Summary of Landscape of the Soul

The writer contrasts Chinese art with European art by using two stories. The Tang Emperor Xuanzong commissioned the painter Wu Daozi to decorate a palace wall. When it was done the Emperor admired the scene. The painter drew the Emperor’s attention to a cave and when he clapped his hands the entrance of the cave opened. The painter entered but before Emperor could move the entrance closed and the painting vanished, along with the artist.

In another story, a painter wouldn’t draw the eye of a dragon he had painted for fear it would fly out of the painting. The writer then cites a story representative of Western painting in which a master blacksmith Quinten Metsys fell in love with a painter’s daughter. To be accepted as a son-in-law Quinten painted a fly on the painter’s latest panel. When the painter tried to swat it away he realised the truth – Quinten was taken on as an apprentice and married his beloved.

These stories reveal what each form tries to achieve. The Europeans want a perfect illusionistic likeness while in Asia it is the essence of inner life and spirit. In the Chinese story only the artist knows the way within and he reaches his goal beyond material appearance. Unlike a Western figurative painting a classical Chinese landscape does not reproduce an actual view and one can enter it from any point and travel in it. It requires the active participation of the viewer both physically and mentally.

The European painter wants the viewer to borrow his eyes. The Chinese painter does not want him to do so. He wants the viewer to enter his mind. The landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space.

This concept is expressed as ‘shanshui’ which literally means ‘mountain-water’. Used together they represent the word ‘Landscape’.

Textual Questions

1. Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.

Anecdote: a short account of an incident or event
Delicate realism: the alluring quality of the art which makes it seem real.
Illusionistic likeness: an illusion created by the resemblance of something.
Figurative painting: the metaphoric representation of a piece of art.
Conceptual space: It refers to relation with the abstract than the factual representation.

2. Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples.

Ans. The Chinese paintings are based on imaginative, inner or spiritual approach whereas the European paintings reproduce an actual view of the object.

3. Explain the concept of shanshui.

Ans. Shanshui, meaning “mountain-water”. It refers to a Chinese painting that involves natural landscapes. The landscape is spiritual and inner one. It represents the two complementary poles (yin and yang) reflecting the Daoist view of the universe.

4. What do you understand by the terms ‘outsider art’ and ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art’?

Ans. ‘Outsider art’ is referred as the art of those who have no right to be artists as they have received no formal training yet show talent and artistic insight. ‘Art brut’ or ‘raw art’ are the works of art in their raw state as regards cultural and artistic influences.

5. Who was the “untutored genius who created a paradise” and what is the nature of his contribution to art?

Ans. The “untutored genius” who created “paradise” was Nek Chand, an 80- year-old creator-director who made the world famous rock garden at Chandigarh. He used anything and everything from a tin to a sink to a broken down car to form an artistic piece. One of his famous creations are ‘Women by the Waterfall’.

6. “The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered, but only the artist knows the way within.” Discuss.

Ans. This sentence explains the fact that even though an Emperor might rule an entire kingdom and have power over his conquered territory, only an artist would be able to go beyond any material appearance. He knows both the path and the method of the mysterious work of the universe. True meaning of his work can be seen only by means known to him, irrespective of how powerful an emperor is.

7. “The landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space.” Discuss.

Ans. This phrase means that a Chinese painter wants you to enter his mind rather than borrow his eyes. This is a physical as well as a mental participation. It is a landscape created by the artist to travel up and down, and back again through the viewer’s eyes. The landscape is not real one and you can enter it from any point.

8. Find out the correlates of Yin and Yang in other cultures.

Ans. The Indian culture lays stress on Nature and God. Nature is the ‘yen’ or female part
Whereas God the creator, is the male part. This concept also known as ‘Maya’ or Brahma’
The combination of two creates the whole world, all it objects and also inhabitants.

9. What is the language spoken in Flanders?

Ans. French language is spoken in Flanders which is a region in Belgium.