouds are my favorite part of this piece. The combination of the two make you almost feel the thick humidity of the atmosphere. When describing this piece I would think about the composition as well. This mountain range appears cramped into the picture frame, giving it a looming effect. I would like to see a comparison of this with Guo Xi's original or of another work of his. It might even be interesting to compare this with works from other masters; perhaps he takes ideas from several.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you I think the depth of this image is something that really sets it off. My eyes keep going back to where the river appears to be flowing into a waterfall. The use of the fog and darker tones makes this image very mysterious. Great choice!
ReplyDeleteI like the feel of this piece. This mountain feels very mysterious. The colors used are very dull and faded looking,giving the painting a mystic look. The fog really adds to the the painting and how it moves from the lower portion of the painting, towards the top. There is a small bit of color towards the bottom that gives the viewer and idea that life still exists in this environment.
ReplyDeleteI really like the layout and design of this piece. The dark tones in the foreground along with the red draw the eye in, but then your eye is drawn up to the top of the piece where the river turns into a waterfall. I am intrigued by how the landscape seems to be floating. With the dark tones and misty areas, the whole piece seems very mysterious. I would like to know the story behind this piece and what the artist was feeling while painting this.
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