Appreciating and having the ability to study a piece of oeuvre is just much of an art as the process of art creation itself. But not all art is created equal or the same. Art is like the folktales of any culture that tell its stories, and in the process of telling the stories of those particular people, it also tells about their beliefs, ethics, moralities, and lifestyles. From the majestic pieces of sculptures in Rome to the beautifully crafted intricate painting of the Victorian age, art takes many shapes and forms. But one thing that stands constant when it comes to the world of artistic endeavor is the fact that art has been able to inspire generations upon generations of human beings to look at the creations of artists from varying parts of the world and distant periods in time and feel emotions and have revelations otherwise unknown to them. This assignment is an attempt to analyze and explore one such inspiring art piece and understand the story that it tells.
'Wang Xizhi watching geese' is a handscroll from the Yuan Dynasty located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The artist behind this piece of art is Qian Xuan. Born in the early twentieth century in the region of Zhejiang, Xuan devoted the latter part of his life to painting. The dominant styles in his art were realism, with a slight influence on the Tang dynasty. Landscapes were a dominant feature in Xuan's art with a yearning for native Chinese rule apparent in many of his oeuvres. This particular art piece by Xuan is ink, gold, and color on paper with dimensions of twenty-three point two into ninety-two point seven centimeters. The painting is believed to have been created between the years of twelve hundred and seventy-one to thirteen hundred sixty-eight.
Upon carefully observing the painting, the colors of blue and green become dominant. The said color palette happened to be a quite common choice of Chinese painters in those times. The muse for this painting is the famed calligrapher Wang Xizhi, who can be seen standing on the balcony of a building looking into the distance with blue and green mountains painted at the far right side of the paper handscroll. The many stamps apparent in the painting are tokens of approval from many of the artists and critics through time and give the painting a visual quality that differentiates it from other art pieces in the museum. Compared to European art or the oeuvres of other regions of the world, the art piece seems a little simplistic and minimalistic in terms of its composition at first glance. But it succeeds in achieving one of the major feats required for the successful creation of any painting at that time; it is the touch and feel of life and reality created with the strokes of the brush by the artist. The simplistic nature of the painting is something often associated with the artists of the Chinese region with techniques used to achieve elements of realism in their paintings vastly different from the techniques of their European or Roman peers (Powers 114).
Analytical analysis of the oeuvre under discussion requires understanding both the artist and the muse. The artist of the painting is known to have had a love for the native Chinese rule, and the muse of the oeuvre is believed to be one of the most iconic calligraphers valued and appreciated by the Emperors and the people of the time alike. Xizhi's calligraphy, which later influenced the art of calligraphy in China to a massive extent, was said to have been inspired by the movement of the flying birds. One cannot help but notice the location of Xizhi in Xuan's 'Wang Xizhi watching geese.' The figure of Xizhi standing atop the balcony of his residence makes the audience of the artwork wonder if Xuan is trying to visualize the moment in time Xizhi would witness the flying birds and the curves of their wings which would later inspire his calligraphy. The evaluation of Chinese artworks requires a particular approach that is just as unique as the oeuvres themselves. The term 'du Hua' is used for the process of analyzing and evaluating a Chinese painting (Hearn 43). The English translation of the phrase is 'To read a painting.' But paintings are a visual form of art and are seen not read. It is stories that one reads. The meaning behind this literal translation is the understanding of the composition of Chinese artworks. The viewing and evaluation of Chinese art are much like reading a story that the artist wishes to tell with a single framed image. Therefore, the tale of Xizhi's viewing of the flying birds and his artistry coming to mind when viewing Xuan's 'Wang Xizhi watching geese' is no anomaly and is simply the audience experiencing the very intention of the painter from the said region.
Evaluation of 'Wang Xizhi watching geese' in terms of its success in comparison to other similar pieces of art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art reveals certain aspects of the art piece. It is the notion of lifelike quality in an art piece that defined a successful oeuvre in those times. This narrative still stands true to a great extent. Xuan's painting, even though simplistic in its color palette and strokes, succeeds in this feat. 'Night-Shining White' is another such art piece that falls under the same category of success as Han Gan's ability to bring life to his horse paintings with his sharp yet smooth strokes. Gan's vibrant strokes and contour lines compared to Xuan's 'fur and feather' painting technique might not be identical in nature, but the end result of both exercises resulted in inspiring pieces of art with elements of life and vitality present in them. Another hand scroll present at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that has a narrative of its own behind its minimalistic color palette and landscape backdrop is Zhao Mengfu's 'Twin Pines, Level Distance.' The pine trees are not a coincidental choice of tree breed. Pines are considered a symbol of survival in Chinese culture and Mengfu's 'Twin Pines, Level Distance' might appear to be a simple landscape and a collection of a few statements by the artist in words at first sight, but it tells a much greater story of survival and bravery associated with the life of the artist of the painting (Chwalkowski 180). This successful feature reminds the viewer about the storytelling nature of 'Wang Xizhi watching geese discussed earlier.
After researching and analyzing the artwork discussed in this study, the versatility of what makes a piece of art inspirational and interesting can take a huge shift. The generic ideas of painstakingly real or extremely complex abstract visualization being the prerequisites of a successful piece of art are overturned. The ability of artists like Xuan to bring such vitality to their work without the use of complex color palettes and intricate techniques gives a new meaning to what life-like art is composed of. Similarly, the quality of storytelling with such minimalistic imaging is also something that becomes apparent after studying these oeuvres. The use of symbolism and choice of scenery for the painting by Xuan highlights how the intelligence of the artist can tell a multifaceted and stirring tale in a single image while showcasing beautiful painting strokes and simple drawing techniques.
In conclusion, artists like Xuan encapsulate not only the exterior qualities but also the inner essence of any image. The use of minimalistic color pallets to avoid any 'distractions' and the use of symbols and metaphors to narrate a story in a single image is the forte of this genre of art. Xuan's 'Wang Xizhi watching geese' ensures the achievement of all these feats by inspiring its audience and telling a tale without the use of words. Metropolitan Museum of Art holds many such oeuvres that inspire its viewers, and 'Wang Xizhi watching geese' is just one example of it. Understanding a painting requires having an open mind and an inquisitive nature. The reading of all the qualities and attributes of an oeuvre cannot be achieved with a limited mindset. The research and analysis done for this study helped develop new ideas and views regarding traditional paintings from varying parts of the world.
Works Cited
Chwalkowski, Farrin. Symbols in Arts, Religion, and Culture: The Soul of Nature. Newcastle, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016.
Hearn, Maxwell. How to Read Chinese Paintings. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008.
Powers, Martin. Companion to Chinese Art. New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons, 2019.