This chapter divides into two parts, each telling us about art and its history through various stories. In the part taken from ‘Landscape of the Soul: Ethics and Spirituality in Chinese Painting’, we learn about the art of painting through two stories. The first one is about a very popular Chinese painter, Wu Daozi. It is about the eighth century when he was hired by the Tang Emperor Xuanzong to adorn a wall of the palace.Wu painted beautiful scenery with mountains, waterfalls, forests as well as clouds and blue skies with people living harmoniously in a happy environment. However, he painted a cave at the foot of a mountain that was inhabited by a spirit. When the painter was showing his work to the emperor, he claps his hands and an entrance to the cave opens where he gets in and vanishes.Thus, after disappearing, the author says that denotes the knowledge of the mystical inner world. Thus, it says that only the masters are aware of the way within and can go yonder any material form. Similarly, there is another story about another popular Chinese painter who did not draw a dragon’s eye fearing it would become real and fly out of his painting.Next, we have the third one about a master blacksmith, Quinten Metsys, who falls in love with the daughter of a painter. As the father was not accepting of his son-in-law belonging to such a profession, he still did so. He accepted Quinten because he painted a fly on his board. It had such gentle realism that it resembled a real one. Further, the author also talks about Chinese philosophy, Shanshui, meaning mountain water.Finally, the second part of ‘Getting Inside ‘Outsider Art’ by Brinda Suri talks about the concept of ‘art brut’. Art Brut translates to the art of the ones who have ‘no right’ to be artists. It is because they lack any formal training yet somehow possess artistic talent and insight. She refers to them as the ones who think outside the box and defy the normal standards. People refer to their work as ‘unorthodox’ art. She cites the example of Nek Chand’s work at Rock Garden in Chandigarh is a form of art brut.
Understanding the Text
1. (i) Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples.
Ans: The Chinese form of art is based on imagination and shows inner and spiritual approach of the artist. Whereas, the European art form is real and reproduces an actual view of the object from the landscape.
(ii) Explain the concept of shanshui.
Ans: Shanshui is a Chinese concept of art which means ‘mountain water’. It is used together to represent the word ‘landscape’. The two complementary poles (yin and yang) of an image reflect the Daoist view.
2. (i) What do you understand by the terms ‘outsider art’ and ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art’?
Ans: ‘Outsider Art’ is the art made by untrained artists, for example children or mentally ill person. ‘Art Brut’ or ‘Raw Art’ is a type of art made by people who are not professionals but they create an art piece with their own depth and understanding and not from the stereotypical form of classical or fashionable art.
(ii) Who was the “untutored genius who created a paradise” and what is the nature of his contribution to art?
Ans: “Untutored genius who created a paradise” was Nek Chand. He was an eighty year old creator – director who made the world famous Rock Garden in Chandigarh. He used everything from a tin to sink or anything which he felt as an art form. One of his famous creations are ‘Women by the Waterfall’.
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