Interpretations of Wang Hui's Scrolls

Shadow Mountains, litho crayon and ink on watercolor paper, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

 The most attractive element of Wang Hui's scroll painting is the way he created the mountains. They're so dreamy and stylized. It's obvious he wasn't there because mountains don't really look like that. But, that's why they look so great in the painting. They're from his own imagination and what he remembers mountains to look like.

I just took those repeating, craggy, curvy lines and did them my own way. First a little bit like him, then less and less. The boys did a project with them as well their interpretations are a bit further away from the original, but still have the same, basic idea of repeating lines and shapes.

Warble Lines, graphite, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Lined Egg, pastel, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Eamon's Wang Hui, crayon and tempera on watercolor paper, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Gio's Wang Hui, crayon and tempera on watercolor paper, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Children Recreating Wang Hui's Scrolls

As in Eva Hesse's paintings, it is possible to get a 4 year old and a 1 year old to emulate an artists style, sort of. I began by showing the kids this painting by Wang Hui. First asking them what it looked like then asking them to find things like the people, the buildings, and the trees. I explained what the artist was trying to accomplish and then demonstrated how to draw a line and then make a similar line underneath, over and over.

Living in Wang Hui's Scrolls

Living in Wang Hui's Scrolls by ninamleung featuring Denby

Floor lamp / Nordstrom king bedding / Denby teapot / Denby drinkware / Temple of Heaven Special Gunpowder China Green Tea 1000g/35.27 Oz 1... / Modern chair / Jonathan Adler accent table / Blu Dot book case / OCEAN CORAL DIFFUSER & REFILL SET - @MICHAELARAMINC OFFICIAL SITE / DENY Designs Heather Dutton Dunes Throw Pillow / Landscapes Clear and Radiant

Relaxing in the Chinese mountains with a pot of gunpowder tea, a warm blanket, and a book full of eye candy. Sounds pretty dreamy to me! 

Dressing in Wang Hui's Scrolls

Dressing in Wang Hui's Scrolls by ninamleung featuring a tweed pencil skirt

Zadig & Voltaire long sleeve top / Haider Ackermann sleeveless turtleneck top / St. John tweed pencil skirt, $465 / Balenciaga wedge heel boots / Vanessa Bruno oversized handbag / Kate Spade pearl jewellery / Fragrance / Dolce & Gabbana nail polish

It was probably pretty cold during some of the trip from Beijing to Shanghai taken by the Kangxi Emperor. His party would have had to dress warm and well, especially considering status. Their status must be obvious to the locals so they receive their due respect.

I chose warm wools, thick textures, and drapey silhouettes for the modern version of a woman who would have been in the Emperor's party. The greys reflect Wang Hui's color palette, as well as the green nail lacquer. Notice the white flower earrings that are very similar to the rhododendrons I saw on Emei Shan. The look reminds me of the film, Balzac and the Little Chinese Mistress. There are lots of great scenes with beautiful mountains. 

Travelling in Wang Hui's Scroll

Mount Emei in the Sichuan Province of China is one of the Sacred Buddhist Mountains. Many people make pilgrimages here to see the various temples that ascend the mountain. The day I was there, it was quite foggy, but that only added to the beauty. Mount Tai is likely similar in that there is a steep climb from temple and temple and the mountain is rocky and covered in trees and flowers. Wang Hui may have been similarly inspired by this sacred mountain.

Wang Hui's Scroll

Ipad rendering of Scroll Three, Ji'nan to Mount Tai by Wang Hui

Yes! I'm finally branching out of Western Art and examining some Chinese painting. This painting, by Wang Hui, is only part of a 45 foot long scroll depicting a trip taken by the Kangxi Emperor in 1689 from Beijing down to the Yangze River Delta (currently the Shanghai region). What I find so fascinating about Chinese landscape painting is that the artist does not paint in the setting. Wang Hui was commissioned to make scroll paintings depicting the entire journey, but he wasn't there. He never saw any of the things he painted. He used maps and journal entries with other people's descriptions to create them. So, really, much of what we see is from his imagination. 

In the painting that I did a rendering of above, titled Ji'nan to Mount Tai, Wang Hui shows the Emperor's travelling party climbing to the top of Mount Tai, a spiritual place in Eastern China. In total, he created 12 scrolls depicting the Emperor's journey, some measuring as long as 80 feet! Can you imagine!? He did have assistants, but still, that's a pretty large undertaking, especially considering the delicacy of paper. Learn a few more details on the MET Museum site if you want to learn more.