Chapter 4: Landscape of the Soul

Chinese painting art is imaginative and spiritual in nature, whereas European paintings are based on actual views or real objects. The paintings of Wu Daozi and master painters from Europe demonstrate the disparity between the perspectives of two distinct arts.

(ii) Explain the concept of shanshui.

It literally means “mountain water,” and it refers to a type of Chinese painting that incorporates natural landscapes, spiritual spaces, and conceptual spaces. It reflects two opposing poles that represent the Daoist view of the universe.

Outsider art is art created by an artist who has no formal training but still has talent and an artistic point of view in life. The term ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art’ refers to art in its most basic form or state.

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

Nek Chand was the ‘untutored genius’ who created ‘paradise.’ He was the 80-year-old designer of Chandigarh’s world-famous Rock Garden. It is an example of outsider art in which raw materials and stones are combined to create an artistic work. Anything and everything can be used to create an artwork, and all that is required is a critical eye. One of his most well-known works is ‘Women by the Waterfall.’