On both sides of the river is the compositional form of traditional landscape painting, and as the name suggests, the whole painting is divided into three parts. The two parts of the mountain are separated by river water, simulating the depth of the natural landscape. Therefore, this composition mode is also called a three-stage landscape. The composition with a slight sense of perspective can show the endless magnificent style of the country and mountains, and can also show the invigorating freedom of the field of view. The Yuan Dynasty painter Ni Zhan especially liked to use this composition mode to show the beauty of emptiness and loneliness on both sides of the river in his pen, sparse and clean, and not stained.
When a composition becomes a stereotype, it means that there is no novelty to speak of. Painters with quests disdain to repeat the style of their predecessors. As a result, some clever painters began to consider changing on top of the classics and showing their personal style. This "BaoYan Zhai Tu" is Dong Qichang's middle and late works, and you can see how he painted new ideas through this painting.
Dong Qichang Bao Yan Zhai Tu
The middle scene is blank, representing the flow of water. This abstract approach is itself full of imagination and romantic feelings. Dong Qichang grasped this feature and cleverly used dry brush and light ink to give the work a superhuman temperament. Through the improvement of pen and ink skills, the landscapes on both sides of the river have more empty and elegant beauty. Simple loneliness and loneliness, easy to have a sense of separation. Dong Qichang's paintings avoid this problem, and he also thinks about the feelings of the admirers in addition to chatting for self-amusement.
Dong Qichang attaches great importance to detail, there are several ancient trees in the painting, which can be faintly distinguished as pine trees, cypress trees, locust trees, and elms, with straight trunks and staggered branches and leaves. Paint so many trees on the slope of the close-up view, in order to show the atmosphere of desolation. To judge the quality of a painting, in addition to looking at the pen and ink, we must also look at the artistic conception. Through the painting of the ancient tree, it is reminiscent of the gentleman's wind.
Dong Qichang Bao Yan Zhai tu partial
Dong Qichang likes to dye with dry brush and light ink to make the rock have a rich texture effect. The authenticity of the details guarantees the authenticity of the work and makes the whole painting have a full feeling. Sparse, full, seemingly two extremes that cannot be unified, there is a wonderful intersection in Dong Qichang's paintings. On both sides of the river, it is no longer simply a manifestation of loneliness, but also a light and elegant performance.
Everyone knows how important composition is. By observing natural scenery, the ancients summed up a variety of composition modes, the core of which is to have a bearing and a turn. In Dong Qichang's paintings, he focuses on "he" and makes the works have a diversified aesthetic. Smooth without lack of change, gentle without loss of freedom, faint and distant and scattered, bringing the natural beauty closer to the display.
Dong Qichang Bao Yan Zhai tu partial
When Dong Qichang painted the distant landscape of mountains and stones, he learned the style of the five generations of Dong Yuan, and used his pen very elegantly. The characteristics of the brushwork are integrated with the simplicity of the composition, which makes people see Dong Qichang's inner literati feelings. He was in the red dust, influenced by Confucianism and Zen, and longed for no desire and no desire. He painted his ideals into the landscape and made the landscape the carrier of his spiritual world.
The three-stage formula is not only the three levels of far, middle and near, but also the progression and transition of the level. After reading Dong Qichang's works, I understand that borrowing classic compositions and emphasizing personal characteristics is like standing on the shoulders of giants. This is not a matter of trickery, but of digging for something new in tradition. Composition cannot be separated from pen and ink, composition cannot be completely separated from feelings, and the composition is beautiful in order to make the work "stand".
Dong Qichang Bao Yan Zhai tu partial
Dong Qichang is very traditional, he loves to think. Looking at the works, you know that he is also an aesthetic expert, he is always excavating the essence of beauty, hoping to erect a new monument in the field of painting.