Why is this painting the pinnacle of Oriental art?

The Origins of Chinese Landscape Painting: From the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Northern Song Dynasty

The history of Chinese landscape painting dates back to the Sui and Tang dynasties, more than a thousand years before Western landscape painting. Although Zhan Ziqi of the Sui Dynasty and Li Sixun and Li Zhaodao of the Tang Dynasty left only one or two works each, they are already exquisite. I once copied a portion of Zhan Ziqi's "Spring Tour" with an oil painting, and only then did I really realize how wonderful it was.

After the Tang Dynasty, the short period of the Five Dynasties saw the emergence of outstanding painters such as Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, Jing Hao and Guan Tong. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the style and technique of landscape painting became more and more mature. Today we are going to talk about Wang Ximeng's Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers, a masterpiece from the Song Dynasty.

This 12-meter-long hand scroll is now in the Forbidden City in Beijing and attracts a large number of visitors every time it is exhibited. I scrutinized the painting in front of the display case as if I was deeply attracted by its magnificent scenery. There may be many analyses of it by art historians, but from the point of view of an oil painting layman, Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains is a solitary example in the history of Chinese landscape painting. Almost none of the long scrolls of landscape painting that came after it before it can be compared to it.

The inscription on Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains indicates that the painting was completed by 18-year-old Wang Ximeng under the personal tutelage of Emperor Huizong of Song. Song Huizong personally taught Wang Ximeng, and in less than half a year, he painted this stunning work, which was honored by the emperor.

Painting requires craftsmanship and vision, and Wang Ximeng showed extraordinary talent at the age of 18. The same landscape is seen very differently by a genius and a mediocrity. 18-year-old perception is like a brand-new computer, with extremely sharp searching, downloading, and response functions. The young Wang Ximeng was full of curiosity about the world, and his enthusiasm for creation was high, which made A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains full of details and vitality.

The landscape paintings of the Sui and Tang dynasties have a juvenile, childlike and spiritual quality. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the landscape painting pattern expanded and became more majestic. The Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains continues this style, but on a far more ambitious and expansive scale than its predecessors. 18-year-old Wang Ximeng's delicate and realistic brushstrokes depict the beautiful mountains and rivers in all their splendor. Despite being only 18 years old, his work reached unprecedented heights.

The painting is not only a reflection of Wang Ximeng's talent, but also of the high level of skill and fine management of the court painting academy during the Northern Song period. Song Huizong himself was an accomplished painter, but he admitted that he was unable to paint a work such as A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains.

Wang Ximeng, along with the painting Qingming Shanghe Tu by Zhang Zeduan, who was also a member of the Palace Painting Academy, are the pinnacle of landscape painting in the Northern Song Dynasty. Although Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains is the only surviving work by Wang Ximeng, its value and influence are indisputable. This painting witnessed the golden age of Chinese landscape painting and is a bright pearl in the history of Chinese art.

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