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Born in Wen county in present day Henan province, Guo Xi
is not only one of the greatest landscape artists in
Chinese tradition but also one of the most influential
art theorists. He was active at a time when
Chinese traditional landscape painting reached its
zenith and a great number of exceptional artists
appeared to create what we know today as Song dynasty
landscape painting. Although his style can be traced
back to Tang dynasty’s famous Li Cheng, he experimented
with a variety of different styles.
Being a prominent member of the Imperial Academy of
Painting Guo Xi’s art ornamented large parts of the
imperial palace' especially during the reign of emperor Shenzong who admired his work. Being a man of innovation
it was only natural for him to support the great reforms
promoted by the prominent politician and then Prime
Minister Wang Anshi. However, after the sudden
halt of these far reaching reforms as a result of the
death of the emperor, Guo Xi’s art had to give way
to other works, clearly showing how slim the borders
between art and politics were in traditional China.
Guo Xi has left behind very little traces of his great
talent, today only a few examples of his works and style
are around but fortunately his greatest work and one of
the most important masterpieces in Chinese history
“Early Spring” has survived. Early Spring is
classified as a class A national treasure in Taiwan’s
Palace Museum in Taipei.
Early Spring was done with ink on a 158x108cm piece of
silk. In this work Guo Xi vividly captures the movement
and subtle dynamism that takes place with springs'
arrival. The whole surface of the painting looks as if
it is breathing and alive, reflecting the changes
and awakening that spring evokes in earth. Thanks to Guo Xi’s
mastery of ink and his control over the brush, he
succeeds in giving Early Spring an
appealing glow or even an angelic aura. In it, the
viewer can find a new awakening and birth. Early Spring
is a bit abstract, the shift from substantial to
unsubstantial is very subtle, giving this work a unique
feeling which justifies its position in the history of
Chinese art. One of the more famous aspects of Early
Spring is its twisted trees, an element where a variety
of techniques are used in order to reach a three
dimensional feeling. The wide range of ink tone used is
another skill Guo Xi takes to new heights.
Guo Xi, was also the
author of the Collection of Hermit in Woods and
Spring, which is one of the most important treatises on
Chinese landscape painting. In this book he lays down in
writing his personal beliefs concerning the goal of art
and his views on various techniques. He believed
that the process of creating art was a spiritual journey
that involves great imagination and the ability to
contemplate and experience nature directly through the
mind. Only then will the artist be able to bring his
viewers into the picture to experience nature and the
mysteries of art. He summed this up in a short and
influential sentence: ”An artist should identify himself
with the landscape and watch it until its significance
is revealed to him." In a way Guo Xi is referring
to the artist's ability to see beyond material
phenomena.
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