Shanshui
Description
Shan shui or shanshui (Chinese: 山水; pinyin: shān shuǐ; lit. 'mountain-water'; pronounced [ʂán ʂwèɪ]) refers to a style of traditional East Asian painting derived from Chinese painting that involves or depicts scenery or natural landscapes, using a brush and ink rather than more conventional paints. Mountains, rivers, and waterfalls are common subjects of shan shui paintings. Read more ↗
Key Artists
Fan Kuan
Master of monumental landscape whose hanging scrolls established the paradigm for majestic, sacred mountain scenery in East Asian painting.
Guo Xi
Northern Song court landscape master and theorist whose writings on brushwork, seasonal atmosphere, and perspective deeply shaped classical shan shui.
Li Cheng
Foundation stone of the Li-Guo landscape tradition, celebrated for evoking desolate winter plains and noble, towering peaks.
Dong Yuan
Tenth-century master of the Southern landscape style whose soft 'hemp-fiber' brushstrokes captured the rolling, mist-filled hills and wetlands of the Jiangnan region.
Huang Gongwang
Oldest of the Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty whose legendary handscroll 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains' became the revered model for literati landscape brushwork.
Wang Meng
One of the Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty noted for densely layered, writhing brushstrokes and chaotic, turbulent mountain compositions that express inner psychological fervor.
Famous Artworks
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Fun Facts
The Chinese term 'shan shui' literally translates to 'mountain-water,' reflecting the foundational Taoist dualism of yin and yang where rigid vertical peaks (yang) balance flowing horizontal rivers and mists (yin).
↗ Source: en.wikipedia.org
Traditional shan shui painters seldom painted directly outdoors from nature; instead, they studied mountains for months before returning to their studio to paint from memory and spiritual contemplation.
↗ Source: en.wikipedia.org