the beginning of Landscape?
To the East of the world landscape painting had been practiced and perfected by the Chinese and the Japanese (Yayoi period 300 BC – 300 AD)centuries before the French laid claim to be the groundbreaking pioneers of the genré. It is perhaps not surprising that by the time artists likeManet and Degas were making names for themselves in France, Eastern concentric composition ideas became almost a fait accompliof their compositions and used extensively by those renown painters of the Lunch parties and Ballerina' s. The same applied for their youngerartist friends, such as Gauguin, Monet and Renoir and a little later Vincent van Gogh. The world had grown much smaller by 1900 andflood of new and exciting examples of foreign art were being made available to the Europeans. The 'Eastern' painting styles has aspectacular effect on the early and late Impressionists and they in turn changed the whole way artists applied paint to canvas by using the new artist technologies, asexplained in the opening paragraph. (i.e. Tubes of Paint and Flat brushes) The uptake of the Eastern compositional influence cannot be ignored nor can it be not given it's true recognitionfor forming the basis of all modern art, including in our own century.
It is an interesting thought to realise that cultural exchange has an effect on us all, an effect that, even today, we experience by personally visiting (and painting) other countrieslandscapes and cities whilst on holiday. Or some more dedicated (read obsessed) painters cases, for much longer periods of time. Today the painter is blessed with the whole worldliterally at their feet, or should I say on their iPad - Landscape painting still has that overriding 'Not a Serious Art' tinge to it, because of this contemporary digital convenience, althoughmost painters will tell you that nothing beats standing in front of ones subject, preferably outside and armed with a sketch pad. These landscape paintingfeel more connected, more filled with the artists eye. And that is because that is the literal truth. The camera is perfect in capturing everything clear and with equal measure.The human eye which is the lens of the brain, send in the image which is then reorganized and edited by the artists 'inner eye' therefore the art is bothimagination and reality. Which one can only think that factis why the General Public love landscape painting so much.A few billion people can't be all wrong...can they?
On the following pages is a brief outline of ancient Chinese landscape painting. It was written by a French Artist
