Bulletin Number One 1985

Plate 6 Yuan Jiang; Landscape with Pavilions among Pines and Bamboo, (dated 1723); Set of 12 hanging scrolls, ink and colour on silk, past a new moon above. The composition is made interesting by the masterful interplay of solids and voids. Indeed Hua Yan has demonstrated that he was a consummate painter. In addition to the circle of the so-called ‘Eight Eccentric Masters', there were quite a number of professional artists in Yangzhou whose works were included in this exhibition. Among these artists we find Yu Zhiding ( 禹之鼎）， who was well-known for Ms paintings of figures and portraits. Then there were Li Yin ( 李寅 ), Xiao Chen (蕭晨）， Yan Yi ( 顏嶧)， Y u a n Jiang ( 袁江） a n d Yuan Yao ( 袁耀 ), who gained recognition for their monumental landscapes with pavilions and palaces. Their art displays a high degree of technical discipline and virtuoso performance, capable of holding their own against the brilliant inventions of the ‘Eccentric Masters'. Their achievement might have been overlooked in the past when the literati tradition reigned supreme. The current exhibition provided an opportunity for their revaluation and overdue appreciation. The most outstanding artists among this group are Li Yin and Yuan Jiang. Li Yin, who was active in late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, derived his art from the Song tradition, particularly Li Cheng (李成）， Guo Xi ( 郭熙） and Guo Zhongshu ( 郭忠恕 ) . I t is evident that the artist has drawn from this tradition in painting the massive mountains and gnarled trees in Landscape with Travellers (Back cover). Even the theme o f carts on a winding mountain road can be traced to the Five Dynasties and the Song periods. However, Li Yin has created something new from this ancient tradition, especially in the composition which is intercepted by long, transverse arcs of the distant shorelines in the upper part. The lower portion is occupied by mountain ranges that overhang one another. Together they create in the painting sweeping and winding movements and ambiguous spatial relationships that are quite modem and abstract. The artist used undulating lines that demarcate the rock masses sharply and highlighted the rock surfaces with textural strokes and ink washes. These form stark contrasts of solids and voids, conveying a feeling of desolution in a cold, bleak winter scene. Lest the scenery becomes too fantastic, the artist incorporated groups of travellers that wind through the composition in and out as many as four times, until they reach the lower right comer where the travellers and their animals are seen resting from the hard journey. These details are rendered in such a lively and realistic manner that they give this painting a great deal of earthly charm. Yuan Jiang and his son Yuan Yao are credited with bringing about the flourishing of grandiose landscapes and meticulous palace 18 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS