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The aesthetic spirits of Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen Buddhism have nourished the art of Chinese landscape painting, giving rise to aesthetic concepts such as “The benevolent rejoice in mountains, the wise rejoice in water.” and the artistic theory of “drawing inspiration from the patterns of nature, and attaining profound understanding within one’s innermost being”. The Renaissance in Europe, on the other hand, gave birth to Western landscape painting. In his writings on aesthetics, Dürer proposed that “art exists in nature”. Western painters have continuously explored the relationship between beauty and nature step by step through perception and practice. It was not until the 17th century, with the efforts of Dutch painters, that landscape painting gradually developed into a genre in its own right. As the 18th and 19th centuries progressed, artists gained a broader and deeper understanding of landscape painting. J.M.W. Turner, the British landscape painter, believed that “landscapes could convey a full range of artistic, historical, and emotional meanings”.

As painting practice and artistic theory developed, Western philosophers have also continuously developed an artistic aesthetic derived from nature, advocating the use of the beauty of art to refine feelings and reveal the essence of humanity. Kant believed that “a man who turns to the beauty of nature and possesses a refined taste in artistic judgment has a soul imbued with beauty”. Merleau-Ponty said, “The artist's task is to capture the spectacle that people have not seen, but are immersed in, and to convey them to the most ‘human’ part of the human heart. Nowadays, as the concepts of contemporary art enjoy popular support, some individuals have begun to delve deeper into the “meaning of landscapes”. From a philosophical perspective, American philosopher John Sallis critically examined landscape painting in both the Eastern and Western traditions. He proposed three meanings of landscape painting: “earthly,” “natural”, and “topographic”. He believed that the meaning of landscape lies in concepts such as the “self-revelation of landscape”, which offers new perspectives for the aesthetic study of landscape painting.

FEATURED WORKS

1.The Return of Nature

Since the 1950s, there has been a transformation in the theme and content of Chinese printmaking, with expression of emotions and celebration of life becoming the mainstream ones, which aims to portray the magnificent scenery in this land and the painters’ homesickness. This marks the return of Chinese printmaking to nature.

2.The Hidden Beauty of Landscape

Painting offers the audience a unique perspective to appreciate landscapes. It is a form of Heidegger's concept of world disclosure, an opening to truth and existence, allowing people to see the invisible part of beauty.