Landscape of the Soul

                                           

  Summary of Landscape of the Soul

Chapter ‘Landscape of the Soul’ by Nathalie Trouveroy is about art. The chapter consists of two parts. The first part has been taken from ‘Landscape of the Soul: Ethics and Spirituality in Chinese Painting’; and the second part is from ‘Getting Inside ‘Outsider Art’, an article written by Brinda Suri in Hindustan Times.

  

The first part deals with the art of painting.

There is mention of two stories in it. The first story is about Wu Daozi, a famous Chinese painter, who lived in the eighth century. He was a master painter and had been commissioned by the Tang Emperor Xuanzong, to decorate a palace wall. He made a beautiful painting with  high mountains,  forests waterfalls, clouds floating in clear, big blue sky, men walking and working on hilly paths, birds in flight, and a cave situated at the foot of the mountain, where dwelt a spirit. As the painter was

showing the painting to the emperor, he clapped hands; the entrance to the cave opened, the painter got in; the painting vanished and Wu Daozi never came out.

The disappearance of the painting from the wall signifies the knowledge of the spiritual inner world. Only the masters know the way within and can go beyond any material appearance. 

In another famous story, a famous Chinese painter refused to draw the eye of a dragon he had painted for he feared it would fly out of the painting.

The third story in the first part is about Antwerp, a master blacksmith called Quinten Metsys fell in love with a painter’s daughter. The father would not accept a son-in-law in such a profession. However, Antwerp had to accept Quinten Metsys as his son in law because he painted a fly on his panel with such delicate realism that it looked real one. 

The author also talks about Chinese philosophy shanshui, which means ‘mountain water’. The mountain represents ‘Yang’, the male principle; and water signifies Yin, the female principle.

In the second part the author writes about the concept of ‘art brut’, which means ‘the art of those who have ‘no right’ to be artists as they have received no formal training, yet show talent and artistic insight. They are artists who think out of the box. Their works are totally different from those of their predecessors. In simple terminology this art can be called ‘unorthodox art.’ In this section the author talks about Nek Chand’s creations. His creation of Rock Garden at Chandigarh is an expression of art brut. 

Reference : Brainly.in - https://brainly.in/question/1950725#readmore

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

Page No: 38 

Understanding the Text 

1. 

(i) Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples. 

(ii) Explain the concept of shanshui. 

Answer 

(i) The Chinese paintings are based on imaginative, inner or spritiual approach whereas the european paintings reproduce an actual view, of an external or real object. The painintgs of Wu daozi and mater painters of Europe illustarte the difference.

(ii) Shanshui, meaning “mountain-water”, refers to a style of Chinese painting that involves natural landscapes, the landscape which is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space. It represents the two complementary poles (`yin’ and `young’) reflecting the Daoist view of the universe.

2.  
(i)What do you understand by the terms ‘outsider art’ and ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art’? 

(ii) Who was the “untutored genius who created a paradise” and what is the nature of his contribution to art?

Answer 

'Outsiders art' refers to those art who have no right to be artists as they have recieved no formal training yet show talent and artistic insight. 'Art brut' or 'raw art' are the works of art in their raw state as regards cultural and artistic influences.

(ii) The “untutored genius” who created “paradise” was Nek Chand, an 80- year old creator-director who made the world famous rock garden at Chandigarh. His was an ‘outsider art’ in which he sculpted with stone and recycled materials. He used anything and everything from a tin to a sink to a broken down car to form an artistic piece. One of his famous creations are ‘Women by the Waterfall’.


Talking about the Text 

Discuss the following statements in groups of four. 

1.“The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered, but only the artist knows the way within.”

Answer 


This sentence explains the fact that even though an Emperor might rule an entire kingdom and have power over his conquered territory, only an artist would be able to go beyond any material appearance. He knows both the path and the method of the mysterious work of the universe. True meaning of his work can be seen only by means known to him, irrespective of how powerful an emperor is.

2. “The landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space.” 

Answer 

This phrase explains The Chinese art from where a Chinese painter wants you to enter his mind rather than borrow his eyes. This is a physical as well as a mental participation. It is a landscape created by the artist to travel up and down, and back again, through the viewer’s eyes. The landscape is not `real’ and can be reached from any point.

Thinking about the Language 

1. Find out the correlates of Yin and Yang in other cultures. 

Answer

The Indian culture lays stress on Nature and God. Nature is the 'yen' or female part whereas God the creator, is the male part. This concept also known as 'Maya' or Brahma' The combination of two creates the whole world, all it objects and also inhabitants.

2. What is the language spoken in Flanders? 

Answer: 'French 'language spoken in Flanders which is a region in Belgium.