The painter came to the depths of the mountain; In order to find the theme he wrote, he brought home the landscapes of these places, which are not only suitable for his art, because they are more touching than ordinary landscapes ... They are also more acceptable to customers, because compared with the daily landscapes in the urban environment, these landscapes are very pleasant ... Indeed, the beauty of landscape painting is that it can bring distant scenery whenever and wherever-when this landscape is full of wildness and unattainable. And this reappearance has been regarded as a daily necessity. [ 1]
A framed landscape painting replaces the scenery covered by the window frame, which is an image rather than a reality. Both can make us realize how far we are from "nature". In our home, we are more and more aware of "indoor" and "outdoor", and more and more aware of these two alienated worlds. If we are lucky, the window facing the outside can let us see the distant countryside-there are gardens, orchards, fields, woodlands and mountains-and it can also provide us with bright light and fresh air. The connection between home life and vivid natural resources and the aesthetic pleasure of beautiful scenery make the landscape image have a special position. Artists can't draw or photograph light and fresh air by themselves, but they can reproduce various forms that are illuminated and activated by these basic factors: the shining sunshine on the river, or the reticular spots and shadows reflected on the ground between branches and leaves, the trees bent in the breeze, and the lakes wrinkled in the breeze. Invisible light and air are precious necessities of indoor life in our home. Now, with the help of their physical forms of contact, illumination and activation, they are reappeared in landscape painting.
In this paper, we will study a series of western paintings in different periods and traditions to study the aesthetic impression when the scenery is in harmony with the indoor scenery. In these cases, this relationship is so frequently influenced by our double feelings of "indoor" and "outdoor"-in a broad sense, this is also an eternal relationship between "human" and "nature".
During the Renaissance, Italian painter Antonio Lo? Da? In Autonello da Messina's "Hieronymus in Research" [Figure 1], the above viewpoint is illustrated in an interesting way. Through many windows and holes, the outside world illuminates the room: the top three windows use domes to introduce light into the upper space, while the bottom window gives people a view of hills, and we can see all these scenes through the arches in the foreground. In this way, we enter the room through a frame formed by architecture-it frames the picture in the shape of an altar painting-and then we meet deeper frames, which lead us to the outdoor world.
This painting brings perspective appreciation. Through the fine organization of floor tiles and lines and the careful arrangement of the right colonnade and the ground, the perspective effect of the picture can be formed. There is a vertical line starting from the top of the central arch, vaguely passing through the pillar in the center of the window, and then passing through the book opened by Jerome, forming a focus perspective design. Everything is completely parallel to the plane of the picture: the arch, the space of the study, the back wall, Jerome himself sitting on one side, peacocks, grouse and cats on the side. Only the lion has surprisingly broken this way. All this stems from the interest in the Renaissance: I have great confidence in human reason and related order.
In outdoor landscape, this geometric composition form is still mostly continued. The sunny walls of rivers, ships, towns or temples, and the closed gardens nearby, as well as the roads in front of these things, are all parallel to the plane direction of the picture, cut by some diagonal lines, echoing the perspective line from the arch: the inclined boat pulp and the road leading to the hill. Almost everything in the painting follows this strict geometric way, except some objects on the book case and the circular outline of Jerome's portrait and clothes, which are specially arranged to attract people's attention to the theme of the picture. This violation of the straight line principle is echoed in the ups and downs and circles of the scenery seen in the two windows.
The outdoor scenery in the picture has a loose and round appearance, but they are subject to the indoor regularity, which is a reflection of the strict mind of saints and scholars. This property has been fully developed as the line of sight goes through layer-by-layer opening in the depth of the picture. In all this, "indoor" and "outdoor" are clearly distinguished: for this orderly and complex space, the landscape plays an uncontrollable "external" comparative role in the distance. But this does not interfere with Jerome's quiet research. His thoughts are completely in his own hands.
Next, when shall we visit Christopher? After "A canopy" by ChristofReckeberg (1783-1853) [Figure 2], we will find that the scheme of forming a framework and the double expression inside and outside are different and compared with the previous works. Eichberg is a Danish painter, but he painted many works about Italian scenery in the19th century. In a canopy, we find "indoor" and "outdoor" mixed together, which may really be of interest to painters. The viewer must be in a walled garden, where the sun shines through the leaves interwoven on the vines, forming a cool feeling, in contrast to the hot feeling of the outdoor scenery. Sunlight shines from the rattan frame, and is treated soft and moist, forming harmony with the gray walls. When we enter another space from one space in the picture, nature and utensils, indoor and outdoor, leisure and formality, freedom and enlightenment are still a mixed relationship, just like Da? Like Messina's works [Figure 1], the viewer is in an absolute center position, while the basic building facilities remain parallel to the plane direction of the picture. This kind of situation starts with erected and cross-supported scaffolding, then goes through high walls and doorways, goes out to low walls, and then extends outward to long farmhouses exposed to the sun in the distance. The perspective lines of paving stones and vines have also been carefully arranged, emphasizing the main frame formed by the doorway with straight edges. Frame after frame, what does this have to do with? The difference between Messina's works lies in the harmonious coexistence of natural form and architecture; This is a milder picture. The external countryside is full of vitality, but the closed garden imposes a kind of kindness and loose restrictions, and the human mind is no longer above nature.
From the general point of view of western art history, landscape painting originated in northern Europe. The life of northern Europeans is mostly spent indoors, so it is very different from the life of residents in the Mediterranean region of southern Europe, and it is much more convenient to walk between indoor and outdoor. Therefore, Nordic people are particularly fascinated by alleviating the sharp difference between indoor home and outdoor scenery, which may help to understand why landscape art originated in Northern Europe. The motif of the scenery in front of the window is sometimes accompanied by a figure standing at the window staring into the distance. This is the preference of Nordic romantic painting, which represents the soul's desire to break free from imprisonment, liberate imagination and explore a vast area full of sunshine. As one critic pointed out, this theme "forms the most direct contrast between indoor space and vast outdoor space" ... Windows are like an entrance and a barrier at the same time. [2] The effect of a window frame around the landscape emphasizes the sense of distance from the outside world both culturally and visually. This sense of distance and frame caused indoors. It can make even the most ordinary scenery different.
With the German painter Furong Devik? Vasman's Scenery by the Window [Figure 3] is an example. The window frame is painted in different shades of brown at will, but there are some details on the left. Once the square of the window is out, there are no strict horizontal or vertical lines outside, instead, it is a continuous undulating outline, and even the brushwork becomes loose and free, which is used to express the sunset reflected by the mountain shape and the hillside. The distant scenery is a shining yellow sky and blue gentle mountains, with a color saturation and romance beyond natural vision. Under the dim brown background in the viewing room, they are strengthened, and the contrast and connection between the indoor and romantic outdoor scenery are strengthened, especially the farmhouse in the center of the picture on the foreground hillside: if we can look out of the window of that farmhouse, what kind of scenery will we see? What will your life be like when you are surrounded by such scenery?
Above, we have learned about the different harmonious effects of windows on "indoor" and "outdoor". From the Renaissance to the19th century, the aesthetic feeling produced by this effect has changed greatly, which explains the origin of landscape painting to a great extent. However, once the painters walk out of the room and are completely immersed in the scenery, they face another problem. We can learn from John. Christine? In the works of John Christian Dahl (1788- 1857) [Figure 4]. This painting depicts a broad and detailed view of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius from the window. The window in the picture has two functions. On the one hand, this painting is more like a tourist's record of famous scenic spots, less romantic. It contains another meaning of the scenery outside the window: it is a confirmation of the scenery. The reason why this picture contains a window frame is to emphasize that this is a real landscape. On the other hand, we should pay special attention to the fact that the window frame also serves another purpose in this painting: its edge helps to limit the extension of the scenery on both sides. As long as the viewer takes a step forward in the painting, we will turn our heads to the left and right, because then the scenery will have the bending nature of panoramic painting. But just like in painting, when we keep a little distance from the window, these forms a "landscape" that can enter the plane picture, which brings convenience to landscape painters, which is very worthy of attention. It solves the problem of how to obtain an ideal composition when the painter is completely in the outdoor scenery. In fact, when artists face the infinite nature directly with people's longing for scenery, they still have to make judgments, restrictions and choices by their own minds.
As the fashion of18th century, it is the same for tourists who travel around Europe by carriage and enjoy picturesque scenery. At that time, in order to appreciate the scenery along the way with the elegant eyes of painting art, they sat in a carriage with Claude mirror [Figure 5] and wandered between mountains, lakes and fields. Claude mirror is actually a portable landscape frame with optical advantages. This kind of mirror frame is to miniaturize the large convex mirror used by artists in the studio for outdoor use and put it in a leather case. This kind of convex mirror (oval, round or square) can show a fairly broad landscape in a frame, but the scenery reflected in it is of course compressed and deformed, and the vertical lines on both sides of the original landscape will bend slightly on both sides of the mirror. The effect of modern wide-angle lens cameras is the same. If tourists find a suitable viewpoint, they can regard the scenery in the foreground as the corner structure of the picture, and the audience's line of sight will move to the middle scene and the distant view. The characteristics of convex mirror will bend the vertical lines of these foregrounds slightly inward, so that these foregrounds will form a natural silhouette and a "landscape painting" because of their centripetal nature and the enclosure of the central part. Looking out from the window of the carriage and capturing the scenery outside the window with a framed mirror, visitors can regard the outside world as "a series of pictures waiting to be frozen" for people to enjoy. In other words, it is the method and way that we must use to turn "landscape" into "art". In Paul? Sandeby (1730- 1809) painted "the scenery of Midro County" [Figure 6]. In this painting, tourists did just that. Sandeby described the activities of aristocratic women snapping photos. They were using camera boxes to get photos of farmers and their mothers on the bridge. For these amateur artists, through the use of lenses and mirrors, the scenery that one of the women is capturing is processed and finally photographed in the form of pictures on a square imaging mirror.
Entertainment, as an esoteric appreciation activity, was exclusive to the upper class in the18th century, and has become a very common habit among modern tourists ―― cameras, DV and landscape DVD. From 65438 to 0977, the sixth Kassel Literature Exhibition in Germany exhibited a giant installation work [Figure 7], which showed the way that "landscape" became "art" to a great extent. They consist of two frames. The location is a highland overlooking the park and the valley. According to a description, these two frames bring shocking different landscapes: "Through the larger frame, you can see the green landscape of a wide river valley, but when you pass through the smaller frame, this landscape is changed, and the smoke in the middle occupies a position and the city spreads around." [3] The author also commented on the habit of adopting a framework:
This device constitutes a random landscape. Our first consideration is to make the audience realize that he may not necessarily react to the daily things around him, or realize their existence, unless these things are consciously "framed". Secondly, let them pay special attention to the urban landscape in a small framework, because in this area, there is a landscape that has developed something that they are not fully aware of.
After we understand the basic way of "landscape" becoming "art", we can examine various schemes adopted and designed in different periods according to this method.
In the neo-classical painter Nicholas? In Pu Sang's painting "Orpheus and Eurydice" [Figure 8], we noticed a situation consistent with the dramatic features. No other landscape works in Pu Sang are so similar to the stage effect of the theater: in the background of painting, the foreground is showing the scenes of Orpheus and Eurydice, not only the middle scene and the foreground have the significance of stage setting, but also Pu Sang has composed the forest on the side of the stage. When the author puts dark clouds at the top of the picture and heavy shadows at the bottom of the picture, we experience another technique of adding borders inside the picture. This makes the bright light of the drama performance more intense, and also accords with the ideal lighting effect of the stage lighting. All this fully reflects the attitude of neoclassicism towards "landscape": "people" always comes first, but "landscape" is the stage and environment for the unfolding of human stories. In other words, human nature makes us trust, but it is inseparable from the framework of nature. Think of da listed at the beginning of this article? Messina's description of Hieronymus and Pu Sang's expression of people's attitude towards nature have become much more humble-although there is not much difference between the two authors' beliefs.
As for those pure landscape painters, such as Impressionists, they simply invented the landscape painting frame. 19 th century French art critic Araud? In a paper in 1873, Arnaud Cassagne put forward some interesting views on the framing landscape: "Things that combine to form a picture should be easily included at a glance." This means that the artist must choose the distance from the reproduction object very carefully in order to absorb the scenery. If the distance is too close, the artist must turn around to capture the rich content of the selected scene. If the distance is too far, the air in the middle will blur the shape of the object under study. The best distance "should be at least twice the range of the selected topic." Another important suggestion made by Kashan for this purpose is:
When sketching in nature, an artist should use a small picture frame in order to be sure, which will benefit him a lot. This kind of picture frame is made of wood or cardboard, separated from the middle by thin lines or ponytails, thus dividing the space in the picture frame into four equal parts and marking the midpoint. [4]
Description of this technology [Figure 9] Add a grid to the village scene and focus on the selected theme to make it form a painting. In this picture, there is a tower in the landscape, and a large plane copy is inserted between the theme scene and the artist to demonstrate the location at a suitable distance.
In the above example, Kazan and contemporary landscape painters solved the problem of how to objectively reproduce "landscape" and make it "art" in the most reasonable way. However, the eternal problem of the relationship between "man" and "nature" has not ended. It still raises the question of the relationship between painting and real scenes in a new way, which makes us face Ryan? The Human Situation by Rene Magritte (1897- 1967)[ Figure 10].
Margaret seems to know Kashan's explanation of the landscape frame, in which a canvas intervenes between the audience and the landscape, and this landscape is the theme of the picture. This idea, which appears in many of Margaret's works, is expressed in this way. In this absurd scheme about the relationship between nature and artifacts, the emphasis is on suggesting the framework in a gradual way. Windows and curtains form a landscape, which is partially blocked by the canvas on the easel, and the canvas is painted with the part of the landscape it blocks. Just like the illustrations listed in this article, this is a glimpse of the outside world from an indoor place. Indoor lines and light brown, including easels and pictures, increasingly set off the soft and vibrant forms and colors of outdoor scenery. However, as a deeper factor, the painting on the canvas complicates the interaction between indoor and outdoor, and the difference between the real scene and the scenery in the painting is disintegrated. When the artificial object looks like the scenery it reproduces, and the scenery hanging indoors is the same as the outdoor scenery, can people still maintain the grade difference between the real scenery and the artificial object, and between indoor and outdoor?
In Margaret's own comments on this work, the questions about "indoor" and "outdoor" are clearly put forward:
In front of an indoor window, I arranged a picture, which only reproduced the part of the scenery it blocked, so that the trees in the picture hid the outdoor trees behind. For the audience, it exists in both indoor paintings and outdoor scenes, just like living in the past and present at the same time. [5]
Perhaps, in Margaret's painting "The Human Situation", is he suggesting that the relationship between "man" and "nature" can be answered or even avoided by deconstruction in the context of today's civilization development? Or, is he expressing some expectation, hoping for reconciliation in the East? What's more, he may just show in a humorous way that these problems can only be expressed in an artistic way? Then from the last point, in almost all the landscape paintings in different periods, the efforts made by artists have made the best interpretation and reconciliation for some eternal relationship and even contradictions.
Precautions:
Marshall William, Landscape Review, London: Thames and. Hudson, 1975, p255.
[2] Eitner Lorenz, Romanticism Portraiture, London: Thames Press; Hudson, 1975, p28 1.
[3] Quoted from Malcolm Andrews, Landscape and Western Art, Oxford Art History, Oxford University Press, 1999, P 1 18.
[4] Cassagne, Practical Perspectives Applied to Art and Industrial Design, translated. , Murray Wilson, Yale University Press, 1990, p2 13.
[5] Malcolm Andrews, Landscape and Western Art, Oxford Art History, Oxford University Press, 1999, p 124.
Dai Xiaoman: College of Fine Arts, Hunan Normal University
Column planning and editor: Tang Hongfeng