The ancients said, "Distant mountains are difficult to place, and water inlets are difficult to settle." The meaning of this sentence is that when painters paint landscapes, they need to pay attention to position management. How to set up the distant mountains and how to depict the direction of the clear spring water flow are all difficulties. Over time, as more and more painters studied these conundrums, "standard answers" emerged. For later painters, the standard answer was a stereotype, which meant the same rigidity.
Shi Tao is very unaccustomed to this situation, he feels that the stereotypes summarized by the predecessors can no longer adapt to the present, and someone should keep pace with the times and summarize a fresh composition method. He not only thought so, but also painted a painting of "Distant Mountains and Clear Springs" to let people see how he broke the stereotype and painted characteristics. Looking closely, this painting is very similar to the local close-up using the "screenshot" method to create, does not emphasize the sense of space that is far away and deep, but expresses the natural beauty of Qingqi.
Shi Tao Distant Mountain Clear Spring
Shi Tao feels that painting is not a simple thing, nor is it a trivial matter, and there are many big truths in painting. "Calligraphy and painting are not small paths", using all methods to draw natural interests and draw various feelings. Shi Tao has been to many places and many mountains. He found that "not being like it" was the way to master the creation of the teacher.
It can be seen from "Distant Mountains and Clear Springs" that he does not care whether it is like the style of the ancients, nor does he care whether the ancients painted like this. He only cares about whether he can express his feelings, and he uses his own method to lead everyone into the painting. This is Shi Tao's concept of creation, and it is also the artistic path he pursues. When "Master Creation" became a slogan, he used his works to tell everyone how to achieve it.
Shi Tao Yuanshan Qingquan Partial
There is a view in the art world that after the Yuan Dynasty, there were basically no good paintings. Even if some people praise the good paintings, they are still a continuation of the Song and Yuan techniques, and there is no freshness. With the emergence of Shi Tao, it proves that the above views are too arbitrary. Whether it is simple or majestic, Shi Tao can take care of it. He was like a giant, towering between heaven and earth, he could see farther, go faster, think more, and so he became a special being.
Shi Tao's works are full of interest, and he puts forward the idea that "fun is outside the painting". Ponder these four words carefully, and then look at "Distant Mountains and Clear Springs", is it like Daigo empowerment, suddenly understand his proposition. He uses novel composition, virtual and real contrast, rigid and soft brush and ink, to travel between ancient and modern. It is also ancient and modern, light and heavy, it is really remarkable.
Shi Tao Yuanshan Qingquan Partial
Shi Tao's painting is good, and many people are curious about the main points of his technique. Techniques can be mastered through repeated imitations, and it is even more necessary to understand his thoughts. If you see the feeling that it is not easy to drop the pen from his paintings one day, it shows that you understand his rigorous attitude. If you see the feeling of slack with a pen in his paintings one day, it shows that you understand his yearning for freedom. The distant mountains are far away, the clear spring is pleasant to the ear, and the heart has some understanding, in order to put the pen into a painting.
He put everything he had in the painting, and when he read his painting, he understood him as a person. This is the charm of Shi Tao's works, even if hundreds of years have passed, people will still look for him, pursue him, and listen to his teachings.
Shi Tao Yuanshan Qingquan Partial
Shi Tao started from composition, tried to break the stereotype, and then started from the interest, trying to draw a personality. He does not want to be like his predecessors, he is a unique being.