Text / Picture Yang Lin
In traditional Chinese art, landscape painting occupies an extremely important position, which is not only the reproduction of natural scenery, but also the expression of the artist's spiritual world and the embodiment of philosophical thinking. In this art form, scene sketching is an extremely important creative technique.
Qiyun Mountain, this is located in Anhui Province, known as Baiyue in ancient times, because of the remote view of the top of the mountain and the clouds and the name, with its unique natural scenery and profound cultural heritage, won countless literati and ink writers in this mountain, leaving a lot of poetry and ink treasures. Tang Yin, a great painter of the Ming Dynasty, once inscribed a poem on the wall of the stone chamber of Qiyun Mountain: "Qiyun Mountain and the wall clouds are Qi, and the green mountains are low. The geese go back and forth between the north and the south, and only allow the sun and the moon to pass through the east and west."
There are 36 strange peaks, 44 strange rocks, 18 hidden caves, 27 Feiquan caves, 14 ponds and so on in Qiyun Mountain, these landscapes provide a source of inspiration for countless artists. Qiyunshan is very familiar to me, I can't remember how many times I've been there, but this is the third time I've sketched. This should be the longest time I have sketched in Qiyun Mountain, not to mention asking Qi Yun with my colleagues at the Zero Boundary Point. There are also special reasons why I love sketching in Qiyun Mountain, first of all, the uniqueness of the natural landscape of Qiyun Mountain.
Qiyun Mountain is composed of continental red rocks from the Late Cretaceous of the Mesozoic Era. The inclination angle of the red rock layer is not large, the structure of the mountain stone is relatively simple, it is a cross-cut strip, the structure is obvious, the block surface is divided round and broad, but there is a philosophical connotation in the garden, and there are more vertical joints, which increases the momentum of the mountain. Located in the northern subtropical climate environment, high temperature and rainfall, the red rock directly exposed to the ground has formed a unique "Danxia landform" under the action of weathering, flowing water cutting and scattered erosion.
Such a mountainous landform is rare in the Jiangnan region, and is in stark contrast to the longitudinal and long-covered rocky structure of the Yellow Mountain. Compared with the granite rocks of Huangshan Mountain, the red stone of Qiyun Mountain is softer and easier to weather, which is conducive to the growth of vegetation. Therefore, the trees and vegetation of Qiyun Mountain are more abundant, and the morphological changes are more vivid.
Qiyun Mountain has 18 kinds of precious trees in China, such as three-pointed cedar, fragrant fruit tree, nanmu, etc., and there is no shortage of pine trees, which are the favorite trees of painters, which are very suitable for the sketching and creation of landscape paintings. Our sketching in Qiyun Mountain this time coincided with the blooming of spring flowers, and many plants with slightly later leaves showed a state of withered branches, which can show the natural contrast between dry and wet, lush and evacuating in the picture, which is very visually appealing.
Secondly, in the entire Huizhou region, Qiyun Mountain not only has abundant landscapes and trees, but also Taoist dwellings that are integrated with nature, and the precipitation of history makes the human and natural objects skillfully combined. These cultural buildings have been built over hundreds of years and are staggered in the mountains and rivers of red sandstone. The ancient houses of Huizhou with blue tiles and white walls contrast with the red sandstone mountains, forming a whole that is both changing and very unified.
At the same time, Qiyun Mountain is one of the four famous mountains in the mainland, with profound cultural heritage. During the Qing Dynasty, Qiyun Mountain was praised by Emperor Qianlong as "the unparalleled resort in the world, the first mountain in the south of the Yangtze River". The natural stone gate naturally formed by the day gate, as well as the unique cliff stone carving group, the sky is open and beautiful, which is shocking. Qiyun Mountain has 537 inscriptions, most of which are concentrated here.
There are many caves under the cliff wall of the cave, where statues of gods and goddesses are enshrined. The natural landscape of the two heavenly gates and the three three heavenly gates complement each other with the cultural connotations and are fascinating. In addition, there are Taisu Palace, Yuxu Palace, Xiaohutian, Luohan Cave, Zhenwu Hall (Taishu Palace) and other places of interest. Therefore, Qiyun Mountain is not only the center of Taoist beliefs, but also an excellent place for artists to explore culture and art, and to obtain creative inspiration.
This time we were very lucky to stay in the middle of Yuet Wah Street. Pushing open the window of the inn, what is displayed in front of you is the landscape of Qiyun Mountain's Ertianmen and Santianmen. The mountains are naturally scattered, and the layers are vivid and rich. Looking into the distance, the incense burner peak in the valley is close in front of you, and the mountains are stacked in the distance, which is an excellent place for sketching, which makes me full of painting. In this window, I completed several works, as well as two large-scale scenes.
The ancient Taoist temple on the top of Qiyun Mountain, and the traditional Hui style dwellings built along the mountain, are the natural stretch of Yuehua Street, which complements modern life and forms a unique beauty of time and space. Yuehua Street is a place where Taoist priests and mountain residents mingle, and it is also a street market on the mountain, as well as a place for pilgrims and tourists to stay. There are eight ancient road houses on Yuehua Street, and there are many Hui style houses.
They form a dense complex with palaces and courtyards. It is said that most of the residents who live here today are descendants of 28 Taoist priests. They have been fully integrated into modern life, forming an inseparable whole with Qiyun Mountain, and are a very important part of Qiyun Mountain, exuding a strong breath of life. Man is the soul of nature and an indispensable and important part. Many of nature's philosophies are embedded in our lives and in our art.
By sketching in such an environment, the artist not only perceives the beauty of nature, but also captures the depth of culture and the depth of history in the natural changes of time and space. This exploration of the dual dimensions of nature and culture seems to be only experienced in the Qiyun Mountains in the Huizhou region. The landscape sketch has a deeper cultural connotation and philosophical thinking, and the art of painting is not only to depict objective scenes on the surface, but should be the organic integration of the expression of the soul and nature.
In the evening, the mountains are getting darker, and the lights and shadows of Yuehua Street are hazy, full of artistic conception. The painting friends talked about art and talked about it relaxed and happy, strolling on the mountain paths, suddenly listening to the sound of night rain, fortunately returned. In the early morning, looking at the clouds and mountains, the smoke and clouds are ethereal, the fog and rain are hazy, only the voice of people is heard, and no human figure is seen. The mountains and rivers are ever-changing, like a fairyland. In such a beautiful scene, there will be more insights when sketching the feelings of natural landscapes.
On the ancient Yuehua Street, from time to time, there are long and light footsteps passing by, bringing me back to real life. Breathing in the moist air, standing in front of the ancient mountain cliffs, I try to capture the unique breath and spiritual charm belonging to Qiyun Mountain, transform the scenery in front of me into inner emotions, and then flow to the paper through the tip of the pen, which is the process of internalizing the external landscape into the spiritual landscape, and the way to find and express the inner world, which can only be found in nature, and sketching nature is a kind of practice.
The peak of Qiyun Peak is cloudy and mist,
古道依稀梦回早。
Danbi Cuiping Natural Painting,
A fairyland on earth is hard to find.
cliff stone inscriptions,
Thousands of years of wind and rain are at will.
Danxia landform is peerless,
I know the landscape in the painting.
Qiyun Mountain in spring, in addition to bringing us a feeling of vitality, is more about the changes of nature. The misty smoke and clouds of natural mountains and rivers make us fully feel the unpredictable scenery of Qiyun Mountain. This kind of natural change can only be truly felt by the creator who is in it, which is not only a reproduction of natural beauty, but also a kind of perception of life and the sublimation of art. With the passage of time, this dialogue and perception will become more and more abundant, and the artworks will continue to be sublimated, and the mystery of landscape painting creation will be deeply understood.
Smoke rises in front of Taisu Palace,
The Tao is naturally based on the heart.
The incense is ancient,
The landscape is deep and hidden in the painting.
The ancient road is long and the clouds are open,
Naturally, the hills and ravines come from the chest.
Between the virtual and the real,
There is a sense of self-awareness in the painting.
Spring 2024 Yang Lin
About the Artist:
Yang Lin, a member of the Chinese Artists Association, an associate professor of Anhui Polytechnic University, the president of Anhui Huangyue Painting Institute, the director of Huizhou Beilin Art Museum, and the vice president of Zhu Ling Landscape Painting Research Association. He has won the first prize of the first Yangzhou Eight Monsters Cup Calligraphy and Painting Grand Prix, the highest award of Shangyi 2017 National Art Exhibition (China Artists Association), the highest award of the 2018 China Fuzhou Maritime Silk Road Chinese Painting Exhibition (China Artists Association), and was selected for the 2017 Jingshang Danqing National Art Exhibition (China Artists Association).
Selected for the 2018 Landscape Yandu Colorful Zhaoqing National Art Exhibition (China Artists Association), the 2019 Tide Cup National Chinese Painting Competition Excellence Award (sponsored by the Xilang Printing Society), the second prize of the 2019 First Wu Changshuo International Art Grand Prix (sponsored by the Xilang Printing Society), the highest award of the 2020 "Chinese Art World Tour" Achievement Report Exhibition (China Artists Association), the Excellence Award of the Anhui Provincial Art Competition for the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China (sponsored by the Anhui Provincial Artists Association), and the 4th "Tide Cup", the highest award of the 2017 Anhui Provincial Art Competition The second prize of Qiantang River Golden Stone, Bamboo and Wood Rubbing Exhibition (Xileng Printing Society), etc.