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    Hornbill - Chapter 4 - Landscape of The Soul

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    Aditya 7MFORMORTAL
    The document contains questions and answers about the chapter "Landscape of the Soul" from the book Hornbill. [1] It discusses the Chinese vs. European views of art through the examples of Wu Daozi's painting achieving the essence of inner life vs Quinten Metsys' realistic fly painting. [2] It defines the Chinese concept of "Shanshui" meaning mountain-water landscape, reflecting the Daoist view of two complementary forces Yin and Yang interacting in the empty middle space. [3] It explains "outsider art" and "art brut" as art created without formal training that shows raw talent, and discusses Nek Chand's rock garden as an example

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    Hornbill - Chapter 4 - Landscape of The Soul

    Uploaded by

    Aditya 7MFORMORTAL
    130 views4 pages
    The document contains questions and answers about the chapter "Landscape of the Soul" from the book Hornbill. [1] It discusses the Chinese vs. European views of art through the examples of Wu Daozi's painting achieving the essence of inner life vs Quinten Metsys' realistic fly painting. [2] It defines the Chinese concept of "Shanshui" meaning mountain-water landscape, reflecting the Daoist view of two complementary forces Yin and Yang interacting in the empty middle space. [3] It explains "outsider art" and "art brut" as art created without formal training that shows raw talent, and discusses Nek Chand's rock garden as an example

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    Hornbill - Chapter 4 - Landscape of the Soul

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    The document contains questions and answers about the chapter "Landscape of the Soul" from the book Hornbill. [1] It discusses the Chinese vs. European views of art through the examples of Wu Daozi's painting achieving the essence of inner life vs Quinten Metsys' realistic fly painting. [2] It defines the Chinese concept of "Shanshui" meaning mountain-water landscape, reflecting the Daoist view of two complementary forces Yin and Yang interacting in the empty middle space. [3] It explains "outsider art" and "art brut" as art created without formal training that shows raw talent, and discusses Nek Chand's rock garden as an example

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    130 views4 pages

    Hornbill - Chapter 4 - Landscape of The Soul

    Uploaded by

    Aditya 7MFORMORTAL
    The document contains questions and answers about the chapter "Landscape of the Soul" from the book Hornbill. [1] It discusses the Chinese vs. European views of art through the examples of Wu Daozi's painting achieving the essence of inner life vs Quinten Metsys' realistic fly painting. [2] It defines the Chinese concept of "Shanshui" meaning mountain-water landscape, reflecting the Daoist view of two complementary forces Yin and Yang interacting in the empty middle space. [3] It explains "outsider art" and "art brut" as art created without formal training that shows raw talent, and discusses Nek Chand's rock garden as an example

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Hornbill - Chapter 4 - Landscape Of The Soul

    Understanding The Text


    Question 1.
    (i) Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples.
    Answer: The Chinese view of art is trying to achieve the essence of inner life and spirit. Wu Daozi’s painting was an
    example of this. The European view of art is to create an illusionistic likeness. Quinten Metsys’ painting of the
    fly was an example of this.

    (ii) Explain the concept of Shanshui.


    Answer: Shanshui literally means ‘mountain-water’, which when used together represents the word ‘landscape’. It
    reflects the Daoist view of the universe, which includes more than two elements of an image – Yang, the
    mountain, Yin, the water, and the third element -.the Middle Void, where the two interact.

    Question 2.
    (i) What do you understand by the terms ‘outsider art’ and ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art?
    Answer: ‘Outsider art’ is the art created by artists who have received no formal training, yet they show talent and artistic
    insight. ‘Art brut’ or ‘raw art’ is about works of art that were in their raw state with regard to their cultural and
    artistic influence. Anything like a broken teacup or bangle could be material for a work of art.

    (ii) Who was the “untutored genius who created a paradise” and what is the nature of his contribution to
    art?
    Answer: Nek Chand, belonging to Chandigarh, was the untutored genius who created a paradise many years ago by
    building the ‘Rock Garden’ there using stones, broken crockery and recycled material. Nek Chand’s
    contribution is a highly creative example of ‘raw art’.

    Landscape Of The Soul Short Questions and Answers (2 Marks)


    Question 1. What was depicted in the last painting made by Wu Daozi, the Chinese painter?
    Answer: The last painting made by Wu Daozi depicted forests, high mountains, waterfalls, clouds floating in an
    immense sky, men on hilly paths, birds in flight, and a cave at the foot of a mountain in which a
    supernatural being resided.

    Question 2. When Wu Daozi showed ‘the way’ to the Chinese Emperor, what happened?
    Answer: When Wu Daozi said to the Emperor, “Please let me show Your Majesty the way”, the painter entered
    the cave and its entrance closed behind him. Before the surprised Emperor could move or say anything,
    the painting had vanished from the wall. Even the painter’s brush had disappeared.

    Question 3. What do the books about Confucius and Zhuangzi contain and what do they help in doing?
    Answer: The books about Confucius and Zhuangzi contain many anecdotes that deeply reveal the spirit in
    which art was considered in their days. These anecdotes helped the masters to guide their disciples in
    the right direction.

    Question 4. What is the anecdote about a dragon’s eye mentioned in Chinese literature?
    Answer: The anecdote about a dragon’s eye mentioned in Chinese literature says that a painter who had painted
    the image of a dragon did not want to complete it by drawing the dragon’s eye. The reason was that the
    dragon would be able to fly out of the painting and may be able to attack the poet.
    Question 5. Why did the Flemish painter accept Quinten Metsys as a son-in-law?
    Answer: Earlier Quinten Metsys was a blacksmith, which was not considered a respectable profession.
    However, when Quinten showed his talent in painting by drawing a very realistic-looking fly on the
    panel on which the artist was painting, Quinten was enrolled as the artist’s apprentice and later
    accepted as a son-in-law.

    Question 6. What do the stories, one about China and the other about Flanders, illustrate?
    Answer: These two stories, one about China and the other about Flanders illustrate what each of these forms of
    art is trying to achieve. The Flanders form illustrates a perfect, illusionistic likeness, while the Chinese
    form illustrates the essence of inner life and spirit.

    Question 7. What was the difference between the Chinese Emperor and the artist in the anecdote?
    Answer: The difference between the Chinese emperor and the artist was that while the Emperor commissioned a
    painting and appreciated its outer appearance, the artist revealed to him the true meaning of his work.
    The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered, but only the artist knows the way within.

    Question 8. What does a European painter want from the viewer?


    Answer: A European painter wants the viewer to borrow his eyes and look at a particular landscape exactly as
    he saw it, from a specific angle. His painting is very much realistic and he expects the viewer to
    understand it by just looking at it.

    Question 9. What does a Chinese painter want from the viewer?


    Answer: A Chinese painter does not want the viewer to choose a single viewpoint. His landscape is not a ‘real’
    one, and you can enter it from any point and then travel in it. The artist creates a path for the viewer’s
    eyes to travel up and down, then back again, in a leisurely movement.

    Question 10. How does a horizontal scroll add a dimension of time to a painting?
    Answer: In the case of a horizontal scroll, the action of slowly opening one section of the painting, then rolling
    it up to move on to the other sections one by one adds a dimension of time to a painting.

    Question 11. How is the Chinese painter’s painting a depiction of conceptual space?
    Answer: The Chinese painter does not want you to borrow his eyes just to view the painting; he wants you to
    enter his mind because the landscape is an inner one, a depiction of spiritual and conceptual space.

    Question 12. What are the two complementary poles in Shanshui?


    Answer: The two complementary poles in Shanshui are reflecting the Daoist view of the universe. One pole is
    the mountain, known as Yang (meaning reaching vertically towards Heaven) which signifies stability,
    warmth, and dryness, while the other pole is the water, known as Yin (meaning horizontal and resting
    on the earth) which signifies fluidity, moistness, and coolness.

    Question 13. What is the fundamental notion of Daoism?


    Answer: The fundamental notion of Daoism is that this universe is composed of two complementary poles, viz.
    Yin (feminine) and Yang (masculine). The interaction of these two energies, Yin, the receptive, and its
    counterpart Yang, the active, makes the universe.

    Question 14. What is the ‘Middle Void’?


    Answer: The Middle Void is the blank space where the two complementary elements, Yang and Yin, meet. This
    is usually overlooked, but a viewer must actively participate in the painting. Without this Middle Void,
    the viewer can’t take an active part in the painting, and it will be just like a European painting.

    Question 15. What is pranayama?! During which stage of pranayama does meditation take place?
    Answer: Pranayama is ‘conscious awareness of breath, which is a part of yogic exercises. It consists of three
    parts: breath in, suspend the breath and breathe out. Meditation occurs during the suspension of breath
    during the middle part.

    Question 16. How does a man act as a conduit of communication?


    Answer: Man acts as a conduit of communication between both poles of the universe, heaven, and earth,
    because his presence is essential, even if it’s only suggested, to bridge the gap between them.

    Landscape Of The Soul Long Questions and Answers (6 Marks)


    Question 1. Briefly recount what happened to the painter Wu Daozi in the chapter ‘Landscape of the Soul’.
    Answer: The eighth-century Chinese painter Wu Daozi was commissioned by the Tang Emperor Xuanzong to
    paint a landscape painting to decorate a palace wall. The master painter had hidden the painting behind
    a screen so that only the Emperor could see it when desired. For quite some time, the Emperor admired
    the landscape containing forests, high mountains, waterfalls, clouds floating in an immense sky, men
    on hilly paths, and flying birds. Then the painter pointed out a cave painted by him at the foot of the
    mountain and told the Emperor that a spirit lived in that cave. When the painter clapped his hands, the
    entrance to the cave opened. Then the painter explained that the inside of the cave was really worth
    seeing and offered to show the way to enter the cave. But, as soon as Wu Daozi entered the cave, the
    entrance closed behind him. Before the surprised Emperor could move or say anything, the landscape
    painting vanished from the wall. Not even the painter’s brush remained. In fact, Wu Daozi was never
    seen again. The landscape had been his last painting.

    Question 2. How was Quinten Metsys able to marry the painter’s daughter?
    Answer: Quinten Metsys, a master blacksmith in fifteenth-century Antwerp, fell in love with a painter’s
    daughter. Quinten realized that his profession was not considered respectable and thus, the painter
    would never allow Quinten to marry his daughter. Thus, he had to impress the painter with his creative
    talent first.

    As Quinten possessed the determination to achieve his desired goal, he entered the painter’s studio
    secretly when the painter was not there and painted a very realistic-looking fly on the painter’s latest
    panel. Later on, when the painter entered his studio and saw the fly, he tried to swat it before he
    realized that it was not a real fly. On finding out who had painted the fly with such delicate realism, he
    asked Quinten to become his apprentice, as the painter realized that Quinten possessed artistic talent.
    Thus, Quinten was able to marry the painter’s daughter and go on to become one of the most famous
    painters of his age.

    Question 3. Explain the concept of Shanshui painting.


    Answer: Shanshui painting is not a normal kind of painting. First of all, when Chinese painters work on a
    Shanshui painting, they do not try to present an image of what they have seen in nature, but what they
    have thought about nature. Shanshui painting does not use color, light, shadow, or personal brushwork
    with conventional paints. Instead, Shanshui’ s painting uses a brush and ink. Mountains, rivers and also
    waterfalls are prominent in this art form.

    In Shanshui painting, the two elements of an image represent two complementary poles, just like the
    Daoist view of the universe. The mountain is Yang, meaning it is active and masculine. It is stable,
    warm, and dry in the sun. The other pole is water or Yin, meaning it is horizontal, resting on the earth,
    fluid, moist and cool. The interaction of Yin, the receptive, feminine aspect of universal energy and its
    counterpart Yang is a fundamental notion of Daoism. The essential element in the Middle Void where
    Yin and Yang interact is man, as he becomes the conduit of communication between both the
    complementary poles.

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