Beijing

This relatively short period between the end of the Tang and the beginning of the Song dynasty witnessed far-reaching changes in the world of Chinese painting. These changes were best represented by a shift from the dominance of figure painting to the preference of pure landscape painting and the centrality of nature. Nature is no longer a background for human activity but the center of attraction and the theme that will stay dominant and symbolize traditional Chinese painting in China and abroad. during the mid 8th century the An Lushan rebellion symbolized the decline of the glorious Tang dynasty. This put an end to the self confidence and sense of security characteristic of this golden age. Instead, the people of the time, disillusioned with mans ability to provide sufficient answers, began to revolt against the human ideal of the Tang and seek answers in the great sphere of nature.  At the same time and as a derivative of these great changes we witness the decline of the “Blue and Green” landscape painting style of the Tang. This style dissected nature into crisp clear out-lined components which seemed to have been “filtered” by human intellect. The strong ornamental value of the picture was also no longer in line with the taste and expectations of the more refined and ambitious painters of the Five Dynasty and Song Periods.  This shift in aesthetic values led to the emergence of four great painters that provided the new tools needed to realize these new artistic visions. These artists started exploring new and revolutionary techniques of brushwork, although traditionally these breakthroughs were attributed to the famous Wang Wei of the late Tang, it is beyond doubt that Jing Hao, Guan Tong, Dong Yuan and Ju Ran were the central figures that introduced a new style and artistic agenda to the world of Chinese landscape painting. They were followed by Li Cheng another great figure who symbolizes the transition from the experimentation of the Five Dynasty period into the Golden age of Song landscape painting.

The main contribution of the Five dynasty period is that it supplied the Chinese artist with new, more bold and progressive brush techniques to depict nature realistically and therefore abandon the fine line drawing and heavy coloring of the Tang. These changes slowly brought forward the tradition of monochrome landscape painting. The techniques the Five Dynasty masters introduced were known as 'Texture Technique' or 'Cun-Fa'. This became a new method to depict the intricate and diverse textures of rocks, mountains, vegetation and trees.  The different texturing methods which were developed using brush-work borrowed from the art of Calligraphy were combined with the emerging 'Ink-Wash' techniques. Artist were able to give the image more depth, using various textures and different shades and tones of  ink. The artists of the Five Dynasties period were equipped with new ways to achieve a more relevant and appealing image of the world around them.  As a result of these changes we witness a shift into maturity that is expressed by the achievement of an organic image of nature. The artists of the Five Dynasties period no longer “pieced” a picture together in order to reach an artificial and highly ornamental nature. Instead we see a united and truly harmonious  landscape where all elements are integrated into a coherent 'seamless' whole. Here for the first time we feel the grandeur and appeal of what Chinese Landscape painting is so praised for.   

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