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Lot Essay
Fu Baoshi reached his first artistic peak during his stay in Chongqing. Among his oeuvre of this period, his landscape creations have emerged as some of his most important paintings. Inspired by the geographical eccentricity of the location, he painted a series of landscape which later became known as the “Landscapes of Jingangpo”—the mountain suburb of his residence. As Fu Baoshi recalled, “There is a myriad of breath-taking scenery surrounding Jingangpo. Everywhere you look, fenben [artist’s sketch books and preparatory drawings] exits in abundance. Those who live in the Southeast [Chongqing is located in the Southwest] cannot and dare not embrace this realm made possible only by the local misty atmosphere and the majestic peaks.”
The composition of this work emphasizes grandeur and monumentality. Technically, Fu Baoshi mostly eschews outlines and utilizes dappling of the brush and ink washes. In spite of the Chinese title “Chaotic Waterfalls and Sounding Springs,” each element is rendered meticulously and with purpose. The distant mountains with atmospheric effect on the top of the painted surface contrasts with the near and clear ones on the bottom. The seemingly disorder of the successive waterfalls on the right, upon closer examination, is consisted of logically cascading waterfalls. Peeping from the giant pine trees on the left are ancient temple structures. Near the bottom stands a lofty scholar, shown to be turning around to admire the wonders of nature that takes his breath away. Fu Baoshi uses bright red to accent the headscarf of the scholar as well as the top of the staff held by his servant boy, adding vitality and a point of entry for the viewers to experience this pictorial world vicariously. The miniscule figures and architecture further highlights the colossal towering peaks and waterfalls.
Fu Baoshi’s family later reminisced about their time there: “Jingangpo, where we lived, was a typical mountain district of Sichuan province. Villages are scattered in layers of mountains and hills, where streams, bamboo groves, thickets, and forests are ubiquitous. And in the mountains there are the secluded ancient temples. In the summer, fog and mist frequently permeates the air, causing one to lose one’s direction. However, this type of scenery was beloved by father [Fu Baoshi] the most.” This painting, in every way, exemplifies the finest of Fu Baoshi’s “Landscapes of Jingangpo.”
The composition of this work emphasizes grandeur and monumentality. Technically, Fu Baoshi mostly eschews outlines and utilizes dappling of the brush and ink washes. In spite of the Chinese title “Chaotic Waterfalls and Sounding Springs,” each element is rendered meticulously and with purpose. The distant mountains with atmospheric effect on the top of the painted surface contrasts with the near and clear ones on the bottom. The seemingly disorder of the successive waterfalls on the right, upon closer examination, is consisted of logically cascading waterfalls. Peeping from the giant pine trees on the left are ancient temple structures. Near the bottom stands a lofty scholar, shown to be turning around to admire the wonders of nature that takes his breath away. Fu Baoshi uses bright red to accent the headscarf of the scholar as well as the top of the staff held by his servant boy, adding vitality and a point of entry for the viewers to experience this pictorial world vicariously. The miniscule figures and architecture further highlights the colossal towering peaks and waterfalls.
Fu Baoshi’s family later reminisced about their time there: “Jingangpo, where we lived, was a typical mountain district of Sichuan province. Villages are scattered in layers of mountains and hills, where streams, bamboo groves, thickets, and forests are ubiquitous. And in the mountains there are the secluded ancient temples. In the summer, fog and mist frequently permeates the air, causing one to lose one’s direction. However, this type of scenery was beloved by father [Fu Baoshi] the most.” This painting, in every way, exemplifies the finest of Fu Baoshi’s “Landscapes of Jingangpo.”